The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me A visual resource pack for both children and adults with Autism, Asperger s, Sensory Processing Disorder and any other associated conditions. This resource is intended to help prepare any visitors for the show and to help them to become familiar with the surroundings and situation.
The Show The show lasts for 1 hour and 15 minutes, including a 15 minute interval. In the show there are four puppeteers and many puppets. The puppeteers are dressed in black and wear black hats and gloves but you can see them. Recorded music is played through the show and the puppeteers also sing. Sometimes the puppets or puppeteers may talk directly to the audience. For a Relaxed Performance the house lights will be left on during the show and the auditorium door will be left open in case you need to take a moment outside in the box office area. What Happens The play is based on the book The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me by Roald Dahl. Billy befriends a Giraffe, a Pelican and a monkey who own the Ladderless window cleaning company. When they are asked to clean the windows at Hampshire house they come across a burglar who tries to steal the Duchess of Hampshire s jewellery. By stopping the burglar they are rewarded by the Duke of Hampshire. He lets all the animals live on his estate and also buys Billy his own sweet shop.
Characters As this is a puppetry show, most of the characters are played by puppets. Billy- He is the main character in the show Other main characters are: The Giraffe The Pelican The Monkey
Other Characters: The Duke of Hampshire The Chauffer Vickers the Gardener The Cobra The puppeteers also play the policemen
In this section information that is particularly important such as loud noises or flashing lights; will be in blue font. Play Notes As you enter the auditorium you will see a building on the stage. This is The Grubber. The show starts when Billy enters playing football. We hear a recorded voice telling us about The Grubber, which used to be a sweet shop. This voice is Billy when he is grown up. He is remembering what happened when he was a boy. The Grubber is for sale and Billy wishes he could buy it and turn it back into a sweet shop. As he kicks the ball it smashes a window in The Grubber and this makes a loud crash, followed by the sounds of diggers, saws and hammers as The Grubber is transformed. Various items come flying out of The Grubber such as a bed and a bath, and we hear the sound of a loud radio tuning in and playing. A periscope appears with a giant pair of eyes and then the Pelican comes out to talk to Billy. There is some more loud music from the radio. The Pelican introduces Billy to the Giraffe and the Monkey and they sing a song. They have bought The Grubber and turned it into a window cleaning business. The animals tell Billy how hungry they are and all about the food they like to eat and the Giraffe sings about the flowers she eats from the Tinkle Tinkle tree. She leans over the front row of the audience, but she does not touch anyone.
A car enters, it has quite a loud horn. A chauffer with very long legs gets out of the car and jumps when the giraffe approaches him. The Chauffer invites them to Hampshire House as the Duke of Hampshire is looking for someone to clean his hundreds of windows. The monkey sings about how much he loves to clean windows and The Grubber is dismantled. Colourful windows fly around the stage. They spin and move around quickly. At one point Billy s head is replaced by a window! Hampshire House is revealed from behind a curtain. The song ends and the lights go out. INTERVAL This is a break in the show when you can visit the toilets or get a drink.
Vickers the Gardener is climbing a tree trying to pick some cherries for the Duke of Hampshire. He is unable to reach them but when the Giraffe arrives she is able to pick the cherries easily using her long neck which extends. The animals sing their song and the Giraffe whizzes over the audience, but she does not touch anyone. The animals start cleaning the windows. The monkey sits on the Giraffe s nose and the Pelican flies next to them. There is a flashing light as the animals report that they have seen a man in one of the rooms. The Cobra appears. He is a robber trying to steal jewels from Hampshire House. As the company sing a song about the Cobra he sneaks around trying to escape the police, who are chasing him. He bends into different positions. The puppeteers wear police hats and red noses and play the parts of the police. They have torches which they shine around. They blow whistles, shout and bump into each other while blue lights flash. There is also a searchlight that has a beam that moves around the theatre searching for the Cobra. Billy catches the Cobra by trapping him in the ladder. The Duke is so happy that he asks the animals to come and stay with him at Hampshire House. He asks them all what they would most like and the Giraffe sings about the flowers from the Tinkle Tinkle Tree. When he asks Billy what he would most like he says The Grubber to be turned back into a sweet shop! A screen appears and we see shadows of builders working on The Grubber.
The company sing about all the sweets that Billy will sell in his sweet shop. Giant sweets fly around the stage and we see pictures of sweets on the screen. Once the song is finished shelves filled with sweet jars are revealed. Billy gives all his new animal friends a special sweet he has chosen just for them. When the monkey gets his sweets they are so hot smoke shoots up from under him!
The animals sing their song and the show ends. This is the end of the play. The puppeteers take a bow. If you enjoyed the show you can clap your hands. We hope that you enjoy this show at The Little Angel Theatre!