STORY:  Thomas Fairchild, an 18th century gardener, collected many newly discovered tropical plants that sailors brought back to Britain. Re-enacting a typical day in his city garden, pupils can study life processes and living things in an entertaining way. We meet Wormy, Grub and Maggot, nature’s recyclers, and watch Spud, a tough potato, narrowly avoiding being thrown in the cooking pot. Tattie, Pickle and Old Bean are less fortunate.

We learn about Fairchild’s experiments with plant cross-fertilization, and enter his hothouses where exotic flowers sing and dance. In the orchard Pipsqueak and Old Fruit cling to their branch for dear life, while Fairchild’s ragamuffin helpers dance to the sound of London bells after their hard day’s work.

Key Stages 1 – 3 (age 5 – 14) ; Duration approximately 40 minutes ;  Cross Curricular Aspects include science, ecology, history, geography, language, literacy, citizenship, social education, music, dance, art and design

CAST:  to suit the number of performers available, the cast size is flexible with 25 to 35 evenly distributed speaking/singing parts and choruses ;  * = solo/small group singing part ;  ^ = solo/small group speaking part

Thomas Fairchild, 18th century gardener ; Peggity, his housekeeper ;  4 to 8 Ragamuffins, his helpers ;  Wormy, Grub and Maggot, recyclers ;  Spud, Tattie, Old Bean, Cabby, Pickle, Aloe Vera, Lily, Orchid, Carnation, Sweet William, Mule, Pipsqueak, Old Fruit ; Choruses: Ragamuffins, Decomposers, Vegetables, Plants and Trees

SONGS: eleven songs and dances explore a wide diversity of musical styles including Old English, rock ‘n roll, blues, nursery Rhymes, Latin American. Click the buttons for sound and image files of a recent school performance.

	A Long, Long Time Before We Were Born
	Dirty Rotten Decomposers
	Tough Potato
	Green-Finger Blues
	The Exotics
	City Garden
	Procreation
	London Bridge Is Falling Down
	Upon Paul’s Steeple
	Medley

 

STAGING MATERIALS: for details of the SCRIPT, SCORE and CD, PROJECT PACKS, the NECESSARY LICENCE and convenient ONE-STOP PERFORMANCE PACKS please click the red arrow on the right.