Archives - November 2001

BAD DAY AT BLACK FROG CREEK
by John Gardiner & Fiz Coleman

Produced by Ann Burfoot

THE PLAY

Comedy Western panto, set in Diamond Tooth Lil's saloon on Christmas Eve. The wicked Muldoon Mob are coming to town to retrieve the treasure (a large diamond) that Diamond Tooth Lil originally helped them steal. The inhabitants of Black Frog Creek, busy preparing for Christmas, don't have long to come up with a plan to help Lil out. The first try, disguising themselves as a savage tribe of Indians, doesn't work - and No-Nose Muldoon gains the upper hand. Luckily Filthy Frank the prospector and his loyal cat, Scratch, are at hand to rescue Lil and bring Muldoon to justice. Black Frog justice, that is: which, being Christmas, is that everyone should be nice to each other and live happily ever after.

FROM THE GROUP

First performed by the Players in 1989, we all enjoyed it so much we did it again for our 50th production in Findon Village Hall in 2001.*

A play originally written for school productions, so a fair bit of padding and adaptation required. I kept the life size cat and a Panto horse and two extra songs from the original.

Rehearsals were hilarious and relaxed.
Ann - Producer

* Editor's note: With the added drama of having the hall broken into and all our costumes and props stolen or vandalised on the afternoon of opening night. With something like three hours to spare, it isn't easy to lay your hands on an entire Western saloon full of stuff - but by curtain up, we even had a spare rubber chicken, just in case!

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