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Honk! is a musical retelling of the Hans Christian Andersen story The Ugly Duckling, mixed with a theme of pro-tolerance. With a witty book and score provided by British songwriting duo Stiles and Drewe (George Stiles and Anthony Drewe), Honk! opened at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough in 1997. The story features a squadron of comical geese, a sly tomcat who just wants to play with his food, a tearful mother, a dad always 'ducking' out of his responsibilities, a duo comprising of a cat and a hen right out of a Shakespearean comedy, a wisecracking bullfrog, and an ugly duckling who discovers his inner beauty by becoming a swan. With such songs as A Poultry Tale, Warts and All,and Different, Honk! won an Olivier Award (equivalent to an American Tony Award) for Best Musical, beating The Lion King.
The cast originally featured Martin Callagahan, Tracie Bennett, Clive Rowe, among many others. Standing ovations nightly make this a fun family musical. The show opens with the upbeat song, "A Poultry Tale," which helps to introduce the musical, and has many other memorable songs such as "Look at Him," "Play With Your Food," and "Now I've Seen You." This show is licensed by MTI SHOWS and is also available in Broadway Jr. Format.
Scenes And Music
ACT I
- SCENE 1: Various locations around the duckyard. Spring.
- 1. A Poultry Tale - Drake, Ida, Turkey, Henrietta, Maureen, Cat, Grace and Ensemble
- 1a. Poultry Playout - Optional Instrumental
- 2. The Joy of Motherhood - Ida, Maureen
- 3. Different (pre-reprise) - Ida
- 4. Hold Your Head up High - Ida, Ugly, Fish
- 5. Look at Him - Ida, Drake, Ugly, Henrietta, Turkey, Cat, Grace, Ducklings, Maureen
- 6. Different - Ugly
- 6a. French Ting!- Instrumental
- 6b. Do Tell Mama - Instrumental
- SCENE 2: The Cat's lair, inside one of the farm buildings
- 7. Play With your Food - Cat, Ugly
- 7a. Lost - Ugly
- SCENE 3: The duckyard, later that evening
- 8. The Elegy - Company
- 9. Every Tear A Mother Cries - Ida
- SCENE 4: The marsh. A late summer morning
- 9a. Goose March - Instrumental
- 10. The Wild Goose Chase - Greylag, Dot, Snowy, Barnacles, Pinkfoot, Ugly, Cat
- 11. Act One Finale: Hold Your Head Up High (Reprise) - Ida, Ugly
ACT II
- SCENE 1: The Old Woman's Cottage. Late Summer
- 12. Entr'acte - Instrumental
- 13. It Takes All Sorts - Queenie, Lowbutt
- 13a. Tom Cat Sting - Instrumental
- 14. Together - Cat, Queenie, Lowbutt
- SCENE 2: The Duckyard. Late autumn
- 15. The Collage - Drake, Ida, Company
- SCENE 3: A collage, various locations.
- SCENE 4: A ditch on the moors. Late autumn
- 16. Now I've Seen You - Ugly
- 16a. Pre-Warts - Instrumental
- 17. Warts And All - Bullfrog, Ugly, Froglets, Company
- 17a. Warts Off - Instrumental
- 17b. Post-Warts - Instrumental
- 18. The Blizzard - Company
- SCENE 5: The open countryside. Late winter
- 19. Transformation - Ugly, Ida, Penny
- 19a. Melting Moggy - Cat
- SCENE 6: The duckyard. Early spring
- 20. Act Two Finale: Look At Him (Reprise) - Company
- 21. Curtain Calls (Bows) - Instrumental
- 21a. "Red Arrows" Bows Music - Optional Instrumental
- 21b. Curtain Calls: Warts And All (Reprise) - Company
Characters
- DRAKE - Ugly's father
- IDA - Ugly's Mother
- UGLY - Gawky and odd-looking, good swimmer
- CAT - sly and cunning, hungry,french
- BULLFROG - Laidback, self-confident frog
- BEWICK - A swan
- DOT - Female goose
- DUCKLINGS - Ugly's siblings (Beaky, Fluff, Billy, Downy)
- FARMER (Voice Only)
- FATHER SWAN
- FISH
- FROGLETS
- GRACE - Most distinguished duck on the lake
- GREYLAG - Admiral Goose
- GREYLAG'S FLOCK - Snowy, Barnacles, Pinkfoot
- HENRIETTA - Neighbor
- LOWBUTT- Very Domesticated Hen
- MAGGIE PIE/JAY BIRD - TV Journalist, can be cast female or male
- MAUREEN - Ida's friend
- MOTHER SWAN
- OLD WOMAN (Voice Only)
- PENNY - A beautiful Swan
- QUEENIE - Very Domesticated Cat
- TURKEY - School Headmaster
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