PRODUCTION HISTORY

This script received a public reading at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater followed by a workshop in the 2005 Harriett Lake Festival of New Plays. The World Premiere Production took place in March 2009 at Nebraska Wesleyan University!

SYNOPSIS

As the Nile flows, steady, fresh and overflowing with life, so flows the spirit of the Egyptian Princess, Hatshepsut, daughter of Pharaoh Thutmose I. Sweet, clever and clumsy, Hatshepsut loves her country and her people while her father is a strict and unhappy man. Inspired by the majestic architecture and artwork of his forefathers, the Pharaoh believes that every member of the royal family must look, act and think with perfection. What he cannot abide is his daughter's relentless honesty, ability to forgive and perpetual clumsiness. His second wife, Mountnofrit, and her tattletale son Thutmose II, are eager to follow the Pharaoh's lead and only present their "perfect best" to the world.

It is the day of the annual Firefly Festival, and the Pharaoh has promised to give any "one thing" to a weaver who can weave a robe so perfect that only truly perfect people can see it. An unknown weaver named Pepi, and his silly sidekick Salti, agree to the terms and start weaving right away. Only Hatshepsut and her magical cat Bas are able to figure out that Pepi is her Uncle Geb in disguise. Prince Geb was banished years ago for his love of jokes and tricks and his refusal to pretend that he was perfect. Now he plans to trick the Pharaoh and demand his "one thing" - the Kingdom! Hatshepsut's attempts to tell the Pharaoh are rebuffed, and culminate in the Pharaoh parading around the streets of Thebes in his underwear. It is only through Hatshepsut's quick thinking, and the help of some tickling fireflies, that both the kingdom and the royal family are saved.

CHARACTERS

There are 9 speaking roles in this play. The original workshop cast contained 7 actors by doubling Nut with Isis and Geb with Osiris. To expand the cast, the fireflies may be played by people, the sculpture garden can literally come to life with many singing sculptures, more weavers may be added to Pepi & Salti's scenes, and Egyptian villagers can be included in the opening scene and song, the Pharaoh's entrance and song, and the Firefly Festival parade and finale song. The premiere at NWU had 27 actors.

Salti & Pepi trick Thutmose II into believing they are making robes for The Pharaoh

SAMPLE SCENES

Click here to read three excerpts from the play in PDF format

MUSIC

Below are two fully orchestrated excerpts from the show in mp3 format

PRESS
LINCOLN JOURNAL STAR
NWU to Premiere 'Pharaoh's New Robes'
By Jeff Korbelik
Friday, Feb 27, 2009

As if directing his first show on Nebraska Wesleyan University’s mainstage wasn’t scary enough, senior Brett Langenberg also had to deal with a playwright.

And not just any playwright.

April-Dawn Gladu’s resume includes working for Walt Disney Entertainment as a writer and director and, most recently, as an Associate Artist for the Orlando Shakespeare Theatre.

NWU Theatre will premiere Gladu’s new children’s musical, “The Pharaoh’s New Robes,” which begins a four-day, five-performance run Thursday in McDonald Theatre.

Gladu flew in from Chicago to attend several NWU Theatre rehearsals.

“I don’t think there’s anything more intimidating than having the person who wrote the show watching you do something,” Langenberg said. He is directing the musical for his senior project. He has directed three other shows at NWU, but all three were in the black box Miller Theatre with smaller casts. “Robes” has 27 students in it.

“You start to second- guess everything,” Langenberg said. “(Gladu) told me I was doing a nice job and made me feel reassured with everything that went on. That was nice.”

The production will be the first of “Robes,” which has had a reading and been workshopped elsewhere.

NWU Theatre approached Gladu about her new musical after the success it enjoyed staging her adaptation of “The Jungle Book” in 2008.

“I was honored they decided to do it,” Gladu said in a phone interview. “Everybody is giving so much energy to it. The kids are passionate and have been throwing all their ideas and creativity into it.”

Based on Hans Christian Andersen’s children’s story “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” “Robes” tells the story of a clumsy but clever Egyptian princess, Hatshepsut, who suffers under her perfectionist father, the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh has promised to give any one thing to anyone who can weave a robe so perfect that only truly perfect people can see it. An unknown weaver, who actually is Hatshepsut’s uncle in disguise, plans to trick the Pharaoh and demand his kingdom as his prize. The princess is faced with the challenge of saving both her kingdom and her family.

Gladu came up with the idea after seeing a documentary about Hatshepsut, an actual person who was the fifth pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of Ancient Egypt, reigning from 1479 to 1458 BC.

“I wondered what that person would be like and let my imagination play,” said Gladu, who turned Hatshepsut into a “likable, approachable 12-year-old girl.”

The musical runs one hour with no intermission and includes about half a dozen songs. Langenberg called it more complex than it seems on the surface.

“The first time I read it, I didn’t catch everything,” he said.

In it, Gladu addresses family, perfection and societal expectations, he said.

“There are a lot of things going on,” Langenberg said. “It’s teaching lessons to kids without being moralistic.