LIBRETTO- NO MORE PLASTIC

LIBRETTO- NO MORE PLASTIC
Reece? Who’s Reece?

Announcer 1- Reece is a turtle. He’s not just any kind of turtle, but the kind of turtle who wants to help the earth and help YOU learn why recycling is so important! Then there’s Recyclable Boy (we call him Bob-o), Broccoli Barak, Charlie Cooper the Sad Penguin, Mother Earth, Crazy Corn, The FBGI, The Ride the Sea of Change Singers and No More Plastic Rapper! They are on Reece’s team. They are getting ready for the Green Earth Revolution. They want to see changes that will save the earth from food waste and PLASTIC waste that ends up in landfills, lakes and rivers, and causes global warming.

Announcer 2- Eva Menila and her team, Roberto Kong, Methane, Poppy McPop, Styro, Foam and the Methane Dancers are hoping to be the evil nemesis of the Green Dreamin’ Team. Both groups are working really hard. If you want Reece to win, then you have toSTART RECYCLING, STOP WASTING FOOD and STOP USING PLASTIC! Say NO to plastic and start carrying a reusable bag TODAY! So let’s see who wins the GREEENOOOLUUUTIONNN!!!!!!!

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R – Hi, my name is Reece. You know, like the peanut butter and chocolate candy wrapped in plastic. What did I say? The fear…. the battle…the word…PLASTIC!

My parents died by eating jellyfish. Actually, they weren’t jellyfish. They were PLASTIC. That word! Oh, dear, I see a plastic bag. It’s heading my way! Ahhhhh! Oh, oh, oh, thank goodness, that was only a daymare!

Sadly, my life has been difficult. So many mean people have polluted my water. I swim with all sorts of junk. Don’t let me get started. The water was so bad I moved on to a rock. 

Song

Plastic Kills

(2X) Animals and Turtles

(2X) Eat it and die

Can you believe it? I can hear the plastic calling to me. “Reece, Reece, take me home and reuse me or put me in your compost” It’s hard for me to break it to them that they are useless. It’s really a pity. All that plastic made from oil, a fossil fuel that’s polluting our world. And the plastic and food waste in landfills are packed so tight that it’s producing methane and causing global warming.

SP – This global warming is really a problem. I am a very sad penguin. Reece, did you know that the anchovies are going deeper and deeper into the ocean every day? All this garbage is ruining everything and running everywhere. When I dive down to get food, I can’t hold my breath because the anchovies like to swim in the cold, cold water. There are so many dead penguins washing up on to the beach that have drowned.

R – Cheer up, sad penguin.

SP –(SONG) I ‘m a Very Sad Penguin

I’m a very sad penguin who can’t hold his breath

If I dive down too deep I will drown

There’re no super penguins to save me from death

The toasty anchovies laugh while I frown

Unplug your wires so my water stays cold

Make the choice now that is very bold

If you don’t, you’ll regret it

Don’t forget it, you’ll regret it

You better get it, or you’ll regret it (Regret it!!!)

SP-Every time I try to tell someone about the problem they don’t understand. One day, when this man came to the South Pole I waddled up to him and asked, “Can you help me?” He answered sweetly,  “You are a very cute penguin.” I kept on asking him to STOP GLOBAL WARMING. He yelled back, ITS NOT MY FAULT!!! (SP recites this Poem)

Global Warming Bad, Bad, Bad!

Charlie Cooper sad, sad, MAD!

Global warming BAD, BAD, BAD!

Penguins, turtles REALLY MAD!

R – Sometimes I am so hungry I eat everything that looks like Jellyfish without even thinking. (Reece munching on jellyfish-LOTS of munching!).

SP – You better be careful Reece. (Reece starts to gag). What’s the matter Reece?

R - I am choking. I am choking.

SP - (Running around flapping his wings, “Help, help, help”. (He continues to jump on Reece until he pukes up the plastic). (Sad penguin cries hysterically.) I almost lost you Reece to a plastic bag. It’s those lazy kids. They should be using reusable bags. So many rivers have died. So many fish...and so many TURTLES!!!!…Sob, sob, and sob all that plastic slithering down the street filling gutters at our feet. (Song – Stop littering)

Song! By No More Plastic Rapper

Stop Littering, stop, stop, stop

Why are you littering,

You shouldn’t be considering.

Throwing wrappers on the floor.

Plastic slithering down the streets.

Filling gutters at our feet.

Pause! (Clap) It’s not worth applause.

You don’t know what it can cause

B/G (2x) You are solution (alternate)

   You are pollution

B-Solution G-pollution

B-Pollution G-solution

B-Solution G-pollution

All- So-uh-lu-tion 3x

WRAPPER-WRAP IT, BUT NOT IN PLASTIC!

R – Yes. Most of it ends up in the ocean, but the kids can’t help it. They see the adults doing it.

