Summary: Continuing the journey of the Wise Men towards their appointment with the baby Messiah.
Style: Light-hearted. Duration: 7min
Actors: 7-8M, VO
Characters
Balchazar
Melchior
Caspar
3 Shepherds
Preacher
Sentry
Script
(Voices off)
B: But … Shhh
M: What’s that noise?
(SFX – Blind Boys of Alabama track - Go Tell it on the Mountain - begins to fade up)
Sentry: (off – over instrumental intro] Masters – strangers approaching! Everybody – to your posts! Moussa! Take Ishmael with you to the camels!
M: The rest of you – around us!
B: Whoever it is, they’re making enough noise to wake the dead. Let’s not be too hasty with our weapons – they sound like harmless drunks. Or Pentecostals!
THE SHEPHERDS [the style is that of a black Pentecostal preacher/exhorter and a 3-member congregation]
P: We seen the glow-ry!
S1: Ay-men brother!
S2: The Glow-ry in the Highest!
S3: We seen! We seen!
We seen the Saviour!
Oh Yeah, we seen him, we seen him
Aymen, brother, We wuz THERE!
Yow man – He’s the Saviour! He’s the Lawd!
We came out of those there hills!
Yes, yes! Outa those very hills!
We got down! Down!
Aymen, deep down in the valley!
And down, down in the valley we ran
Down that green valley
Oh yes, Aymen, that shadowy valley
We wuz outa there, outa there!
Cos there was them angels a-singin’
Glow-ry Hallelujah!
Oh glory! Thay sang
Such Singin! Amen!
They was a-singin’ glory to the newborn king
S1: That’s the Story! Morning Glow-ry!
Ain’t never heard holy singin’ like it
S2: Ho—ly! Ho—ly! Rolly!
Oh there never WAS such a sky filled full of God’s Ho-liness!
S3: Never was, never will be: singin’ peace on earth!
No, indeed, God’s holy angels bright, crowdin’ out the stars!
Oh No! Was they a-waitin’ at God’s right hand?
Oh No they was right here!
In the sky! They was AT HAND!
WON’T somebody say Halleluuuujah! [hopefully somebody will]
Them angels they come from the realms of glory! and they said: Go seek that child!
Oh yeah! They said go seek
Seek and you will find!
Find Child in a manger, yeah!
You will find ‘child wrapped in cloths and lyin’ in ‘manger
Hallelujah! they said it! You preach it brother!
Amen, Cos that great multitude of angels sang it!
Child in a manger, hey! Hey! Glory!
An we did! Oh yes, Glory, we did it!
Oh yes, found that little bitty baby boy child
Wrapped in cloths
Lyin’ in a manger o’ straw
And now we have seen the child! We have seen the King!
We have seen him! Us! We was the first
The first in the world!
Just us po’ shepherds – the very first to see the king!
[big change comes over the shepherds – great authority - they get in the faces of the Magi]
This child is gonna change your life, brothers!
S1: Oh yes. Nothing NEVER gonna be the same!
This birth’s gonna invade your old kingdoms!
S2: That’s YOUR Kingdom, man, passin’ away, past and GONE!
I say, yo’ kingdoms - Herod’s kingdoms - and Caesar’s kingdoms!
S3: Passing by – just old history now.
This baby is the child of the promise
S1: He is the new dawn, all right!
P: A new dawn where those who were brightest and best become the last and the least
S1: A kingdom where the last…
S2; Aymen that’s us – we the last
S3: We the least, but we the first to see him, Aymen!
P: The last will be the first. Won’t somebody say Hallelujah!
[shepherds start to drift away]
BALTHAZAR: Hold on there, er ..Reverend … er gentlemen! We want to see this child.
CASPAR; Yes, we’ve traveled hundreds of leagues to worship him. Take us to him!
P: You sure you wanna see this child?
S1: Oh glory! They sure!
S2: These proud rulers want to see him! They wanna SEE him!
S3: The kings wanna see the little bitty baby boy king!
You-all ready for your whole world to pass on?
Oh yes, this is a birth
Aymen, a miracle birth!
But it’s a death – gonna die!
M: [getting into the patter]
Yes, yes! Take us now.
We’re ready for a change of power!
We want to see it all – and how!
B: Sentries! Stay with the camels.
Ishamel and Moussa come with us –
you can return and tell the others
None of you’s going to miss this!
P: Oh royal brothers, you’all ready? Come this way!
S1: Glow-ry! This is the way!
S2: You-all draw nigh to him this very day
S3: He’ll draw nigh to you. You-all listen to what I say.
All: HalleluUUU- jah!
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© Peter & Mary Minson, All rights reserved
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