Overview
There’s a donkey jam on the main road from Nazareth, so how will Mary and Joseph get to Bethlehem? Their only choice is to take the little back road: a very long, lumpy, bumpy, bendy, hilly road. Will they get to Bethlehem on time? And will the kings catch up with the Bethlehem Star who is now also on the B road? Meanwhile, the donkeys on the main road are very fed up indeed. They’ve heard that a special baby is going to be born in Bethlehem, but will they get to see him if they’re stuck in the jam? After much excitement, disgruntlement and humour, all’s well that ends well: everybody, including the donkeys, make
it to Bethlehem in time to see the wonderful new baby boy
Synopsis
Everyone from Nazareth is trying to get to Bethlehem, but there’s a donkey jam on the main road (DONKEY JAM). Mary, Joseph and a few villagers decide to take the little B road instead. Much later, the Bethlehem Star also diverts to the B road, followed closely by the kings who need the star to guide them to the baby Jesus (WAIT FOR US). The donkeys learn that a special baby is going to be born.
The B road is a long, bumpy and difficult road, so travel is very slow. Everyone is tired and fed up, and they all have extremely achy feet (ACHY FEET)!
When Mary and Joseph finally get to Bethlehem, they find that all the inns are full. However, when a kind innkeeper offers them his stable, they gladly accept. Sometime afterwards, on the hills outside Bethlehem, some shepherds are very surprised to see angels arriving with a message – that Jesus the Son of God is born in Bethlehem Town. They go as fast as they can, but when they get to the main road, they too are met with the donkey jam and also have to take the little B road instead (DOWN THE ROCKY ROAD).
Back on the main road, the donkeys are getting very grumpy indeed. They want to see the baby too, but there they are, stuck in their own donkey jam (GRUMPY DONKEYS)!
The shepherds reach the stable and so, finally, do the kings and the angels, and there they pay homage to the baby boy (WE HAVE FOUND YOU HERE).
Just as the donkeys are starting to give up hope, they and the main group of villagers all reach Bethlehem in time to see the baby Jesus. Everyone joins together in a song of joy to celebrate the birth (FULL OF JOY).
Script Samples
Sample Script - Beep Beep Bethlehem
CHARACTER LIST
There are 52 individual speaking parts. All of the lines are only a few words long.
There are also 6 narrators and an announcer. The lines of the narrators could be spoken by an adult/adults, or by children, whichever is preferred. The lines could be divided between more narrators if desired, or compressed for fewer.
Characters | Number of Lines | Characters | Number of Lines |
Villagers 1-12 | 1 line each | Donkeys 1-12 | 1 line each + 7 mostly repeated joint lines |
Shepherd 1 | 4 | Mary | 2 |
Joseph | 3 | Attendant 1 | 1 |
Melchior | 3 | Attendant 2 | 1 |
Caspar | 3 | Mary’s Donkey | 1 |
Balthazar | 2 | Innkeepers 1-4 | 1 line each |
Bethlehem Star | 1 | Shepherds 2-8 | 1 line each |
Camels 1-3 | 1 line each | Angels 1-4 | 1 line each |