SP – I want to save the earth before I die!

R – There is a lot of plastic in the world Some countries are trying to do their part to solve this problem. Recycling is great, but most plastic is not recyclable, so we just need to STOP USING IT! If Broccoli Barak helped us pass a plastic-tax, like Ireland did, we could reduce our plastic by 80%!

SP – Broccoli Barak has to hear about this!  Say NO to plastic! ( he looks very worried)

R – The green dreamers at P.S. 10 have tackled the recycling and the food waste problem.

SP – Oh yeah, I heard some kids on a passing Ferry Boat singing …….Here they come now!

Song!

The Truth About Food Waste (Body mOVEMENTS)

Na x12

We hate greenhouse gas

Makes the Earth warm up real fast

We hate methane gas

Makes it hard to breathe in class

Ice is melting fast

Nature shows its dreaded wrath

Food waste in the trash

Over years dumps lots of cash

Listen politicians now!

Here’s the truth about all that chow!

If we hate greenhouse gas

We must all reduce our trash!

We must all reduce our trash!!

R – Oh yeah! Those kids will make a difference! They can educate THEIR parents…If only the Evil one could be captured and punished. Yikes! Here she comes! (Sad Penguin and Reece hide behind a recycling bin when they see EM coming).

Enter Eva Menila

EM– Oh! Isn’t that cute, a recycling bin! (She throws her Styrofoam try in it.) What is their problem? People who recycle areFREAKS! (Eva Menila starts eating junk food from her pocket and guzzling and soda pop. She throws her can in the garbage, not the recycling bin) Poppy McPop, where are you?

Poppy McPop – (he comes running in and exclaims) Good Evening, Eva Menila, I have some bad news!

EM – Later, McPop. It doesn’t matter what you say. I’ve already won. There is an Island of plastic garbage in the Pacific Ocean bigger than Park Slope. (She cackles) I hope those fish like to eat plastic. That’s the main entree.

PM – How about a little Styrofoam appetizer with pureed balloons sauce with a pinch of plastic straws on the side!

EM – Phew! It smells like rotten fish. That turtle must be nearby. How smart could someone be, if they carry their house around on their back? Let’s recycle him into turtle wax!

PM – That’s cold. (seeming to care) Very good Eva! (sinister) We’ll pop him out of that shell, like a ball in a pinball machine. Boom! (Together) Don’t worry, that’s just the beginning.  His shell will come in handy as a ReeceCycling Bin. (Laughter)

EM – Turtles are so slow, your dead grandmother could beat them. I am going to smack that green right off him. What an ECO-LOSER (What ever ECO-LOSER).

EM – It won’t be long before you smother him in plastic!!!!

PM – Well….. Uh…uh..

EM - Speed it up Pop. I gotta get ready for Roberto. My sweet Roberto Kong! He’s romantic, just like his great, great, grandfather King Kong! His great grandfather, the GREAT KING KONG would be proud his great, grandson has FILLED the Empire State Building with NYC’s garbage and kicked everyone into the Gowanus Canal!

EM-Everyone shudders at Roberto’s name, as if they were made of quivering jellyfish! Roberto and I are going to honeymoon in our new Garbage Resort. My Magnificent Methane Molecules are making me more money than I could ever imagine! Those messy landfills are making meek old me a millionaire. Our plan to heat the globe is successful!!! The polar icecap is melting like chocolate in the sun.

PM- Have you booked your flight? I can see it now! It’ll be the new Caribbean. Goodbye to all those polar bears.

EM- We’ll unveil our new plastic swimsuits line made with plastic wrap, my grandmother’s secret recipe. The extra oil makes them extra slimy. The turtles will just want to gobble them by the bucket! Oh, the penguins and the turtles will be so melancholy as their friends expire by the millions. Don’t call me a murderer. (puts on a pouty face) Call me Ms. Menila Kong!

PM – Evie, you need to sit down…(He grabs her and plops her down) It’s recyclable Boy. He has a plan to save the people in the world from ………

EM - …from little ol’ me! Well, I have a plan for THEIR expiration. Next Earth Day at 12 o’clock noon just as all those little kiddies are playing their Green Games and singing green songs….. (dum, du, du, dum, DUMMMMM!) You will see, there will be plastic litter all over the place. Turtles will go extinct before I’m through! Who needs turtles anyway? (Sad Penguin is crying, but Reece is trying to calm him down)

Song by EM

 Start Littering, Start, Start, Start!

Why are you recycling?

You shouldn’t be recycling?

Throw some wrappers on the floor!

Plastic slithering down the streets.

Filling gutters! Ain’t that SWEET!

Applause! Applause!

It’s worth an applause!

(EM struts around! She throws off her cape and is wrapped in plastic wrap!)

PM – You’re right. You look great wrapped in plastic Eva.

