Zora Neale Hurston: Collected Plays

Mr. Frog

Mr. Frog cast: Frog on Toadstool Mr. Frog Miss Mousie Old Uncle Rat Reverend Buzzard Frog Chorus Mr. Bee Mrs. Snake Mr. Bug Mr. Tick Dr. Fly Tortoise Chorus of Birds, Beetles, and Flies Dancers: Pine Tree, South Wind, West Wind, East Wind, North Wind Time: When animals talked. Place: A Florida swamp. Setting: All action is seen from actors’ viewpoint. Full stage. Water is seen through the cypress and magnolia and pine trees. Spanish moss hangs from the trees. There is a large hollow log at left near the entrance. A long-leaf pine is downstage center.A huge toadstool is near footlights at extreme right. The lake in the back glints through all this. The pine tree is a girl dancer. Several birdnests are seen in the tree tops. One large tree near center downstage has a large hollow. [Action:] At the rise, the sun is setting. The tree is motionless. With the music it begins to sway slightly, but increases its motion all the time. Enter downstage left the South Wind, [who] dances with the tree for about a minute.EnterWestWind upstage right and both dance with tree.Enter East Wind upstage left, [who] joins the dance, then the North Wind downstage right. The tempo increases with the entrance of each wind. The tree is in- fluenced by each. When all four winds are on, there is a violent wind dance for a minute till the sun finally sets and the winds take their places at their entrances and sink to the ground and remain there. In the darkness hundreds of fireflies swarm over the scene. The scene is lighted from the ground to indicate marsh gas (Jack O’ Lantern).20 There is silence for about thirty seconds, then enter a big frog upstage center [who] 94 050 cold (75-130) 4/9/08 11:03 AM Page 94 leaps to the toadstool downstage right and sits there for a moment staring about him. The voice of an alligator booms from the water. An owl hoots, a chorus of frogs, birds, beetles, flies, a snake, all enter from different points and take places among the trees and bushes. A huge buzzard takes his seat on the hollow log.There is a working door in the log.The frog chorus is down near the footlights in irregular formation. They croak a few seconds. Frog on Toadstool: (Sings) Mister Frog went courtin’ he did ride. Frog Chorus: (Jumping up and down rhythmically) Unh hunh, unh hunh. (Enter Mr. Frog downstage right riding a tortoise, dressed in green satin or velvet, white vest, sword, spurs and boots.) Frog on Toadstool: (Sings) Mr. Frog went courtin’ he did ride, sword and pistol by his side. Frog Chorus: Unh hunh, unh hunh. Frog on Toadstool: He rode right up to Miss Mousie’s door. Frog Chorus: Unh hunh, unh hunh. Frog on Toadstool: Rode right up to Miss Mousie’s door where he’d often been before. Chorus: (All birds and everything join frog chorus) Unh hunh, unh hunh. (Tortoise reaches hollow log and [Mr. Frog] knocks on the door. It opens shyly and Miss Mousie creeps out, behaving coyly.) Frog on Toadstool: (Singing) And he took Miss Mousie on his knee. Chorus: Unh hunh, unh hunh. Mr. Frog: Oh, I took Miss Mousie on my knee, said Miss Mousie won’t you marry me? (Suits the action to the song.) mr. frog • 95 050 cold (75-130) 4/9/08 11:03 AM Page 95 Chorus: Unh hunh, unh hunh.21 Miss Mousie: (Coyly) Not without my pa’s consent. Chorus: Unh hunh, unh hunh. Miss Mousie: Not without my pa’s consent, would I marry the president. Chorus: Unh hunh, unh hunh. (Enter Old Uncle Rat from the log, very jovial. He bursts into a big laugh and everybody joins with him for a half minute. He beams happily on all.) Frog on Toadstool: Old Uncle Rat, he laughed and cried. Chorus: Unh hunh, unh hunh. Frog on Toadstool: Old Uncle Rat he laughed and cried. Chorus: Unh hunh, unh hunh. Frog on Toadstool: Old Uncle Rat he laughed and cried, to see his daughter be a bride. Chorus: Unh hunh, unh hunh. Mr. Frog: Where, oh where will the wedding be? Chorus: Unh hunh, unh hunh. Mr. Frog: Where, oh where will the wedding be? 96 • cold keener 050 cold (75-130) 4/9/08 11...