One Act (60 Min.)
Comedy
6 Actors (Doubling)
Synopsis
NOT YOUR MOTHER’S GOOSE! is a high-energy, laugh-out-loud romp through Gooseville, where nursery rhymes come to life—and fall apart in the most delightful way! When Hickory the clock-mouse ditches his post, the enchanted Tickety-Tock Clock grinds to a halt, unleashing chaos: time unravels, day turns to night without warning, and rain refuses to fall. With the 100th Annual Peter Pumpkin Eater Harvest Festival at stake, it’s up to the ever-rhyming Mother Goose, the mischievous Itsy-Bitsy Spider, precocious Jack, contrary Mary, and a lovable cast of nursery rhyme characters to restore order. Full of clever wordplay, wild schemes, magical mishaps, and heartwarming lessons about friendship and community, NOT YOUR MOTHER’S GOOSE! is a fast-paced theatrical farce that turns childhood classics upside down—and right-side up again.
Casting & Production
Casting
MOTHER GOOSE — Gooseville’s most cherished matriarchal goose. A warm and fuzzy maternal leader, a problem solver, writer, and the narrator, who guides us through the play often in rhyme. She can also be tough when necessary. Also plays: Nightmare Mother Goose, which could be a puppet.
ITSY — A curmudgeonly spider. She is a loner, self-centered, tricky, pessimistic, and grumpy.
HICKORY — A perfectionist mouse. He is focused on his job, punctual, reliable, and is descended from the Dock family, a long line of timekeepers.
JACK — A precocious, dramatic, and energetic little boy who cannot sit still. Also plays: Anansi and Hobbity Dobbity Dock.
MARY — A contrarian little girl who breaks the rules and loves solitary gardening and lambs. Also plays: Miss Muffet’s Spider.
GOOSEVILLER — Plays: Wiggle Wiggle Caterpillar (aka Butterfly), puppets (Lamb, Cow, Waterspout) and Hippity Dippity Dock.
Setting
Time
Sometime in the 17th or 18th century. Autumn.
Place
In and about the town square of Gooseville. A quaint, storybook village nestled in a valley. At the center of Gooseville is the stoic, profound, and intricately carved Tickety-Tock Clock Spire. The houses—a charming mix of thatched roof chateaus, warn shoe-houses, and oversized carved gourds, line the cobblestone streets that twist through golden fields.
Media
"Bobbitt and Eskin have combined familiar nursery rhymes into an original story with lots of wit and humor."
- BroadwayWorld
"A high-energy romp through beloved nursery rhymes—only this time, the characters come to life in the most unusual ways. ... Bobbitt and Eskin dive deep into the minds of nursery rhyme figures… revealing what makes them tick (or tock). ... More than a set of ‘fractured fairytales,’ it captures the spirit of supposedly simple characters… in unexpected situations."
- DC Theater Arts
"Beloved tales are turned on their heads in a ‘sixty-minute, gut-busting sprint for all audiences. ... Theatergoers of all ages will find plenty of love and laughter in the nostalgia unfolding onstage."
- Maryland Theatre Guide
