theatro muppiloo

   One evening I remember

  Not so very long ago

  Children in a theatre

  Putting on a show

  An imaginary circus

  Yellow, red and blue

  Young actors in the spotlight

  Of the Theatro Muppiloo

  The master of ceremonies

  With fine-tuned show of skill  

  Commander of illusion

  Gives the audience a thrill 

  Unleashing secret powers

  And shifting scenery

  As the clown brings on the laughter

  With bold buffoonery

  Ooh ...  the Theatro Muppiloo

  Ooh ...  the Theatro Muppiloo

  See the trainer of the animals

  The spectators are charmed

  In this venue, this variety show

  No creatures are harmed

  Charging up the atmosphere

  The crowd is perplexed

  The master of the martial arts

  With muscles firm and flexed

  What clever choreography

  What mystifying moves

  What discipline, what daring

  Subtle rhythms, subtle grooves

  Stage left, a burst of colour

  Stage right, a flash, a spark

  The Theatro Muppiloo

  Summons the light out of the dark

  activities

   Learn to sing the song.

   Create a play and designate roles to the master of

   ceremonies and the different performers mentioned

   in the song

____________________________________

  joyful parade

  My tambourine

  Shaky shaky, jingle jangle

  I can shake a tambourine   (repeat)

  My little drum

  I can beat it with a stick

  Tap it with my fingers and thumb  (repeat)

  Join in the big parade

  Join in the big parade

  Come and join the joyful parade  (repeat)

  My silver bells

  My silver glockenspiel

  I can play a melody (the sweetest melody)              

   (repeat)

  Twirl my baton

  I can be a majorette

  Leader of the big brass band   (repeat)

    [chorus]

  Piccolo, flute

  I play all the high notes

  Tweet tweet, tweety, toot toot   (repeat)

  A joyful parade -   for children

  A joyful parade -   for mothers

  A joyful parade -   and fathers

  A joyful parade 

  People all over the world

  A joyful parade -   for children

  All over the world 

  [chorus + 1st two verses again]

  activities

   Learn to sing the song.

   Create a parade for the performance. Either march on

   the spot or perhaps you can parade into the aisles of the

   audience and back again up to the stage.

   Use some instruments mentioned in the song. If you

   don’t have them, create an art project and make some

   props instead.

____________________________________

  step right up

  With a song in your heart let the day begin

  With your bright eyes greet the morning

  It’s a brand new world and it’s welcoming

  So step right up

  Step right in

  With a song in your heart it’s a sunny day

  With a song in your heart life is good

  With a song in your heart you are on your way

  So step right up

  Step right in

  All the dreams in your head will empower you

  Every thing that you do let it shine

  Let the words that you speak ring strong and true

  So step right up

  Step right in, let’s begin

     [dance - solo]

     [first verse]

  activitiies

    Learn to sing the song and create a ‘circle’

     dance for the instrumental clapping section.

____________________________________

  two wings to fly

  A melancholy song

  Can linger on and on  

  Clouds of sadness fill the sky 

  As with a heavy heart

  You heave a little sigh

  And tears form like raindrops in your eye

  But a melancholy song

  Can help you to be strong

  And wiser to worldly ways

  As sure as fire burns

  The sunlight will return

  And fill your life with brighter days

  Two wings to fly - two wings to fly

  Day and night - dark and light

  A time to laugh - a time to cry

  Two sides to everything

  Two wings to fly

  As on this earth you roam

  Just know you’re not alone

  Everybody feels the same

  Sometimes we slip and fall

  Or bump into a wall

  And have to feel a little pain

  But just around the corner 

  Just around the bend

  Time will heal and time will mend

  Joy is waiting there

  With comfort and with care

  You will always find a friend

   activities

   Two sides to everything – celebrating our

     commonalities. Use this song as a subject of

     discussion about the duality of nature.

