1493: Fools Fall in Love

Cast:

  • Royal Court
  • Jester
  • Robin d’Cradle
  • Harmonia
  • Discordio
  • Out-of-Tunio
  • Unicorn (Two people)
  • Assorted extras

Synopsis:

Begins with a greeting by the Jester, followed by the Royal Procession. All dialogue is supplied for the Wassail and Boar’s Head festivities. Is it true, “there’s no fool like an old fool?” In this masque, the Jester, or Fool, falls head over heals, cap over booties, in love with a beautiful young thing, Robin d’Cradle (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.) She is dressed identically to the Jester and completely captivates him . . . as well as the audience. His reverie is interrupted by the appearance of three “melodically challenged” wandering minstrels, Harmonia, Discordio, and . . . Out-of-Tunio. Discordio is drafted to play an ersatz Cupid, whose arrow does not strike Robin, its intended target, but Harmonia (a much larger target). She, in keeping with tradition, falls madly in love with the Jester.

As the plot thickens the Jester writes a “ feeble and pedestrian” poem to impress Robin (it does not), finds a real live mythical beast, a unicorn, to impress her (it does), and finally consults the Wizard who gives him a vial of love potion. Does the love potion work? Does the right person receive it? Does Robin fall in love with . . . ? Does Harmonia find true happiness? And what about the unicorn??? Do they all really live happily ever after, or just until the next performance? These and other questions you probably never considered asking will be answered in this extraordinarily fanciful romp. Much of this script is rhymed.

Note 1: This script works well at the holiday season, but with its love theme, also is ideal for other times of the year, especially Valentine’s Day and the whole month of May (and most of April and some of June.)

Note 2: Suggestions for music for an alternate secular concert is included as is the dialogue introducing the various madrigals and chansons.