Running Time
50 Mins Approx
Speaking Parts
32
Cast Size
(Including Non-Speaking)
62
Cast Size
Easily Reduced To
27
Cast Size
Easily Increased To
90+
No. Of Songs
8
Bethlehem’s smallest inn, The Happy Donkey, has been receiving some pretty horrible reviews in the local B&B guide! It appears that a rival innkeeper is employing some underhand tactics to boost the ratings and profits of his own establishment, Caesar’s Palace Guesthouse! However, one magical, starry night, The Happy Donkey is THE place to be in town, as a stream of important visitors helps turn the tables, really putting this little inn (and its stable) on the map! *FREE Word doc. of the script to edit yourself*
Things in Bethlehem are about to get a bit…how can we put it…crazy! The town crier gathers all the innkeepers to deliver the news that they’ll soon be swamped by visitors, who’ll be arriving for a new census. Keen to make sure their accommodation is up-to-scratch for paying guests, they all decide that a lick of paint and a good spring-clean are in order! (song – Good As New)
In the offices of the ‘Bethlehem B&B Bulletin’, the staff are compiling all the reviews they have received from previous visitors to the town’s inns and guesthouses. It’s clear from the feedback that only one place has been providing a five-star service, while the others have failed miserably in achieving customer satisfaction! As the Bulletin is published, Silas and Sapphira, owners of Caesar’s Palace Guesthouse, smugly celebrate the fact they have received rave reviews across the board (song – Our Inn’s Better Than Your Inn), gloating about how they’ll cash-in when all the new visitors arrive. What nobody knows, however, is that for a long time this sly pair has been writing and submitting lots of fake reviews, horribly criticising the other inns whilst showering praise on their own!
Meanwhile, in Nazareth, we meet two of the visitors who will soon be coming to Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph. The Angel Gabriel tells Mary that she is to have God’s son, but she need not be afraid, as He will be watching over her. (song – Side By Side)
Back in Bethlehem, Samuel and Sarah, owners of a little inn called The Happy Donkey, are down on their luck. With all the recent bad reviews they have received, guests have been avoiding them and their future looks bleak. If things don’t improve, The Happy Donkey will have to close down!
(song – An Innkeeper’s Life)
The day arrives when the hordes descend on Bethlehem! Having read the reviews, everyone heads for Caesar’s Palace Guesthouse, hoping to bag a room at ‘the best place in town’, whatever it costs. However, with so many visitors, it is soon fully-booked and some have to make do with staying at the more undesirable inns, including The Happy Donkey. This is the one night when not a single room in Bethlehem is vacant! (song – No Vacancy)
When Joseph and Mary arrive in Bethlehem, they can find nowhere to stay. With Mary about to have her baby, they stumble across The Happy Donkey Inn. Eager to help, but with their one room already occupied, Samuel and Sarah can only offer the desperate couple their stable, which Mary and Joseph gratefully accept and settle down for the night.
With the birth of Mary’s baby, miraculous events then unfold. A bright star settles over the stable (song – A Star In The Sky) which draws a crowd of onlookers, who marvel at how pretty this little inn looks. Amongst the crowd are visitors to the town who wonder why they hadn’t noticed The Happy Donkey when they first arrived in Bethlehem. A group of excited shepherds then enters, telling of how angels had appeared to them with news of a holy baby born tonight in this very stable. The impressed onlookers are filled with awe at this news, and then gasp in amazement as three elegant and exotic men arrive, bearing precious gifts for the baby. Everyone soon realises that this little inn must be a very special place indeed. (song – Something Special) Silas and Sapphira are last on the scene, annoyed that this rival inn suddenly seems to be the centre of everyone’s attention. Could the Happy Donkey’s fortunes be changing?
News quickly spreads about that evening at The Happy Donkey. The little inn becomes a tourist hotspot, with an endless stream of guests relishing the opportunity to enjoy Samuel’s and Sarah’s hospitality and hear first-hand from them about all the wonderful happenings in their stable. As business booms, the Happy Donkey’s future is secure and when the real reviews start pouring in, from real satisfied customers, there can be no argument….there is (song – Nowhere Better To Stay!).
32 Speaking parts in order of appearance For larger casts, extra speaking characters can be added to scenes and the existing lines shared out between them, or new lines created. For smaller casts, simply reduce the number of characters such as the Narrators, Travellers and Innkeepers and assign their lines to fewer actors.
*Click on the Content Samples tab & download the Character Info file for more details
3 Narrators
Town Crier
8 Innkeepers
3 Officers
Silas & Sapphira
Gabriel
Mary
Joseph
Samuel & Sarah
8 Travellers
2 Shepherds
Non-speaking & ensemble characters
Innkeepers
Travellers
Stable Animals
The Star
Angels
Shepherds
3 Wise Men
What do you get?
This musical production is available to buy in 2 different formats.
Option 1 – Physical Product – Posted
This option can be paid for online, or schools* can request to have goods sent with an invoice to be paid within 30 days.
* Non-UK schools and private individuals (not ordering on behalf of a UK school) must pay online.
A wire-bound book with:
Full script
Detailed stage directions
Character information
Tips for costumes, props and scenery
Piano score for all songs
Licensing information
An Audio CD with:
Vocal demo tracks to all songs
Backing tracks to all songs
Continuity/incidental music
Sound effects
Option 2 – Digital Download
Any order containing a digital download option must be paid for online at the point of ordering. Any order containing a digital download which is not accompanied by payment will not be processed.
Both PDF and editable MS Word documents of:
Full script
Detailed stage directions
Character information
Tips for costumes, props and scenery
Piano score for all songs
Licensing information
MP3 files of:
Vocal demo tracks to all songs
Backing tracks to all songs
Continuity/incidental music
Sound effects
Extras included:
JPEG files of cover artwork for making posters or other promo material.
Upon completion of your order, a link will be automatically sent to the email address you provided, from which all the files can be downloaded.
Superb Musicals, Songs & Assemblies
for Schools & Youth Theatres.
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Anonymous –
St Paul’s C of E Junior School Barrow-in-Furness just did this as their Christmas production 2019, my daughter was in it playing Sapphira. (She was an absolute star!) We all thoroughly enjoyed it, the songs and story were great. It was a fantastic show.
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Anonymous –
Our Pre-Prep performed this in a Barn and the whole production was magical. The children loved the songs and clearly enjoyed being part of the production – lots of cameo roles for them all to have something to say. Very nice to have a traditional nativity with some modern lines. Highly recommend.
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Anonymous –
I saw my daughter’s school production of Bethlehem B and B last night and it was brilliant. The children were engaged throughout and clearly enjoyed acting and singing. My daughter has been singing the songs constantly at home and I know every word.!
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Anonymous –
Fantastic! We loved the original story, the humour in the script and most of all the songs.
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Lauren Oxspring –
I just wanted to get in touch and tell you how much we enjoyed performing Bethlehem B & B – what a super show and fantastic music. It was my 31st consecutive nativity performance and I think the songs were some of the best I have ever done – the children loved singing them and found the words and melodies easy to learn – please pass this on to the composers. Thanks again
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