     Nurturing hope and peace

____________________________________

  wagon ride

  Hitch up the wagon

  Let’s go for a ride

  Hop on the wagon

  Let’s take a wagon ride

  Two strong horses

  Trotting side by side

  Happy trails there

  Winding far and wide

  Passing by the bushes

  Over fields so flat

  Don’t forget to wear your boots

  And wear your cowboy hat

  Hitch up the wagon

  Let’s go for a ride

  Hop on the wagon

  Let’s take a wagon ride

  Stop by the river

  Take a picnic break

  Drink and a sandwich

  A cookie or a cake

  Stroll by the tall grass

  Bull rush and cattails

  I spy with my little eye

  Butterflies and snails

  Back on the wagon

  Heading for the farm

  Let’s go find a horseshoe!

  Cause it’s a good-luck charm

  Sittin’ in the wagon

  See the country side

  We’re happy campers

  On this wagon ride

  Cows in the meadow

  Watch as we roll by

  Wave to mom and dad

  And shout a great big ‘hi!!!”

  Oh, what a feeling

  Hum a happy tune

  Oh, what a great way

  To spend an afternoon

  Comfy and cozy

  We mosey on along

  Back to where we started

  To the top of this here song

  Then h op off the wagon

  Climb off either side

  Bye bye ‘horsies’

  And thank you for the ride

  And thanks to the farmer

  For this wagon ride

  activities

   Learn to sing the song. Form different groups to sing the

   various sections of the song.

   Create a ‘wagon ride’ skit for a performance on stage.

   Wear costumes, cowboy hats, etc. Create a stage set to

   represent a farm scene. Be creative and have fun.   

____________________________________

  cha cha chimp

  I’m a cha cha chimp

  Who loves to dance

  Any old time of day

  In the morning when I wake up

  Or in the afternoon

  I could dance the whole day away

  When I feel the rhythm

  When I feel the groove

  My body it just wants to move

  I’ve got time to chill

  And it gives me such a thrill

  My feet they just can’t stay still

  Cause I go one, two ‘cha cha cha’

  One, two,  ‘cha cha cha’

  Who could ask for anything more?

  No swinging from branches

  No climbing in trees

  It’s the dance floor I adore

  I’m a cha cha chimp

  I would hate to go limp

  Cause dancing, it is so sweet

  From my heels to my toes

  Every monkey knows

  It tickles the soles of my feet …. ha ha

          [ dance solo ]

          [1st verse again]

          [ dance solo ]

         [chorus]

  Ooh ooh, ooh ahh ahh - ooh ooh ooh

  I’m a chimp who loves to cha cha cha

   activities

     Learn to dance the steps of the Cha Cha Cha and

     create a performance for a stage show. The class can

     be split up between singers and dancers. Feel free to

     improvise and be creative. Dress up in ballroom style

     wardrobe with sequins, glitter and lots of shiny bits. Or,

     make this a fun chimpanzee performance skit.  

_____________________________________      

   pyjamarama

   (spoken)

  “ladies and gentlemen, good day, and ‘hello’

   Welcome to the animal pyjama show

   When it comes to pyjamas

   The it comes to pyjamas the animals agree

   They display the greatest variety!”

  It’s a ‘PJ’ pyjamarama

  See the animals in their pyjamas

  It’s a ‘PJ’ pyjamarama

  See the animals in their pyjamas

  FromFlorida  to the Bahamas

  See flamingos wearing pink pyjamas

  Look at the leopard wearing polka dots

  The dairy cow, she loves her beauty spots

  The zebra’s pyjamas look so fine

  Black and white with stripes of bold design

  If a pyjama with a pouch appeals to you

  Stay awhile to see the kangaroo

  Here comes the long-necked giraffe

  In tall pyjamas, you can take a photograph

  If pyjamas with a mask should be your style

  The racoon is sure to make you smile

  Penguins and polar bears together

  Wear pyjamas for cold and freezing weather

  The possum wears its PJ’s

  Hanging upside down

  And baboon likes to be pyjama clown

  Here comes ‘Dandy’ the lion in his nighty

  Shakes his mane and yawns

  Loud and mighty

  There’s the camel coming down the track

  In pyjamas with a hump on the back

  Let’s celebrate this big pyjama party

  Let’s applaud their beauty loud and hearty

  ‘Hooray’ for the animals and all their worth

  So dear and precious to the earth

   activities

   Have an animal dress-up pyjama party.

   Create a performance piece with all the animals

   represented and have each character step out

   to perform a little solo to go along with the

   words of the song.

