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 A play with music.
Based on the story by Tony Husband and David Wood.
Book & lyrics by David Wood.
Music by Peter Pontzen and David Wood.
Lyrics for Rock ‘n’ Roar by Tony Husband. |
Commissioned
by Cambridge Theatre Company, who first performed the play at the
Arts Theatre, Cambridge in 1990, followed by a short tour. Subsequently
toured by Whirligig Theatre, including a season at Sadler’s
Wells Theatre, London.
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 A
Fable from the Future … It seems that long, long ago
human beings ruled the world but made a terrible mess of it.
They kept having wars and polluting the earth. They nearly
succeeded in killing themselves off completely… Now
the animals are in charge. Young Becky Bear loves her pet
human, Norman. When the mysterious Professor Rhino has Norman
arrested by the Securiboars, Becky and her friends start a
worldwide campaign to ‘SAVE THE HUMAN’ from extinction.
 David
Wood writes : When Robin Midgely asked me to write a play
for the Cambridge Theatre Company, I suddenly thought of the
story I had written with Tony Husband, the famous cartoonist.
The story was as yet unpublished (later Hamish Hamilton took
it on), but had theatrical potential. It also tackled the
subject of animal rights, one that I knew children were interested
in. By reversing things, so that animals were experimenting
on humans, for the sake of animal welfare (rather than the
other way round), the subject became more palatable and stageable.
The production was perhaps more experimental than previous
Whirligig productions, and I remember it with particular pleasure.
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original production used seven actors and a musician.
There was considerable doubling. A larger cast is possible. |
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| “A
first rate show for children … colourful, entertaining
and thought-provoking.” Sunderland Echo
“David Wood’s children’s
plays offer entertainment with a message, but never
one that is hammered home remorselessly. SAVE THE HUMAN
features a world that has been ruined by mankind and
taken over by animals. The animals make the same mistakes
– including experiments on pet humans –
and the whole cycle starts all over again. There’s
an air of Orwell’s Animal Farm in the way animals
are used to satirise human failings. But the questions
asked about matters such as vivisection, intolerance
and even the price of fame, are cleverly buried in pure
entertainment.” Bristol Evening Post
“Wonderfully astute conception.”
Northern Echo
“Although SAVE THE HUMAN does
not miss out a thing environmentally, it still avoids
the danger of preaching to a young audience. A cartoon-style
staging, mime, music, audience participation and a splattering
of slapstick all add up to a play that is visually stimulating
as well as intelligent. The young audience waved their
animal masks and sang, booed and hissed at the evil
Professor Rhino, and were completely carried along with
Becky Bear’s campaign to SAVE THE HUMAN.”
Torquay Express
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 The
play and piano/vocal score are published by Samuel
French Ltd.
First Class Professional & Foreign Rights : Casarotto Ramsay
Ltd.
UK Repertory Rights : Casarotto Ramsay Ltd.
UK Amateur Rights : Samuel
French Ltd.
The play is included in David Wood : Plays Two (Methuen)
US Stock and Amateur Rights : Samuel
French Inc.
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