(SP – Walks by with plastic-tax poster.)

EM – Is that what I think it is? That little runt! ( She grads his sign and he runs off, arms flapping!)A plastic tax will ruin me! WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME?!! (Gives the evil eye to PM). I AM GOING TO DESTROY YOU! I AM GOING TO DESTROY ALL THOSE GREEN DREAMERS! (She grabs the junk food from PM and she starts stuffing her face).

PM – You won’t fit in your plastic wrap for your date tonight with Kong.

EM – (She starts throwing it at him. It’s all over the stage! And she runs and hides, but not before she screams) I am plastic and I will live forever! (Enter RK). They will pay for this (she disappears in a cloud of methane as the Methane Dancers appear!

Disrespected greenhouse gas

Methane is my name

I am powerful I trap heat

I’m infamous in my game

Disrespected greenhouse gas

Our temperature is rising

We can’t let this problem pass

Global warming’s striking

Scene: BB gets on a plane to go to Park Slope (BB enters with a chair and his headphones and carrying a reusable bag)

Announcer 1- BB, please fasten your seatbelt. We’ll be taking off shortly.

BB- Let’s take all this recycling and make it into the Green House! (He’s singing this to himself) All right, I’m a good guy and I’ll always GO “GREEN”. This is no joke! I don’t use plastic bags! ( He holds up his reusable bag) I eat all my dinner, especially my veggies! No food waste here! I’m Broccoli Barak! I’ll Ba-rock your world! The phone may be ringing, but I’ll be singin’ …( He is startled)  Oh! The phone is ringing!…(answers phone) Oh….Mother, what’s for dinner?

ME- Baby Barak, CHILL! We need to talk. Forget about dinner.

BB- Don’t call me that Mom!

ME (Mother Earth) –Yeah, yeah. Broccoli Barak we just lost another river! (ME cries)

BB (Broccoli Barak) – Don’t worry Mom I will work on it.” (Then Mother Earth has a vision).

ME- I‘m having a vision. I see an island. It’s a huge island filled with furry white creatures. Oh, they look so cuddly! 

BB Mom, mom, those are polar bears! What else do you see?

ME - I see glaciers melting. I see rubbery-looking creatures dressed in tuxedos…diving, diving, diving, deeper, deeper, deeper, drowning…they’re all drowning!!! (She breaks into tears) Baby Barak, I’m sorry. I gotta call you back! I have to go and save the earth, I mean  myself! (Clicks the Phone)

BB - It’s only the beginning. When will this end? How do we stop this! I know, Recyclable boy! (He dials RB).

RB – Hey, Barak, what’s up? (He’s calm at first)…(Barak tells him what’s going on)

Yeah…(20x) (Lots of drama and expression)

BB – You’re a real YES man! You think we can pull this off?

 RB – You bet! Everyday more and more people are Recycling and no one litters, at least at PS 10! And did you see the movie the Green Dreamers made? Ride the Sea of Change. They lifted that from you Barak. From your lips to their movie, and guess what? YOU”RE IN IT! Remember, when you used to say Ride the Sea of Change! (Song)

(3X) Make the right * choices

* Harmony starts here

   (2X) Join us to ride the sea of change

(3x) Hear our voices

(Garbage bins passing by. He tosses in garbage. When it comes to Styrofoam, he shakes his head, but throws it in)

BB – But the food waste at PS 10? Just look down into the garbage bins and you’ll see bread, chicken, apples, full containers of milk, oranges, bananas, salad… Why do children waste so much food! This has to STOP!!!!!!

RB – I don’t think it’s their fault. They just need a few tips, maybe from you! Remind the kids to look at the school menus and if they don’t like what they are serving, then they need to bring their lunch! They can save the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for an after school snack!

BB - Those kids need to help the suffering veggies that end up in landfills and produce METHANE! Veggies would love to be in a compost bin, but PS 10 doesn’t have one. That’s OK. I’ll get everyone to start eating their lunch! Then we won’t even need a compost bin!

RB- I here PS 10 might be getting a salad Bar!

Announcer (In a very Sweet voice)- Mr. BB turn off your iPhone. We’ll be landing shortly.

BB - I’m so happy to be back in Park Slope (as he got of his Green Plane). Hello! Hello! (He looked around and saw nothing but dried fields). Where’s that RB? He’s always wandering around! (He starts to call him, but no answer, and BB wanders off looking for him)

CC - Step back, step back! (says a raspy voice) Who’s there?

RB - Huh?

CC - I am a Green Dreamer and I will do what I gotta do to get you to start recycling. You better watch out. I’ve got Mother Earth on speed dial. (He realizes it’s RB) Oh, Bob-o! It’s me Crazy Corn!

RB - Oh, Crazy Corn, what happened to you and the others?

