the cheerful garden

 

 

play by Ruth Salles

Free version of an old play in German by an unknown author. It talks about caring for the garden and what vegetables say about themselves, so that children learn to enjoy eating them.

As there are many vegetables that appear in the piece, some varieties can be cut – such as celery, turnip and cucumber, or (and) kohlrabi and brussels sprouts – or also the portion of the watering can , at the discretion of the teacher and depending on the number of students. Movement is at the teacher's discretion. I just make a few suggestions.

CHARACTERS:
Farmers (3 children); peas (3), radish, carrots; celery (or celery), turnip; onion (3), lettuce, cucumber, beans; kale, cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, brussels sprouts; parsley, chives, bay leaf, mustard, cloves, marjoram, cinnamon, nutmeg; spinach, tomato, potato; watering can; moon. (maybe the sun and rain). In addition to the green and brown of the pants or skirts, the colors of the shirts may vary according to the character represented.

The farmers enter singing. All the other characters stand to one side of the scene, waiting their turn, but they sing and speak along, like a choir.

LAVRADORES (sing):
“I'll take my hoe,
my spade and my rake.
let's work together
in preparing the beds.”

PLUGGER 1 (speaks, moving the shovel):
– The shovel I bury
it's an iron hand.
turn, turn,
revolve the earth.

LAVRADOR 2 (speaks, moving the hoe):
- With one blow,
the earth is cut
in the power of the hoe.
With her I undo
very dark clods,
break up the pieces
very dry, very hard.

PLUGGER 3 (speaks, moving the rake):
- I bring the rake
and burial in the earth
your iron fingers.
ripping, scratching,
mowing the flowerbed,
the rake works.

PLUGGER 1 (speaks, moving the shovel):
- From the dung heap
here gathered,
I take a little
and spread it all over.
firmer a plant
from the floor rises
if we put fertilizer.
(Farmers speak in rhythm, walking, extending now the right arm now the left arm in the marked syllables, and sowing the seeds.)

FARMERS:
- My flowerbed is now
with the soft and warm earth.
It will serve as a walk
to the sleep of the seed.
(The farmers go to bed to sleep. The little plants spread out over the scene and are very low. They begin to slowly get up and talk.)

PLANTS:
– It's a dark night… What a fright!
Lots of leaves, little hands, (shake hands)
come out of the cradles of the shoots.
Rain that drops wakes up
(the rain passes by splashing drops with his hands)
other sleeping sprouts.
From the heights of the sky, shining,
(pass the sun casting its rays)
sunbeams are coming.
Each leaf heats up,
and the plant is already growing.

LAVRADORES (stretch, get up and sing with everyone):
“I opened my door
good in the cold morning,
to see my vegetable garden
under the bright light of day.
with dewy leaves
my vegetable garden gleamed.
What plants does she show?
in the bright light of day?”
(The three children who represent the pea stick together as if they were the three beans of the same pod. When they say “Clac!” they jump and separate.)

PEAS:
- We are peas
very green, very sweet.
little balls together
in the same box.
Clack!

radish (animated):
- Pull me out of the ground,
and wash me quickly,
and come see who I am!
red radish,
round and shiny!
then sprinkle salt
in my little head
and set your teeth in it.
My taste is strong.
splash and pop
and peak and burn!

CARROT (sweetly):
- I am the carrot,
golden root the color of the sun.
sweet and salty,
filled with the juice of the good land.
Scrape me! Scrape me!
Eat me raw!
I'm refreshing, I'm colorful,
full of life!

CELERY (complaining, while the turnip stirs):
- The turnip does not stand still,
get up, roll over,
it stretches, it digs up… (addressing him)
– Do you think it's a flower?
It's root! and the roots
live at the bottom of the earth.

TURNIP (protesting):
- Don't keep putting me down!
I'm sweet, I'm juicy,
and when I grow food
so many people, so many people!
Furthermore, I offer
health for the sick.

CELERY:
– And the celery, what am I?
I'm strong, I'm spicy,
my salt is fragrant,
my taste is unique.
I'm good in a salad,
and the soup in the pot,
with me inside her,
what a delight it will be!
(The three children who represent the onion hug each other tightly, as if they were the slices, which then separate and jump and move as they say.)

