A SAMUEL FRENCH, LTD. TITLE

Flibberty and the Penguin

Short Play, Drama  /  4w, 11m

Book, Music, and Lyrics by David Wood

A young penguin has come from Iceland to find his parents. This must be done before the spring weather becomes too warm. He falls in with Flibberty, a genial goblin, who helps him in his search. They incur the wrath of Krafty Kingfisher, who accuses the Penguin of stealing a fish from him.

Flibberty and the Penguin

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    4w, 11m
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Fantasy, Theatre for Young Audiences

Details

Summary

Young Penguin has come from Iceland to find his Mother and Father. This must be done before the spring weather becomes too warm.

He falls in with Flibberty, a genial goblin, who helps him in his search.  They incur the wrath of Krafty Kingfisher, who accuses the Penguin of stealing a fish from him. On their journey the two meet, among others, two Silly Cuckoos busy practising their spring song, a helpful Bus Driver/Conductor, and the famous Mr. Maestro who has come to town to conduct a concert (he can only understand singing, not talking). Eventually the parent penguins are discovered in the zoo. Flibberty and Young Penguin manage to set them free, and to put Krafty Kingfisher in their place.

Everything ends well, even for Kingfisher, as all the characters gather in the Concert Hall to join (with the audience) in a song to spring.

History
First presented by the Worcester Repertory Company for Christmas 1971/2 at the Swan Theatre, Worcester.
  • Additional Features Audience Participation/Interactive, Play with Music

Media

“…ideal entertainment for children of all ages with a strong emphasis on audience participation… pleasing songs …
delightful characters… “It’s been exciting, hasn’t it?” asks one of the characters towards the end of the play.
                The affirmative reply from the young audience almost took the roof off the top of the theatre… thoroughly entertaining.”
Birmingham Evening Mail

“… much inventiveness …
at one point there is one of the most sustained chases I have ever seen of each other by most of the characters, resulting in a furious frenzy of audience participation… very catchy songs.”
The Stage

“The children, like me, were entranced by the closing transformation scene on the first day of spring. This is breathtakingly beautiful and also strangely moving.” Thurrock Gazette “…So perfectly did the audience react … that one might have thought their responses were part of the script”.                   
The Stage

Videos

  • David Wood on Doing It Yourself youtube thumbnail

    David Wood on Doing It Yourself

  • David Wood on Getting Started As a Playwright youtube thumbnail

    David Wood on Getting Started As a Playwright

  • David Wood on Challenges In His Plays youtube thumbnail

    David Wood on Challenges In His Plays

  • Interview with David Wood youtube thumbnail

    Interview with David Wood

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £55 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Authors

David Wood

David Wood has been called “the national children’s dramatist” (London Times). His plays are performed worldwide, and include The Gingerbread Man, The Plotters of Cabbage Patch Corner, Save the Human, Aladdin, Hijack Over Hygenia, Jack the Lad, Larry the Lamb in Toytown, Old ...

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