A Toby Show

Play script. Written under a Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Cast of 4 women, 3 men, vaudeville entr'acts. One interior set. Costumes, 1915. (A shortened version of this play is also available from the publisher.)

A TOBY SHOW brings back to the stage an American folk character -- Toby, the country bumpkin who through naivete, honesty, and homespun humor outwits the city slickers. This farce-melodrama recreates with traditional situations and stock characters -- as well as jokes and stage business -- a colorful segment of American drama: the traveling tent repertoire shows. Starring in the Cinderella story, Toby enacts a comic variation of the fairy godmother. With music and specialty numbers, the production excitingly evokes a Toby Show for children of all ages, allowing them the joy of experiencing an authentic example of American folk theatre. As the early posters advertised: A laugh a minute! A cyclone of fun! Toby, a stick of dyna-mirth!