CC - Others?  You don’t wanna know.  Marylyn Mango, Cool Cabbage, Tough Turnip, Green Bean, Lil’ Lemon, Rad Radish, and Leeks, my love!! (He’s sobbing)

RB - What happened?

CC - (silence) They are all dried up. The Gowanus Canal is smothered in plastic. The water was poisoned and polluted by industrial and plastic waste. Then the canal dried up!

RB –WHAT?

CC – Some were suffocated by plastic. The others scattered but EM caught them before they could save themselves and hop a train to the Catskills in search of clean water! She poisoned some of them with methane and then threw them into the canal. Can you help us Bob-o? “Save the earth Bob-o” as he expired.

RB – Ah Hah! This is what BB was talking about! (BB runs over) Hey Barak. Looking Green! (They give the green handshake)

BB-This is Park Slope. What is that smell? (Enter Reece and SP)

RB – Hey it’s Reec and his side-kick Penguin? Why you both so sad?

R – It’s Eva Menila! She has a plan to destroy all the Green Dreamers! The earth is melting fast and it’s all her fault!

BB - Oh, I knew it!

RB - The plas-tax! That’s the answer! (phone rings)

FBGI – This is the FBGI, Federal Bureau of Green Investigation! May we speak to Bob-O- a.k.a.  Recyclable Boy?

BB - Of course, I’ll get him on the line right now.

Bob-O – Hello, Bob-o speaking.

FBGI – I know who you are, you don’t need to tell me again. We need you to go and capture Eva Menila. She’s the major cause of Global Warming!  We have a plan, but we need your help. We MUST pass a plas-tax now! It’s the only way! Remember the 2 E’s, EDUCATE, but ALWAYS ENTERTAIN!

RB- Sometimes you gotta fight Plastic with Plastic! EM is ruthless! The heroes have to be just as powerful and passionate as the villians. Persevere Bob-o. (Click)

RB - Me? Give up. Nahhhh! Never! Crazy talk!

(The ECO team huddles as they dress BOB-O up in a disguise, a HUGE plastic bag.)

(Meanwhile the R the S of C Dancers sing and sway Clear Water, Clear, Clear Water 3x. Their voices gently rise)

RB- (Tumbles over to meet Eva Menila in his disguise).  She is overjoyed to see such a big plastic bag.  She snaps her fingers) STYRO-FOAM! Capture this HUGE plastic bag! This will be perfect for my wedding gown!

STYRO and FOAM- STYRO-Here! FOAM here!

EM – Ok Boys, with this bag I can look GREAT as I win the “green-o-lution”!

(STYRO-FOAM goes and grabs the plastic bag (Bob-O) and brings it to Evil Menila.) 

RB – I want to be part of your plan. 

EM –(To Styro and Foam!) Let him go! Hmmm. Nice PLASTIC! You look familiar…(she shakes her head)

RB-You too! (they start to hit it off!)

STYRO- (As STYRO lets him go, EM sees Bob-o’s green sneaker, but it is too late.)  (Bob-o quickly removes the plastic bag and traps STYRO instead with a reusable Chico bag)

RB - Now I know your plan EM! You won’t get away with it!

ME- (She runs to Reece and Sad Penguin and the other penguins and turtles to get them to help and save Bob-O) 

EM- I challenge you to a Rap!  …a PLASTIC WRAP that is! (Kong and Poppy dance beside)

RB- You got it! Come-on, ECO-team!

Plastic wRap

We’re the green dreamers of P.S. 10

We wanna pass a plas-tax. When?

Right here, right now, right this day

Don’t be shy or too cheap to pay.

Who needs a plas-tax?

Not me, not I.

Paying more tax?

Why, why why?!

Mr. Mayor, hear our voices

Mr. Mayor, make the right choices

Don’t be sarcastic

About reducing our plastic

Plastic is fantastic

I use it all the time

You should too

It’s good for you

Momentum is building across the states

Please stop polluting the fishes’ lakes

When I say no, you say plastic!

No! (Plastic!) No! (Plastic!)

When I say we need, you say plastic!

We need! (Plastic!) We need! (Plastic!)

(no one responds)( EM is furious) (Her so-called buddies move over to the Green Dreamers team!)

When I say we need, you say plas-tax!

We need! (Plas-tax!) We need! (Plas-tax!)

(Repeat several times)

(Hold up banner!)

EM - (angry) I will be back again. Don’t think you can win this one! Plastic bags will be free! (Disappears into a methane cloud. The dancers encircle her!)

Afterword:

FBGI: ( deep authoritative voice) Thanks to RB, more people have signed the plas-tax petition. (Give out petitions now) This is the only way to keep EM away. Plastic bags will be priced! Copy this sheet and get as many signatures as you can. Then we’re takin’ it to the mayor!

Announcer-2 And they all lived happily ever after, in a green world. Well… most of them!

The End