Another Tortoise, Another Hare
book, lyrics, and music by
John Mucci and Richard Felnagle
7 m., 7 f., 1 c., optional chorus.

Published by Samuel French, New York [Catalog #3694] $7.50

Yes, a sequel to the Æsop fable about the proud, fast, distracted tortoise, and the slow, methodical, persistent hare: but with plenty of twists to it.

By the same team that wrote Russel's Back Yard and other community-theater productions, Another Tortoise, Another Hare is a delightful full-evening two-act musical play that is truly meant for the whole community—to act in and to watch with enjoyment.

"Æsop the Owl narrates and then continues the story of the famous race. The original tortoise and hare have children. Tommy Tortoise grows up as the child of a celebrity, and Harriet Hare grows up the child of an outcast, and strangely, these children are united in friendship by the way fate has shaped their lives. But other forest creatures are not happy with the outcome of the famous race. Tommy and Harriet are eventually turned against each other and coerced into running their parents' old race over again, encountering a highway full of singing automobiles, a flood and worst of all: two human children.."

With a flexible cast that can include adults, teens, pre-teens and children, ATAH is a play that has an exciting story, plenty of action, a tuneful score (of 32 numbers) that include dances, songs, duets, and full ensembles, with opportunities for all members to sing. Highlights of the score include the whole cast recalling the original race, a spirited anthem for their totem (an old bowling trophy, but the animals in the forest don't know that), a duet for raccoons who are 'in the big house' otherwise known as a cage, and a fiesty song for the hare and tortoise children whose refrain is "Na, na, na na!" (—guess you have to be there).

The score is arranged for either piano solo, or an ensemble of Reed I and II, guitar, keyboard, viola, cello and percussion.