Much Ado About Milo (a school play in 6 scenes)

A dark and windswept night. Two guards to the Duke’s castle are on duty, watchful for the Duke’s nanny who has escaped from prison. She has been put there under suspicion of attempting to steal the Duchess’s jewellery.

Suddenly there is a cry in the dark from on high; the Duchess’s baby son has been kidnapped. The Duke, together with a band of men, rush into the darkness in pursuit.

**

10 years later. In the town orphanage the steward (Sackpole) brings the boys to order and reads the register. Milo Much, as ever, rebels. In anger Sackpole sends the other boys to work without breakfast and takes Milo to be punished by the orphange's director Mr. Childless. Milo cannot talk but he remains stubbornly defiant when questioned by Childless and is locked away.

The bell rings. A woman and three men come in to see Mr. Childless. She introduces herself as Imelda Picasso, owner of the ‘Circus Picasso’, and her three sons; Ferdinand, Fritz and Felix. She wants to buy a child ‘that can be seen but not heard’. She offers Childless a bribe (30 silver pieces) to hasten the process; Childless gives her Milo.

**

Milo is taken back to the circus. His duties are explained to him; he is to look after the animals and make sure they are fed well. If he fails in his duties the preening Ferdinand (the resident lion tamer) threatens to beat him.

Maria, the beautiful trapeze artist, enters. Ferdinand struts around her, flirting with her. He offers Maria a necklace from his pocket as a gift; but warns her she should not wear it until they arrive in the next city. He leaves; Maria can’t resist putting the necklace on.

Maria is kind to Milo; she introduces him to the clown Sancho and to the old, bumbling magician ‘The Great Castro’. Milo learns that Castro once was owner of the circus but when times were bad sold out to Imelda.

Imelda returns, together with a police detective. He is investigating a series of large-scale robberies that have plagued the region in the last few months. He claims two of his best men are on the case. Then he notices the necklace; Ferdinand fumbles an excuse and Imelda explains that the necklace is in fact a fake. She insists that the others take the detective to see their quarters and complete the search. Maria is now furious with Ferdinand for giving her a 'fake'. Alone with her sons Imelda berates Ferdinand for putting their gang in danger (the necklace is part proceeds of a recent robbery) – she reminds them all that next week they will pull off the greatest crime of their careers; stealing the Duke’s fabulous collection of jewellery. She gives each of them a job and sends them on their way.

Castro and Milo see off the detective. Then Castro introduces Milo to the circus animals. These are:

Genghis the Indian tiger
The Dancing Hens – Chantelle, Estelle and Anabelle
Desdamona the elephant
3 performing terriers – Curly, Larry and Mo
Spartacus and Cleopatra – the circus lions

Milo begins to cry; he's hungry and exhausted. Castro tries to cheer him up with a sequence of tricks, all of which go wrong. Finally he hits upon the idea of casting a spell on Milo so that he can talk. Apparently this fails.

Imelda enters and pours scorn on Castro. Milo is left to feed the animals; dejected he falls asleep.

The animals talk amongst themselves. What are at first animal sounds slowly turn to words. Milo wakes up and discovers that Castro was half-successful – Milo can talk to the animals but not people. Milo discovers through the animals that Imelda cheated Castro out of the circus. Milo and the animals resolve to right matters. The dogs will tail each of the brothers to try and discover Imelda’s plan.

**

The next morning Sancho wakes Milo. Felix returns from the city with a horse that he bought at Imelda’s request. It’s called Esmarelda; it walks funny and looks odd. Sancho offer to make breakfast for Milo and Maria. However while Sancho is away Ferdinand tempts Maria into a trip to the city, promising her a new scarf. When Sancho returns Ferdinand humiliates him infront of Maria and Sancho is left heartbroken when she leaves with Ferdinand for the city.

Milo and the animals resolve to make Sancho look a hero in Maria’s eyes; that way she will fall in love with him. They pressure Genghis into pretending to want to eat Maria. However the plan goes wrong. Maria thinks at first that Genghis is being playful and tickles him. When, after fierce prompting from the other animals, Genghis tries again Ferdinand enters first and Milo watches horrified as Maria claims Ferdinand as her hero.

The terriers return with details of the plan. Milo and the animals make a plan to stop Imelda.

**

In the city everybody is excited. For the first time in 10 years the castle will be open to the public. The centrepiece of the celebrations will be a circus performance.

**

The performance begins. Various elements are on show. Finally Maria begins her act. While everyone is watching her death defying stunts the Picassos start their robbery. At a call from Milo the animals rebel. Suddenly the horse Esmarelda is revealed to be two detectives in disguise – this is why Milo could not talk to it. In the struggle Ferdinand grabs Maria and threatens to break her arm if he cannot escape. Sancho knocks him out. Imelda is revealed as the Duke’s old nurse – she has been planning revenge for 10 years after being falsely accused of the original robbery (the castle butler did that one!).

Milo is revealed to be the long lost son of the Duke and Duchess. Reunited with his mother he finds his voice again. The circus is returned to Castro and the animals retire to the castle garden always to be with Milo.


The End.