Click HERE to read the Script, look at the Score and listen to the Songs
Zoom!
by Craig Hawes
Pricing & Order Info.
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Why choose this Musical?
NATIONAL CURRICULUM - LITERACY / FABLES
Flexibility
Flexible Cast size to suit YOUR group numbers, from 27 actors upwards. See "Casting" tab below.
Unlimited chorus parts - as many as you like!
Easy to stage and costume
CDs of Backing and Vocal Tracks available
Both these CDs include Overture, ALL Songs, Special Effects, Play Ons and Play Offs in the order you need them enabling production and direction to take place without specialist musical expertise.
Full Performance Piano/Vocal Score available (Grade 5 / 6 Standard)
Encompasses Overture, ALL Play Ons and Play Offs, Songs, Link Music, Cues and Chord Symbols. Click "Performance Score" in the "Script & Songs" tab below.
Easy Play Rehearsal Piano/Vocal Score available (Grade 2 / 3 Standard)
Click "Easy Play Score" in the "Script & Songs" tab below.
Manageable props
Age range: Lower Key Stage 2 Production (7-9 years)
Duration: 55-65 minutes
Based upon The Tortoise and the Hare, Zoom is a sparkling musical comedy which retells the famous fable in an unusual and VERY current way.
Harvey Hare, fabulously wealthy, golf playing, sexist, misogynistic business tycoon is running for President... well, Mayor actually.
Toby Tortoise gets wind of the unscrupulous methods Harvey intends to use to secure his electoral dream.
Harvey considers Toby a 'loser' and 'slow', but Toby has a "TRUMP" card...
Your parents will LOVE it as will your children (read the reviews)!
"Brand New Day" opens this 'hare'-raising musical and after Evergreen Valley is filled with music, the tortoise family introduce themselves before talk turns to the upcoming election for the new mayor; the battle is between Harvey Hare and Henry Hedgehog. "Daddy Tortoise" follows as Toby tries to convince his children of the advantages of being a tortoise.
The following scene sees the Hare family sitting around their breakfast table which is full of sumptuous food. Harvey oozes confidence for the election but it soon becomes apparent that he is not popular with the younger hares in his family; they think he's pompous and arrogant. Unfortunately for Harvey their dislike for their elder brother will work against him later...
The audience then discover that Harvey is not only arrogant but also scheming, as he meets with Phil and Fred Fox who help him to steal a prize sunflower from Lady Lucinda's garden. Their plan is to 'plant' the sunflower in Henry Hedgehog's briefcase so he is caught and expelled from the election; "A Couple of Evil Doers" follows appropriately!
The stage then transforms into a busy office at "Hare And Co." as the animals prepare for the election conference. Although all seems to be going well, it's not long before the plant is discovered, and despite Henry's protests of innocence, Harvey appears victorious. That is, until Toby overhears Harvey laughing at the success of his scheme, and a confrontation between the two leads results in them both agreeing to have a race the following day; Harvey bets everything he owns, including the title of mayor, against everything that Toby owns.
That night, Toby begins to have doubts about his abilities, but his wife, Shelly, gives him confidence as she sings "Believe in Your Dream". Meanwhile, the tortoise children rush to get the help of Harvey's younger siblings, Hip and Hop, who are eager to work against their brother; and boy does Toby need their help!
"The Race" signals the start of a battle between Harvey and Toby, but whilst the tortoise plays fair, the hare is back up to his old tricks which include dynamite, glue and fake signposts! Luckily, the children are always one step behind him, clearing up his dirty tricks before Toby suffers the consequences. So even when Toby has doubts during "So Much More", his determination pays off because, unaware that the tortoise has not suffered from any of his tricks, Harvey decides to take forty winks, which is perhaps one wink too many because Toby ends up winning the race!
After the children reveal the Hare's dirty tricks, the foxes and the Hare are taken away by local policemen, allowing the tortoise family and all their friends to rejoice and celebrate together; "Daddy Tortoise" ends the show.
