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The Rampant Blade Home
Show.....Songs.....Character....Productions....Cast.....Synopsis...Pictures The Middle Ages. The land of Albion. Cardinal Black and his cutthroat army arrive from the New World bringing potatoes, coffee, chocolate - and a plot to kill Good Queen Bess. Surely Olivia, a mere serving girl, stands no chance against the wicked Cardinal. However, she finds her inner steel when she dons the mask of the Rampant Blade. The Rampant Blade is a medium-scale musical comedy. It would suit a cast of 12-15+, with a strong female lead and doubling for all but the leads, in order to fully involve the entire cast. The show is scored for a small pit band, but could be accomplished with 2 keyboards and percussion. The story is a rollicking adventure with plenty of action, swordfights and knockabout humour. But at its heart is a tender story of love and self-belief. Act
I Act
II
Featured recording performers: Claire Morrissey, Nick Sutcliffe, Martin George, Frances Cass, Tony Wilkins..... OLIVIA
Our
heroine, proud yet pragmatic, brave but vulnerable, fed up with
her countrymen but ready to fight for her country. Production
History
Victoria
Burnham The Rampant Blade was chosen as a finalist for STAGES 2004 in Chicago. Act 1 Scene
1 – The south coast of Albion – some time in
the Middle Ages The Yokel Players are outraged. The Bard’s plays are no place for such nonsense as singing and dancing. Anyway, Peter Finch tells her that, as a woman, she has no place in the theatre other than as a seamstress or set-builder. She wants to point out that Buttox, Scab and Wart are perhaps not as manly as Peter Finch thinks - being women thinly disguised as men - but she doesn’t want to blow their covers.Buttox spots a ship arriving in port. Tourists from the Americas! What they’ll be wanting is thespian entertainment. The Yokels exit to prepare their play. Olivia regards the flag more closely – she recognises the insignia as belonging to the most evil man in Christendom, the wicked usurper, Cardinal Black. Olivia hides. SONG: GEE, BUT IT’S GREAT – Cardinal reminisces about Albion.Tyrone enters and sings about the culture and the history of Albion while the Cardinal plans his tyranny. Olivia reveals herself and challenges the Cardinal. After a brief fight, he defeats her and gives her to Tyrone as a servant, hoping his son might learn the basics of oppression. Olivia vows that her countrymen won’t be so easily defeated – but then the Albion Players appear. Cardinal Black orders his right-hand woman, the Marquesa to kill, maim and force the people into servitude. SONG: GEE, BUT IT’S GREAT - FINISH – The Cardinal’s Guards sing about the joys of being bad as they bring in luxury goods from the New World such as potatoes, tobacco, coffee and chocolate.
Tyrone is hurrying to his fencing lesson. Olivia points out that, for the son of an evil tyrant, he’s actually quite sweet. Tyrone is not too happy – because that’s exactly what his father’s trying to beat out of him. In the fencing lesson, Tyrone is disinterested but Olivia turns out to be a natural. SONG: CROSSING SWORDS – As they swordfight, Olivia tries to get Tyrone to defy his father. Both are exhilarated bythe contest. He vows to try and stand up to the Cardinal. Scene
3 – The village
Tyrone and Olivia tour the village: he wants to see some Albion
culture and she wants to show him his father’s oppression.
Vendors sell New World luxuries to peasants who cannot afford
them and yet are hooked. The Yokel Players spot Tyrone. Wow, he’s so dashing and handsome and interested in them even though they are humble players. He wonders if they have ever been in a musical? No, but the idea of a play with songs and dances sounds wonderful – he must tell them more. He swans off with the yokels to go carousing in the famous ale-houses. SONG: WHEN HE SMILES – Olivia gets good and mad at Tyrone, but knows that she will always forgive him. Scene 4 – The Palace Ballroom SONG: BEAUTIFUL LADIES – Cardinal Black introduces the princesses who are vying for Tyrone’s hand. Olivia is quite shocked when she realises Tyrone is going to marry the winner. He takes it in his stride - of course he doesn’t love them, but it’s what his father has ordered. As Tyrone dances with the Princesses, Olivia overhears the Cardinal plotting to kill Good Queen Bess at the wedding and install Tyrone as the puppet monarch. Princess Sharonne is announced the winner. Scene 5 – the forest SONG: LET’S PUT ON A SHOW – The Yokels sing about the pleasures of putting on a musical Olivia implores the yokels to rise up against the wicked usurper and his foul plans. The yokels are not really interested because they love all the luxury goods the Cardinal has brought over. Anyway, they’d never follow a slip of a girl. However, they might follow somebody like Tyrone - or maybe a legendary hero like King Arthur or Robin Hood. SONG: THE RAMPANT BLADE – Olivia wonders what would make the people rise up. She finds a mask and a sword amongst the costumes left over from the rehearsal. She dons the mask and realises she might possibly get away with it. Now all she needs is a name.
