The Cocoanuts (Bedard Adaptation)
Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin | Book by George S. Kaufman | Adapted by Mark Bedard
The service stinks but the gags are four-star in this Marx Brothers romp with an Irving Berlin score. Groucho owns a bum hotel in Florida and peddles dubious real estate to gullible Northerners seeking a place in the sun. He’s after a rich society dame, who’s after an eligible match for her daughter, who’s in love with the hotel’s head clerk. Trouble rolls in with the tide when the other Marxes arrive and mama’s eligible match turns out to be anything but. Mark Bedard’s adaptation of THE COCOANUTS premiered at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2014 and is designed for a small cast of 12.
Cast Size: No Chorus • Medium (5-21). Vocal Demands: Easy • Moderate. Dance Requirements: Some Dancing Required. Good For: High School • College/University • Amateur/Community • Professional Theatre.
Participate in the R&H Online Community.Leave comments or talk with other fans in the forum!
About The Show
Production Info
To request the rights to make merchandise for this show email brian.sherman@rnh.com.
Fan Info:
"Fish fly. Teacups soar. Doors slam and puns fall like rain. Welcome back, Marx Brothers. ... a delirious jalopy of awful jokes, brilliant physical comedy and caustic improvisations with a cackling audience.”
“Go, enjoy. Maybe see it more than once because it will never be the same show twice.” — David Stabler, The Oregonian, February 26, 2014"uproariously hilarious ... a side-splitting laughter based on the Marx Brothers classic 1930 film, the bros are back and creating more wacky joy in 'Cocoanuts.'" — Lee Juillerat, Herald and News, February 27, 2014
“Amid the mayhem are Irving Berlin's gorgeous songs, including the beloved 'Always'..."
“If there's a criticism at all, it's that it is nearly impossible to hear all of the clever lines penned by George S. Kaufman, the Marx Brothers and Bedard: The audience is laughing just too dang much.” — Cathy Noah, Ashland Daily Tidings, February 26, 2014
"It is, in fact, one of the funniest and most satisfying evenings of entertainment I’ve experienced at [Oregon Shakespeare Festival]." — Alan “Rosey” Rosenberg, Ashland Play Reviews, February 24, 2014
“. . . [T]he perfect amount of classy, quirky comedy.”
"Don’t blink, or else you may miss a knee-slapping uproar." — Emily Havens, The Spectrum, July 08, 2016
“The Cocoanuts” so gleefully demonstrates, we don’t need the real Marx Brothers to generate the kind of merry mayhem that made them movie legends."
“‘The Cocoanuts’ [balances] numerous nutty elements with . . . ease. — Carol Cling, Las Vegas Review Journal, July 07, 2016
Song #
Song Name
Character Name
Play
Other Versions
Vocal Range of Characters:
STANDARD
- THE COCOANUTS (BEDARD ADAPTATION) - Rehearsal Set
- 15 – Libretto
- 15 – Piano Vocal Score
ADDITIONAL
- THE COCOANUTS (BEDARD ADAPTATION) - Pre-Production Pack
5 Women
7 Men
CAST OF CHARACTERS
NATE A member of the Cocoanut Trio. Could be a maintenance man, janitor, chef, doorman, etc of the hotel.
TRIXIE A member of the Cocoanut Trio. Could be a maid, housekeeper, chef, server, etc of the hotel.
COCO A member of the Cocoanut Trio. Could be a maid, housekeeper, chef, server, etc of the hotel.
ROBERT JAMISON (Zeppo) high-strung, jittery, bottled-up, unconfident. He is the only remaining clerk and bellhop in the hotel. Loves Polly Potter.
PENELOPE MARTIN a conwoman of the upper class. Cunning.
HARVEY YATES a member of the privileged class. Secretly broke. He wants to marry Polly Potter for her money.
MRS. POTTER the embodiment of the privileged, upper class.
POLLY POTTER torn between her upbringing and her own forward thinking. Loves Robert Jamison.
MR. HAMMER (Groucho) Jamisons boss. Proprietor of The Cocoanuts Hotel and Cocoanut Manor.
CHICO (Willie Wony Diddydony) a petty thief with an Italian accent.
HARPO (Silent Red) a mute, petty thief.
DETECTIVE HENNESSEY large and intimidating. Very serious. Represents authority and the right arm of the one percent. Can also play a random guest in the beginning of the play.
SPECIFIC LOCATIONS
Act 1
Scene 1: The Lobby of the Cocoanuts, Cocoanut Beach, Florida
Scene 2: Before The Palms (in one)
Scene 3: Two Rooms In The Hotel
Scene 4: Before The Palms
Scene 5: Cocoanut Manor
Act 2
Scene 1: The Lounge Of The Hotel
Scene 2: Before The Palms
Scene 3: The Engagement Dinner
Materials Notes
Media Rights
Promotional
1. The Promotional Video shall be recorded and shown for the sole purposes of advertising your licensed production of the Play. For such a video, R&H allows theatres to film up to 10 minutes of total footage taken at either a performance or rehearsal (i.e.: 10 minutes of scripted moments.)
2. The Promotional Video may not include more than (i) 1 minute from any song or (ii) 3 minutes, in the aggregate, of footage of copyrighted material from the Play.
3. The Promotional Video may not include any sponsorship or underwriting without the prior consent of all R&H.
4. The Promotional Video must be submitted to R&H by sending the source video and video link to editor@rnh.com.
5. The Promotional Video must include the following: "Rights courtesy of Rodgers & Hammerstein, www.rnh.com"
6. Upon approval by R&H of the Promotional Video, you agree not to make any alterations in the approved copyrighted material used therein and you agree to obtain the prior written approval of R&H for any other use of the Promotional Video not specifically granted herein.
7. Upon termination of the Term, you shall cease to have any rights to use the Promotional Video including, without limitation, in connection with a future production of the Play, and shall immediately remove its content from any and all websites on the Internet.
8. You may not use a commercially available recording.
9. Any additional promotional rights must be approved by R&H by contactingTheatre@rnh.com.