Suggested Cast List For 44 Actors
N.B. In the following list, the number shows how many spoken lines each role has. An asterisk (*) before the character's name indicates that this character ALSO has solo or featured sung lines.
| Character Name | Number of Lines |
|---|---|
| * Harvey Hare | 107 |
| * Phil Fox | 61 |
| * Toby Tortoise | 55 |
| * Fred Fox | 50 |
| Jack Daw | 41 |
| * Shelly Tortoise | 38 |
| Hip | 25 |
| Hyacinth Hare | 25 |
| Plod | 25 |
| Dally | 23 |
| Hop | 22 |
| Lady Lucinda | 22 |
| Dilly | 18 |
| Harold Hare | 16 |
| Reggie Rat | 15 |
| Crawl | 13 |
| Henry Hedgehog | 12 |
| Dawdle | 11 |
| Harriet | 11 |
| Mr. Beaver | 11 |
| Spike | 11 |
| Squirmy | 11 |
| Spiny | 10 |
| Holly Hedgehog | 9 |
| Mr. Badger | 9 |
| Jenkins | 6 |
| Squeaky | 6 |
| Bunty Bunny | 5 |
| Squidgy | 5 |
| Squinty | 5 |
| Betty Bunny | 4 |
| Bill Budgie | 3 |
| Happy | 3 |
| Mr. Ferret | 3 |
| Mr. Weasel | 3 |
| PC Parsnip | 3 |
| Jenny Wren | 2 |
| Jerry Journal | 2 |
| Squaddy | 2 |
| Squashy | 2 |
| Squeezy | 2 |
| Squelch | 2 |
| Dan Daily | 1 |
| Sam Sunday | 1 |
Note: A soloist is required in Scenes one and four, who could be played by one (or more) of the actors in the scene, or another member of the cast.
Suggested Cast List For 27 Actors
N.B. In the following list, the number shows how many spoken lines each role has. An asterisk (*) before the character's name indicates that this character ALSO has solo or featured sung lines.
| Character Name | Number of Lines |
|---|---|
| * Harvey Hare | 107 |
| * Phil Fox | 61 |
| * Toby Tortoise | 55 |
| * Fred Fox | 50 |
| Jack Daw also covers Sam Sunday's line | 42 |
| * Shelly Tortoise | 38 |
| Hyacinth Hare also plays Betty Bunny1 | 29 |
| Reggie Rat also plays Henry Hedgehog1 | 27 |
| Mr. Badger also covers the lines of Mr Beaver, Mr Ferret and Mr Weasel | 26 |
| Hip | 25 |
| Plod | 25 |
| Dally | 23 |
| Hop | 22 |
| Lady Lucinda | 22 |
| Spike also covers Spiny's lines2 | 21 |
| Harold Hare also plays Jerry Journal1 and also covers Dan Daily's line | 19 |
| Dilly | 18 |
| Harriet also plays Bunty Bunny | 16 |
| Crawl | 13 |
| Squeaky also plays Jenkins | 12 |
| Dawdle | 11 |
| Squirmy | 11 |
| Holly Hedgehog | 9 |
| Squidgy also covers Squinty's lines | 8 |
| Bill Budgie also plays Happy | 6 |
| PC Parsnip | 3 |
| Jenny Wren | 2 |
Notes:
1 You may prefer that Reggie Rat, Betty Bunny and Jerry Journal do not appear as part of the crowd in Scene one so that the actors can be dressed in readiness for their entrances as Henry, Hyacinth and Harold respectively.
2 With this reduction, Spike's lines and those surrounding them will need to be slightly amended, especially with regard to prepositions e.g. 'them' to 'him', 'us' to 'me' etc.
NB. The Characters Squaddy, Squashy, Squeezy and Squelch are not needed for this reduction as they do not have any solo lines to say. The 'SQUIRRELS' collective lines will be covered by the remaining squirrels.
A soloist is required in Scenes one and four, who could be played by one (or more) of the actors in the scene, or another member of the cast.
Zoom!
"This was a super production, with an excellent script and songs. The children (all aged between 7 and 9) thoroughly enjoyed their parts and it was so well received by our parents and families. The comedy 'slap-stick' element was fabulous and allowed the children to engage with their characters and contribute their own ideas based on pantomimes and sketches that they had seen. From a musical perspective, the songs each have a very strong sense of style. The children readily cottoned on to them, instinctively developing a sense of fun and understanding. As with all of Craig's works, the songs are not only well written, but musical themes relate across different sections of the production and everything carefully intertwines. There are a few moments of two part harmony writing which are extremely well written so that young children can readily manage them and, in one case, setting up one part as one verse, the second part as the next verse and then puts them together simultaneously. We performed this on a very small stage, but still managed to include plenty of movement and dances throughout the performance. Our staging was fairly simplistic; an area for the Hare and Co Offices with a desk and several keyboards and phones, a small coffee table for the Hare House set for breakfast and the rest of the stage for the forest and village. We also adapted the sunflower trick to have a coiled one in the briefcase which was pulled out by Henry Hedgehog."Dr R. Harrison, Barnard Castle Preparatory School, Barnard Castle
Zoom!
