Characters

Narrator
Shoppers
Father
Mother
Boy
Girl
Extras in the crowd can become the Young Entrepreneur’s friends
Young Entrepreneur
His friends, any number up to 12(using crowd extras as above) one helper to wear a sword in his belt.
Factory People,
1. Intelligent boss type
2. Tall and stupid (wearing large rubber ears)
3. Small and stupid
Scene One
People in Eastern Dress populate the stage in grey or dirty clothes with marks and spots.

Narration; Once upon a time, in a far away country there lived people with a problem. They couldn’t get their clothes clean, not really clean. No matter how they washed, they were always left with that ‘yucky grey colour’ and marks and spots that wouldn’t go away.

There was a large soap factory that made soap powder and large bars of soap that were supposed to make people and their clothes clean. It was quite expensive, but it didn’t really work.

Enter stage right: the family and any extras available for the crowd.
Enter from stage left: Factory People with placards, enthusiastic and calling out the words on their placards, in order, so they can be heard.
1st. Factory Person. Feel clean and fresh, new added lemon fragrance £5.49p 2nd Factory Person Added Date & Fig, £5.50p 3rd Factory Person. Soap Bars; reduced bargain packs.

Father (to mother.) Shall we try this new added fragrance dear?

Mother. What! £5.49 for 3 bars of soap, just for the smell?

Boy. Look Dad, Bargain packs.

Girl. But will it make my dress clean again?

Mother. (sigh resigned and shrug shoulders) The soap never works properly and only smells nice for a little while. Everything is always left with that ‘yucky grey.’

Narration: One day a young man appeared, giving away soap, claiming that it really cleaned deep down and removed all stains. One treatment would clean everything, sparkling white and new. There was no charge, in fact the customers only had to say thank you.

Enter stage right: Young Entrepreneur in clean white clothes with boxes and a tray of soap. ‘Roll up folks and collect your free soap, nothing fancy, just plain white with a fresh clean smell’.

The crowds all receive some soap and say “thank you” loudly.
Exit stage right and change into clean clothes bright white, or clean and bright for everyone, to enter during or after the next narration.

Narration: The people were ecstatic and the cottage industry grew. First, the young man took on twelve helpers and then later he took on seventy other helpers sending them in pairs to all the towns and villages that he planned to visit later. He had a triumphant entry into the Capital city, where everyone cheered and welcomed him.

Enter stage right: The crowd in clean and bright clothes, now excitedly (plenty of noisy chatter) helping the young man to distribute the soap to some others still in dirty clothes. All Exit stage right.

Enter from stage left: Factory people with dirty clothes on in charge of a table with boxes of soap powder.

Factory Person 2: What should we do? This could ruin us (knees shaking, very frightened)

Factory Person 3: Maybe we could reason with him or take him into partnership? Anything to stop him giving away free soap. (Hands raised, shrug shoulders, look of desperation.)

Factory Person 1: We’ll arrange an accident with a washing machine. (Rub hands gleefully)

Factory Person 2: A nice ‘Clean ending’ (Rub hands gleefully)

Factory Person 3: A ‘Sud’- den ending. (Rub hands gleefully)

Factory Person 1: Don’t leave any unnecessary ‘froth.’

Factory Person 2: We’ll rid this town of ‘scum.’

Curtains close, then background scuffles, cries and noise to create an impression of trouble.

Narration: Dirty endings can be a little messy, so to conclude, while they get on with it;
(The rubber ear and the sword are thrown through the curtain! The narrator looks at them, pauses, embarrassed, and throws them back through the curtain.)
Narration: The secret soap carried on producing bubbles long after the time of the Young Entrepreneur, his friends and the Factory owners.
His helpers took the recipe for the soap and the good news of its amazing power to clean and spread it over the entire world.

Curtains open and everyone to come on stage in groups, in turn, to take bows and then all stay on stage for applause. (Bubble containers can be distributed or placed on tables. Optional)