Scene 7 – The Rampant Montage.Olivia, disguised as the Rampant Blade, fights the Cardinal’s Guards, or rather makes a mockery of them and runs away.As tales spread of the heroic Rampant Blade, his legend grows into mythic proportions. The Rampant Blade, though, soon comes face to face with the Marquesa. Olivia looks defeated - but then, rather un-heroically, she pulls a dirty trick and manages to best the famed assassin. Scene 8 – The castle battlements Cardinal Black threatens to cut off something a lot more painful than his inheritance if Tyrone doesn’t go and give Princess Sharonne a damn good wooing. Tyrone soliloquises on the battlements. SONG: KNIGHT ON THE TILES – Tyrone talks the talk but eventually wimps out of rebelling. Scene 9 – A forest clearing Olivia, dressed as the Rampant Blade, is welcomed by the yokels. They suspect their new hero is Tyrone in disguise. She announces the Cardinal’s plans to kill the queen. The yokels are outraged. So, will they follow her and rise up in open rebellion? No, they’ll do something much better – far more subversive…as they’ve heard how much the Cardinal hates musicals, they’ll do a show about the Rampant Blade. SONG: THE RAMPANT BLADE - REPRISE – the yokels rise in something approaching rebellion. Olivia figures at least it’s something. End Act I Act II Scene 1 - Castle gallery Cardinal Black still hasn’t sorted out the food, he’s yet to get the poison, hasn’t organised the entertainment and the worst news is that Good Queen Bess is getting cold feet. Julian, the wedding planner, suggests killing two birds with one stone – by hiring the local rebel performers, Bess is sure to attend…as Queens just love musicals. Scene 2 – Sharonne’s chamber SONG: THE PEOPLE NEED A WEDDING – Sharonne is entering into a loveless marriage, but sacrifice is a princess’s lot and she does get to wear a fab dress and have a great party with the top celebs.
SONG: ASIDE BY ASIDE – With his new ‘aside’ technique, Cardinal Black explains how he’s going to ravish Olivia. His technique, however, is still lacking. She knocks him unconscious. Scene 4 - The balcony scene Tyrone’s not getting anywhere with his wooing technique. Olivia enters and asks him to help her escape the castle. He’ll help her if she helps him. SONG:
I DON’T LOVE YOU – Tyrone woos Princess Sharonne
with Olivia’s help. In singing the song, the pair realise
they have strong feelings for each other. But Tyrone, still fearing
his father, climbs Sharonne’s bower. SONG: WHAT A LAND THIS COULD BE – The Cardinal sings about the enigma of Albion and of how he intends to bring it to its knees. Scene 6 – The forest The yokels finish their rehearsals for the musical. Cardinal Black approaches and they hurriedlydrape shawls over their heads to disguise their ‘show’ leanings. SONG: O, WHAT A WITCH – Of course the yokels aren’t actors – they’re witches. Cardinal recognises their song and dance stylings, but it’s their lucky day – he needs a troupe to play his son’s wedding. He exits to find some poison and the Yokels get ready for their big show. Olivia enters, depressed, on the run and spurned by her true love. SONG: ALL I WANT – Olivia never wanted much from life but she’d hoped for more than this.Peter Finch re-enters dressed badly as the Rampant Blade. He asks Olivia to help him with his costume. Olivia realises that the Players areperforming their show in the castle…with a huge chorus…all armed with swords. Scene 7 – Princess Sharonne’s chamber Ty wakes up having been unsuccessful in giving Sharonne a damn good ‘wooing’. What can be up with him? Scene 8 – The wedding SONG: THE PEOPLE NEED A WEDDING - REPRISE - everybody makes their final preparations: Cardinal Black purchases some poison; Tyrone practices his speech; the Yokel Players arrive – with Olivia disguised as Peter Finch, disguised as the Rampant Blade; guests arrive including Good Queen Bess. The wedding takes place. Cardinal Black plans to poison the Queen while she is distracted by the entertainment. He orders the Yokels to begin their show. SONG: THE RAMPANT BLADE – HOME-MADE REPRISE – the Yokels begin their rather poor show. It comes to Olivia’s big number but she announces that the time for singing is over. It is time to reveal herself – she is the real Rampant Blade.To prove it, she takes off her mask. Everybody is quite disappointed – the hero is a girl. Peter Finch appears – he is really the Rampant Blade – no, surely Tyrone is the Rampant Blade. They all argue over who is the real hero. The Cardinal ends the confusion… Years ago he was the hero of Albion, but when his star faded he was spurned by the very people he had sought to defend. Since that day he has vowed revenge. And now he is going to exact it. He orders the Marquesa and his guards to kill everyone. The Yokels rally to Olivia’s side and fight the guards, Tyrone takes on the Marquesa and Olivia is left to face Cardinal Black. She fights bravely but is no match for the most evil man in Christendom. Finally she is disarmed. He is about to kill her when Tyrone thrusts the cake knife into his father. The Cardinal dies - happy at last that his son has finally stabbed someone in the back. Everyone rejoices. Apart from Olivia. She may have saved the land, but she didn’t get the boy. Tyrone reveals that it wasn’t a proper wedding as his father was never a real Cardinal. Sharonne breathes a sigh of relief, having been the audience in Tyrone’s one-man flop the previous night. Olivia and Tyrone embrace.
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