"What a wonderful show. We had a marvellous time performing this for our school community. The whole school, of 150 children, were involved with a few adjustments to parts and by creating whole class participation sequences. We had rave reviews from far and wide with the comment; 'That was the best show I have ever seen performed by a school! " We were all very proud and happy with the result. Thanks so much Musicline for the excellent easy to use resource. (Now checking out our next show!)"Lee Rattray, Newstead Model Country School, HAmilton New Zealand
Zoom!
"Absolutely amazing play ! I loved playing a part with lines, and my fellow friends agreed and thought it was a great play to put on. Good job, as it was entertaining, funny and interesting."Bethany, Ridgeway Primary School, England, Sanderstead
Zoom!
""Year 3 and 4 really enjoyed Doing this production we found the script and characters really funny.""Miss C Hogan, Varna Community Primary School , Openshaw
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"Best music I have ever herd in my life and very funny."William barnes davenies, beaconsfield
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"We have just finished our run of performances of this excellent show! Everyone loved it and were thoroughly entertained for the evening. The magic of this show is that it allows so many children to have their “starring moments†on the stage and the audience participation just creates a special atmosphere. Would recommend this show without reservation, especially as a leavers’ performance for Year 6 children and hope that others enjoy it as much as us!"David Metcalfe, St. Bede Primary School, Winchester, England
Zoom!
"The audience had a blast and many have commented that they still cannot get the tunes out of their heads - really catchy stuff! The script is packed with humour and the characters are memorable and enjoyable to play. As Head of Drama for our school I would strongly recommend directing this musical to other drama teachers."Mrs Parker - Head of Drama
Zoom!
"This show was a joy to direct, choreograph and produce. The tunes were catchy and the funny lines had the audience in fits of laughter. One of our most memorable and talked about school productions! The children had a blast!"Mrs P - Teacher/Director
Zoom!
"This was the best show ever seen in the history of our school. The script is full of humour and the children really enjoyed the buzz from entertaining the audience. Definitely a 10/10 show!"Shakespeare Junior School, Leeds
Zoom!
"This was a great success. It is naturally funny and got more laughs than any production I have done before!"Richard Cowley, Finton House School, Wandsworth
Zoom!
"We have just finished our season of "Zoom" to get reviews from school community and beyond. This is the musical that has brought our students together and has built relationships that will last. A fun show with plenty for the young and young at heart."Wyong Christian School, New South Wales, Australia
Zoom!
"A really brilliant mix of comedy and emotion, made for the enjoyment of everyone, from the audience to the actors. A perfect example of a dilemma, yet funny all the way through. We really enjoyed putting it together."Millfields Primary School, Essex
Zoom!
"A fantastic script and CD filled with superb, catchy songs that both the children and the audience loved! Great sound effects and short musical clips to cover the scene changes. Would recommend to any school who want a wonderful performance!"St. Pauls Primary School
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"Well written with jokes that the children understood! We performed this with 90 children, good range of parts. One of the best children's musicals I've performed."St Peters Methodist Primary
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"Absolutely fantastic. Highly recommended. The boys loved rehearsing and performing this musical. Very amusing script."Loughborough Grammar School, Loughborough
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"We have just finished our production of ZOOM. The show was a true hit in the village and with the 40 children taking part! We all had fun working on it and found the directions simple and easy to follow. Thank you Craig Hawes!"Junior Tisbury Arts Group
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"OUTSTANDING MUSICAL. Exciting roles and parts for everyone highly recommended. BRAVO!!!!!!!"The Paramount Theatre, New York State - USA
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"Excellent! Zoom was our first production from this company and it went down extremely well. The music was spot on, not to mention how much the kids enjoyed it. THANKS!"Darren Thorpe, Producer