ONION:
– The round onion
cut into slices. (they separate)
the flaming slices
jump into the pan. (Jump up.)
In the pan sizzle, sizzle,
turn very golden, (turn)
splashing a few drops
very fragrant. (hand gestures)
That's how the food
it gets tempered.

LETTUCE (softly):
– In this construction site
there are green roses
your choice.
beautiful lettuces,
round cups
full of leaves.
of my topknot,
each leaf
I give to the man.
And the little head,
tender and soft,
children eat.

CUCUMBERS (move like little snakes):
– The hidden cucumbers,
as snakes are long.
Under the creeping leaves,
they grow, they swell. (Stand up)
In preserves or salads
are highly appreciated.

BEAN:
– athlete beans
know how to climb high
always goes back
to the blue of the sky.
in any stake
your thin sprigs
they get tangled up,
and every turn
are already signing
and approaching
from the glare of the sun!

ALL CABBAGE VARIETIES:
– We are the cabbages
that we sprout here.
when necessary,
we are active,
we are known
we transform!

BUTTER CABBAGE:
- I'm kale.
rising from the ground,
the thin rod
I soon suspend,
and the leaves spread.
(opens hands wide)

CABBAGE (swirling):
- I'm cabbage.
The rod I don't have,
climb I do not intend.
But I'm too fat!

CAULIFLOWER (dreamer):
- I dreamed so much, so much
with the beauty of the flower,
that inside I was changing,
I became beautiful, I became white,
and today I am cauliflower.

BRUSSELS CABBAGE (shakes kohlrabi, which is rolling):
– Kohlrabi, what is it?
What are these tumblers?

Kohlrabi (wakes up startled):
– Whoa, whoa, brussels sprouts!
So scary! What a nightmare!
I dreamed I got long!
button heads
peeked from my cable.
And I swung high
standing on one leg!
Oh so glad I'm back
with my fat belly!

BRUSSELS CABBAGE:
– You dreamed what I am.
Can't you see I'm a little girl?
in my slender house
many heads live.
I keep everything well
under the roof leaves.

ALL GREEN SMELLS, SPICES, SEASONINGS:
– We are the green scents,
rare spices,
Refined seasonings:

(each one is talking and identifying themselves)
parsley, chives,
the laurel, and the mustard;
cloves, marjoram,
cinnamon, and nutmeg.
We leave scented (speak together again)
the prepared dishes.

SPINACH (brave):
– Very green spinach
I have strong iron inside.
I'm not afraid of anything,
neither the weather nor the wind.
With my pointed leaves,
I fight like a warrior.
who eats from my leaves
has the reddest blood!

TOMATO (vain, looks in the mirror, then points to the potato):
– I ask my mirror
what is the most beautiful plant:
that yellow potato
dressed in sackcloth and dirty,
or the red tomato?

POTATO (with hands on hips):
– Now, what is this conversation?
Can't you see I'm your cousin?
We were born in the same land!

TOMATO (clumsy):
– Well, about that, it’s true…
We were both born in America.
What a shame to be a relative
that yellow potato...

PLUGGER 2:
- It's late. The whole garden
rest peacefully.
What are we going to eat today?

PLUGGER 3:
- Tomatoes with potatoes!

ALL THE PLANTS (singing as the watering can goes by):
“When the afternoon is falling,
the watering can arrives.
Full of water to the top,
the beds are watering.
Your water is fine rain
pouring over us.
The whole garden lights up,
our thirst quenching.”

MOON (passing between the plants):
- What a strange garden
I'm lighting up!…
doesn't have many colors
and not beautiful flowers.

PLANTS (turning to the Moon):
- O Lady Moon,
know who we are!
we work hard
and we renounce
to have beautiful flowers.
(The following passage can be continued by all plants or said by groups, as in the play.)

CAULIFLOWER AND CARNATION:
– Our flowers
they are very small…

CUCUMBER, TOMATO AND NUTMEG:
– …but bear strong fruit
that give life!

RADISH, CARROT AND TURNIP:
- You do not even wanna know
what we built
with our roots...

ONIONS, ONIONS AND POTATOES:
– … tasty bulbs,
source of health!

THE REMAINING:
– And the rods? And the leaves?
And our seeds?
so good food
for so many people!

ALL PLANTS (with enthusiasm):
– our beauty
hidden glitter
at the source of life
which is our wealth.
our beauty
revive in men,
in good health
what they have, if they eat us!
(If you want, everyone comes out singing “I opened my door…”)

 

 

End