THEATER OF
THRILLS AND HIGH ADVENTURE!
"Zargotz
the Strong and Floop the Clever
Discover the Magic of Christmas!"
by Richard Nathan
Before the lights come up, a voice introduces the story:
VOICE
Come sit by the feet of the old bard, as he
tells tales of a time when giants roamed the world,
when dragons breathed white hot fire and
wizards cast spells of arcane magic, stories of
Zargotz the Strong and Floop the Clever in the
Age of Wizardry!
A light comes up come up on a BARD who will narrate the story.
BARD
The time of the year calls for a Christmas
tale. Naturally, I will tell a story of my
favorite hero, the mightiest of warriors,
Zargotz the Strong. But how, you may
ask, can I tell a Christmas tale of Zargotz,
when Zargotz lived ages before the first
Christmas. You forget that Zargotz lived
in the age of wizardry, and there is little
that magic may not accomplish. Here, then,
is the tale of Zargotz and Mighty and the Magic
of Christmas.
A light comes up on the other side of the stage, where stand ZARGOTZ the Strong and his companion FLOOP the clever. Zargotz look appropriately heroic. Floop looks ticked off. Floop clears his throat. As an afterthought, the Bard remembers to mention our other hero.
BARD
This tale also features Zargotz's loyal
companion, Floop the Clever.
FLOOP
Just once, just once I'd like to get the credit
I deserve.
The Bard exits. A YOUNG WIZARD enters. Zargotz, Floop, and the Young Wizard strike poses of people bargaining with each other. They remain frozen for a moment, and then they become unfrozen as we catch them in mid-conversation:
YOUNG WIZARD
I will pay you a thousand thasolians.
FLOOP
Look, it's like I said, we steal things. We don't
run a tour guide service.
YOUNG WIZARD
I will pay you two thousand thasolians!
ZARGOTZ
Floop just said....
FLOOP
(interrupting)
However, there's no reason we can't diversify. What
did you want to see us steal?
YOUNG WIZARD
I just want you to get me into the top chamber in the
tower of Gardnafayer the Sorcerer. There's a device
in there, a portal, I need to use.
FLOOP
What are you going to do with it? Anything dangerous.
Dangerous costs extra.
YOUNG WIZARD
I must summon a hero to protect the word from
Gardnafayer.
FLOOP
What's in it for you?
YOUNG WIZARD
Nothing but the knowledge that I have protected the
world from unspeakable evil!
ZARGOTZ
By the great god Farquog, we will not charge you for
our help on this noble quest!
FLOOP
What Zargotz means is that he will not charge you for
his help on this noble quest. My help still costs two
thousand thasolians!
YOUNG WIZARD
Done! We must defeat Gardnafayer at all costs!
The Young Wizard, Floop and Zargotz exit. Enter the Bard on the other side of the stage. A light comes up on the Bard.
BARD
And so, Zargotz the strong, accompanied
by the noble young wizard and by Floop the
clever set of that night to break into the dark
tower of the sorcerer Gardnafayer. It took but
a moment's effort for the potent arms of Zargotz
to render the tower guards unconscious. And
then the three adventurers climbed to the chamber
at the top of the tower.
The Bard exits. Enter the Young Wizard, Floop and Zargotz on the opposite side of the stage. Lights come up on them. There should be some sort of portal on this side of the stage. The portal could be a door frame with several beaded curtains covering the passage through the doorframe. If a having a portal onstage is not practical, the portal can be off stage.
FLOOP
Looks like we're here. What do we do next?
YOUNG WIZARD
I cast the spell.
The Young Wizard faces the portal and gestures at it as he casts the spell:
YOUNG WIZARD
Flaz ta kal. On da shab. Jodab! The mists of time
flow before me. Centuries are passing. I seek a hero,
either from the age of men or from the world of magic,
a hero who has stood the test of time, a hero that men
turn to when the world goes dark and strange. A hero
for the darkest time of the year. Strange. I sense two
heroes - one a little baby from the world of men, one a white
haired old man from the world of magic. Which should I
choose?
FLOOP
Choose the baby!
YOUNG WIZARD
Why the baby?
