Pounds of Love - Part 1

Pounds Of Love - The Musical
Synopsis


John Pounds, crippled as a youth in a Dockyard fall, finds a career, and a small income, as a boot maker in a tiny one room shop in old Portsmouth at the end of the eighteenth century. He takes pity on the ragged kids left to fend for themselves on the hostile streets and takes them into his shop, warms them, feeds them, and teaches them. Life in the city is tough. The threat of starvation, deportation, and alcohol are always prevalent.
The story follows John's life, and the kids, as they grow and long for a 'good life'. It follows them as they explore the, never before seen, countryside. John challenges the other local traders to help. All is sweet until some of the grown kids are troubled when they have to leave to make room for younger ones.
The time comes when John is gone, but the love he had for his ragged kids, remains in the hearts of all who knew him.


POUNDS OF LOVE

ACT ONE The show starts in the year of I 781. With a hornpipe number and where the young John Pounds [aged 15] has his fall from the scaffold in Portsmouth dockyard. [There are two songs here. "This is my life" and "Did you see me then".] It then takes a time leap to 1820, when the older John Pounds is aged 54. Here he meets up with his first pupil [Tom] whiles saving him from going to prison.
In the mean time the boys farther, along with other convicts are being deported too Australia. [There is one song sang by the convicts.]
The scene then is when he starts his school. At first only a few but as the story goes on the numbers get larger and larger [The children are all very poor, dirty and destitute. [There is a song here sung by John Pounds or Tom "Barney Owl".] The show then will reveal the seedy side of the district he and the children live in. Le. prostitutes, drunkards, and the squalor. [There are three songs here sung by Prostitutes, "Ere mate" then John Pounds and landlord singing "Drunkard" Also there are two small abandoned children who will sing. "Twinkle, twinkle little star" and " Angle" .] [Be prepared for not a dry eye in the house.] Next John is preparing to take the children out into the country side. [The song is "We're going" then scene changing to country side where the children come marching on singing "Busy, busy bee and "Buttercup" .] It is during this scene that there is a romantic duet between Tom [16years] and Liz [15 years] Then there is a song sung/spoken by John Pounds it is a sort of a prayer.


ACT TWO [It is Christmas Eve a few years later.] Starts with a Christmas scene with a large Christmas card and well to do people doing their shopping with lively seasonal music. Then the card is pulled to side to revile the ragged and poverty stricken people and children. Followed by John Pounds coming on dressed as St. Nicholas with sack full of shoes, [the song here is ["One two buckle my shoe" This is a clog dance.] It will be followed by John Pound rebuking the people, for treating the children badly, with a song/spoken. ["Can you hear me!"] making them ashamed of them selves.
The following day being Christmas day is the day when John, with the help of a neighbour make a giant plum pudding, and as always there is enough for all the children and any others who just might want some, [The song here is "what a whopper"] and is sung by every one. Next Children coming to school singing "Ragged kids march" .There is a strong scene where one of the elder boy's [Dick] is leaving the school but does not want to.["I don't need him"]
Coming toward the end, there is a dream where John meets some of his old pupils who have done well for them selves. This is followed by John dying and meeting all the children who have died who went to his school. One of the children [Polly] comes forward telling part of story and what happens after where the school goes on to greater things. The show is designed too let People know about John Pounds and the good work he achieved.

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• John Pounds
• Portsmouth