_________________________

  anaconda

  A - N - A - C - O - N - D - A    anaconda

    A - N - A - C - O - N - D - A    anaconda

  activities

      Learn to recite the letters of ‘anaconda’ and perform a

      slow ‘slithering’ procession for the stage. Pick a leader

      and form a line hooking up to each other, hands-to-

      shoulders, or waist, and all wearing the same colour

      clothing, or break up with evenly distributed colour

      patterns to suggest the skin of the reptile. Perhaps

      during the performance your ‘anaconda’ can move

      slowly into the aisles of the audience for extra

      dramatic effect. Let the music inspire you.

______________________________________________

   macaw

  Of all the birds on earth

  One leaves me in awe

  Such colour, grace and beauty

  The magnificent macaw

  Deep in the jungle

  The rain forest trees

  This bird is soaring

  High up on the breeze

  Orange and yellow

  Often scarlet too

  Bright green or golden

  Or a shiny ocean blue

  Intelligent and social

  Cracking nuts and seeds

  Hear their squawks and cries

  As their little chicks they feed

  Talking ‘bout the bird macaw

  The prettiest bird I ever saw

  Talking ‘bout the bird macaw

  The beautiful macaw

  activities

    Learn to sing the song.

    Create some paper bag macaws as an art project and

    hold them up when you perform the song. _____________________________________

  all the little fishies

 

  All the little fishies in the deep blue sea

  The deep blue sea, the deep blue sea

  Swimming around so fancy free

  As far as your eyes can see

  All the little bubbles floating up

  Floating up, floating up

  When the little bubbles reach the top

  If you listen you can hear them pop

  Octopus and spider crab

  Looking for something they can grab

  Something to eat like a salty treat

  With a seaweed salad, it can’t be beat

  “mmmmm, it makes my mouth water”    

   [1st verse]

  Plants under water waving side to side

  Side to side, side to side

  Plants under water waving side to side

  With the ebb and flow of the tide

  Big ocean waves swelling up and down

  Up and down, up and down

  Big ocean waves swelling up and down

  Swirling ‘round and ‘round

  Oyster shell open wide

  Hoping something tasty will come inside

  Waiting, waiting, pretend to nap

  Then snap, like a big loud clap!   [clap]

  “mmmmmm, what a tasty morsel”

   [1st verse]

  As far as your eyes can see

  Swimming fancy free

  Swimming in the deep blue sea

  All the little fishes and all the big fishies

  Swimming in the deep blue sea

activities

   Learn to sing the song and add hand actions to each

    verse. Palms together and moving side to side for

    ‘fishies’; raising your hands in the air and wiggling your

    fingers for ‘bubbles’; waving arms side to side for ‘plants

    under water’; waving arms up and down for ‘waves’;

    clapping your hands for ‘clap’; rub your belly for ‘what a

    tasty morsel’, etc. For the instrumental section in the

    middle, pretend you are a fish and ‘swim’ around the

    stage slowly making sure not to bump into other fish.

   Then move back into your initial formation and continue

    singing the song. ________________________   

   elephant walk

   [spoken]

  “Make way, make way! I think I hear

  A herd of elephants drawing near

  Stand aside, we need to clear this place

  These animals need a lot of space"

  Big elephants step from side to side

  They’re terribly big and terribly wide

  They’ve got no fingers, got no toes

  But goodness gracious “what a nose!”

  If you’re lucky you can ride on his back

  He’ll walk for miles and miles of track

  He’s clever and wise beyond his years

  And he loves it when you tickle behind his ears

  You can wash his face, you can scrub him hard

  You can hose him down in my backyard

  Feed him leaves, feed him hay

  And twigs will surely make his day

  And after he’s washed and when he’s fed

  Before it’s time to go to bed

  He’ll want to play a little more

  And do a ‘two-step’ on the floor

  ‘Watch him do the ‘two-step!’