FLOOP
All the babies I know are weak and helpless. If this
baby is a hero that men turn to when times are dark,
this has got to be an incredibly special baby. Powerful
old men are as common as dirt.
YOUNG WIZARD
What do you say, Zargotz?
ZARGOTZ
Floop is the clever one. If he says to choose the baby,
then I say choose the baby.
YOUNG WIZARD
I will overrule you both. The baby is from the world of men.
The old man is from the world of magic. Obviously, he must
be a powerful wizard. I choose the old man.
The Young Wizard gestures at the portal and casts a spell:
YOUNG WIZARD
Ro blar!
SANTA CLAUS enters through the portal.
SANTA
Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas!
FLOOP
What's Christmas?
SANTA
You do not know about Christmas???
YOUNG WIZARD
Great wizard, no doubt you will find us ignorant
of many things!
SANTA
No doubt! To begin with, I am not a wizard! I am
Santa Claus!
YOUNG WIZARD
Not a wizard! Then all is lost!
FLOOP
I told you, we should have chosen the baby!
YOUNG WIZARD
We used magic to summon a hero from the future
to help us defeat an evil sorcerer!
Enter GARDNAFAYER.
GARDNAFAYER
An you've failed!
YOUNG WIZARD
Gardnafayer!
ZARGOTZ
By the great god Farquog, I will slay this evil
sorcerer!
Zargotz raises his mighty sword to strike. Gardnafayer gestures at the sword, and it falls apart.
SANTA
I may not be a wizard, but I think I can make
everyone happy.
YOUNG WIZARD
I will not be happy while I share the same world as this
apex of villainy.
GARDNAFAYER
Nor will I be happy while this puppy lives in my world.
SANTA
And there is no reason why you should! Now, Gardnafayer,
I understand you are an evil sorcerer.
GARDNAFAYER
Evil is such a judgmental terms. Let us say that I am
ambitious.
SANTA
The greatest ambitious sorcerers I know of were in
the Tales of the Arabian Nights. Why not go to that
world?
GARDNAFAYER
I have decided to take over this world!
SANTA
Then you are doomed to disappointment. I am from the
future, and there is no record of this world every being ruled
by you. Why not try the world of the Tales of the Thousand
and One Arabian Nights? It is a world of magic where
some ambitious sorcerers accomplished great things.
Those tales will live through the ages, and you might be
one of those ambitious sorcerers!!!
Gardnafayer thinks this over and then decides to accept the offer.
GARDNAFAYER
I sense I can trust you. Thank you, -- what did you
say your name was?
SANTA CLAUSE
Santa Claus.
GARDNAFAYER
Thank you, Santa Claus. I will go to the magic world
of the Arabian Nights!
Gardnafayer performs some magical gestures and exits through the portal.
YOUNG WIZARD
What about me?
SANTA
What is your name?
YOUNG WIZARD
I am called Merlin.
SANTA
I believe you would be happiest in the magical
world of King Arthur!
YOUNG WIZARD
Your word is good enough for me.
The Young Wizard (Merlin) performs some magical gestures and exits through the portal.
ZARGOTZ
What of us?
FLOOP
I'm not going to another world!
SANTA
I do not expect you to go anywhere. But I have gifts for
you. Zargotz, here is a new sword for you!
Santa reaches into his sack of gifts and brings out a new sword for Zargotz, to replace the one that Gardnafayer broke.
FLOOP
Do you have something in there for me?
SANTA
Not in this bag. Bu your gift is on its way, Floop.
Be patient! I believe you will find it is exactly what
you wanted. And have a very merry Christmas!!!
Santa exits through the portal. Floop looks around.
FLOOP
So where's the gift?
The Bard enters on the other side of the stage.
BARD
Thus concludes the stirring adventure of
Floop the Clever, whose brilliant mind will be
celebrated throughout the ages. Also in this
story was Floop's loyal sidekick, Zargotz the
Strong.
Floop is delighted.
BLACKOUT!
THE END
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scripts
© 2005 by Richard Nathan. All rights reserved
The author grants all internet uses to print these scripts for their own, personal, non-commercial use. No other use may be made without the author's permission. Without limiting the foregoing, the plays may not be staged without the author's express permission.
Send e-mail to the author at Richard-Nathan@att.net.