   [guit solo]

  Make way, make way, I think I hear

  A herd of elephants drawing near

  Stand aside, we need to clear this place

  These animals need a lot of space

  activities

      Learn to recite the spoken verses and create a simple

      ‘elephant’ dance routine for the stage. Or, create a skit

       acting out the actions taking place in the song. _____________________________________________

  without respect

  Without respect, no invite to the table

  Without respect, no partake of food

  Without respect, you will fall out of favour

  Without respect, shows bad attitude

  Without respect, nobody will like you

  Without respect, you will make no friends

  Without respect, people will avoid you

  Without respect, never make amends

  Without respect, there will be no party

  Without respect, there will be no treats

  Without respect, there will be no favours

  Without respect, there will be no sweets

  Without respect, no one walks beside you

  Without respect, you’ll be all alone

  Without respect, nobody to talk with

  No one to call on your telephone, no no

  With sympathy you are gentle hearted

  With empathy you are very kind

  With tolerance and understanding

  Sweet harmony you are sure to find

  With self respect you have high aspirations 

  With dignity you’ll go very far

  With self respect you’ll appreciate others

  With self respect you will be a star

  activities

    Learn to sing the song (rap).

     Distribute the spoken lyrics or pairs of lines among the

     students to perform. Then create a simple dance

     routine with each group moving to the front of the stage

     when it’s their turn to speak and then back to exchange

     places with the next group.

_____________________________________

  granny’s gumbo

     [spoken]

  “Would you like to visit and help me cook

    a pot of gumbo?”

  Packing up my suitcase

  Some travel clothes and jeans

  Gonna visit my granny

  Down in New Orleans

  She takes an iron kettle

  She takes a cooking pot

  And makes the best old fashioned gumbo

  And I sure love it a lot

  Let’s eat Granny’s gumbo

  Down in New Orleans

  Granny’s gumbo down in New Orleans

  Cutting up some okra 

  Paprika and beans

  Carrots and tomatoes

  Gotta add some greens

  Add a dash of cumin

  To flavour up the soup

  Brown rice and quinoa

  Take a decent scoop

  Lots of good ingredients

  Some celery and kale

  We’re helping in the kitchen 

  While the doggy wags his tail 

  Chop a little onion

  Maybe garlic too

  Make a tasty gumbo

  Make a tasty stew

  Stir it with a ladle

  A sturdy wooden spoon

  Something smells so good 

  All around the room

  Take a pinch of parsley

  Sprinkle it on top

  Stir it ‘round again

  Then serve it steaming hot

  activities

    Learn to sing the song.

     Study and research different foods from

     different cultures. ________________________

  acrobats

  Acrobats, we’re the acrobats 

  Tumbling on the mats 

  Acrobats, we’re the acrobats 

  We’re cool ‘gymnasticats’

  Frontwards roll, then the backwards roll 

  Turn, head over heals 

  Run and skip, do a backward flip

  Cool!, how great it feels!

  Leap frog, climb the monkey bars

  Cartwheels all around

  Somersaults, then we jump the vaults

  Soft landing on the ground 

  Jumping high up on the trampoline

  Balance on the beam 

  Do the drills, yes we learn the skills 

  We’re the greatest team

  Now let’s build a ‘people pyramid’ 

  High bar to headstand

  Building strength, building confidence 

  We’re the best team in the land

  activities

   Learn to sing the song.

     Create a skit of acrobats for the performance. Have

     some children sing the song and others perform some

     simple gymnastic routines like: leap frog, break-

     dancing, balancing on one foot, etc. .... Use your

     imagination.

____________________________________

  curtain call

  Curtain call - the time has come

  To take a bow - and to say ‘so long’

  Enchanté  - and thank you for coming out today

  Curtain call - we had a ball

  Take a pause - can you hear the applause?

  A big ‘hooray’ - and thanks for the bouquet

  Au revoir - auf wiedersehn

  House lights up - till we meet again

  Sweep the floor - and meet the fans

  At the stage door

  Theatre folks full of fun and jokes

  Make believe, make you believe

  In a dream with magical scenes

  Laugh and cry, raise your spirits to the sky

  Curtain call  (echo) 

  For one and all  (echo)

  C’est fini   (echo)

  Our little musical

  Our thanks to you - from the Theatro Muppiloo

   [solo]

   [chorus]

  [last verse]

  Our thanks to you - from the Theatro Muppiloo

  Our thanks to you - from the Theatro Muppiloo

   activities

   Learn to sing the song