Stars and Sparks on Stage

by Sharon M. Draper

  “Is the choir ready?” Mr. Cavendish asked. “You’re on first, to set the tone for the individual and group performers.”

  The choir members, dressed in the school colors of blue and yellow, nodded nervously. Most of the boys wore blue; most of the girls wore yellow. Tulip, in the yellow dress she’d worn on her first day at the school, fit in perfectly.

  Ziggy, Rashawn, Jerome, and Rico, dressed in blue slacks and yellow shirts, had their costumes for their performance backstage waiting for them to change into.

  “Let’s get this show on the road, mon!” Ziggy said nervously.

  The choir lined up on the risers, and the curtains opened with a swoosh. The children, illuminated by the stage lights, inhaled with excitement as the audience erupted into thunderous applause.

  “I can’t see anything past the first row,” Jerome whispered to Rashawn who stood next to him. “Except for a few flashes of people’s cameras.”

  “Me, neither. It’s like a huge blob of noise and thunder out there.”

  Mr. Cavendish bowed, and the audience quieted and waited with anticipation. “Welcome to our talent show!” he said with pride. “Your children have worked very hard to make this production a success. And yes, although there is a cash prize being offered tonight, I’ve tried to stress to them that we are doing this simply for the joy of performing. Let’s hear it for music for its own sake!”

  The parents seemed to like this idea, for they applauded enthusiastically once more.

  “Since it’s near the end of the school year, we decided to try to have some fun tonight. Our theme is Stars and Sparks. We’ll begin with a song that includes both. Please rise for our national anthem.”

  He turned his back to the audience and faced the choir. He nodded to Miss Blakely, who was directing the band, and the first strains of “The Star-Spangled Banner” could be heard puffing from the sixth-grade students on tubas and trombones and trumpets.

  On the signal of Mr. Cavendish, the choir members sang clearly,

  “OH, SAY CAN YOU SEE,

  BY THE DAWN’S EARLY LIGHT,

  WHAT SO PROUDLY WE HAILED

  AT THE TWILIGHT’S LAST GLEAMING?

  WHOSE BROAD STRIPES AND BRIGHT STARS,

  THROUGH THE PERILOUS FIGHT,

  O’ER THE RAMPARTS WE WATCHED,

  WERE SO GALLANTLY STREAMING?

  AND THE ROCKETS’ RED GLARE,

  THE BOMBS BURSTING IN AIR,

  GAVE PROOF THROUGH THE NIGHT

  THAT OUR FLAG WAS STILL THERE.

  O SAY, DOES THAT STAR-SPANGLED

  BANNER YET WAVE

  O’ER THE LAND OF THE FREE

  AND THE HOME OF THE BRAVE?”

  Mr. Cavendish and choir bowed, and the audience, already in a good mood, clapped and waited for the next song as they sat back down. The choir sang all ten verses of “Billy Boy” and then did a beautiful version of “Mockingbird.”

  “Now, ladies and gentlemen, let’s begin the competition part of our program. Our first contestant is a young lady named Brandy, who writes her own poetry. Let’s give her a big round of applause!”

  The curtain slid shut, and Brandy, dressed in a new red dress, walked out onto the stage in front of the closed curtain. Her lucky red shoes clicked on the hardwood floor.

  “Hi, my name is Brandy, and I like to write poetry,” she began. She motioned to a girl sitting with the band who was operating a CD player, and her background music began. It sounded rich and jazzy, something you might want to dance to. “The name of my poem is ‘The Colors of We.’

  “BROWN IS WARM AND BROWN IS GOOD.

  BROWN IS EARTH AND BROWN IS MUD.

  I AM WARM AND I AM GOOD.

  I LOVE EARTH AND I LOVE MUD.

  BLACK IS COOL AND BLACK IS BRIGHT.

  BLACK IS DREAMS AND BLACK IS NIGHT.

  I AM COOL AND I AM BRIGHT.

  I LOVE DREAMS AND I LOVE NIGHT.

  GREEN, GREEN, MY ARMS ARE GREEN.

  WHAT SHALL I DO? WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

  BLUE, BLUE, MY NOSE IS BLUE.

  WHAT SHALL I DO TO LOOK JUST LIKE YOU?

  RED, RED, MY LEGS ARE RED.

  I KNOW WHAT THEY THINK; I HEARD WHAT THEY SAID.

  I THINK I’LL KEEP MY ARMS SO GREEN

  I’LL GET A GOLD CROWN AND I’LL BE A QUEEN.

  I THINK I’LL KEEP MY NOSE SO BLUE

  I LIKE BEING ME AND NOT BEING YOU.

  I THINK I’LL KEEP MY LEGS SO RED

  I’M NOT LIKE ALL THE OTHERS—I’LL BE MYSELF INSTEAD!

  BROWN IS BLACK IS RED IS BLUE

  GREEN IS GOLD IS ME IS YOU!”

  Her music stopped, she took a bow, and the audience clapped loudly for her. She walked off the stage, red shoes clicking, and before she reached the edge of the curtain, she said loudly, “Whew! I’m glad that’s over!” The people in the audience giggled a little as she disappeared behind the big blue drape.

  The next performers, the combo called Dance Machine in which Tito’s sister performed, were dancers whose act was a combination dance team/cheerleader/gymnastics routine. The music was loud and funky, and the five girls in the group jumped and twisted and leaped all over the stage. When they finished, breathing hard and sweating heavily, even the people in the audience seemed to be exhausted. The group got a round of rousing applause, however.

  Mimi’s quiet but powerful singing was next. Even without Ziggy’s help this time, she performed beautifully. Her mother came up to the front, squatted down low, and took pictures throughout Mimi’s presentation. Her mother clapped louder than anyone when she took her bow.

  Even though Simon dropped a couple of rubber balls, he managed to complete his juggling routine. Samantha’s rabbit refused to come out of the hat, but the rest of her illusions were just plain magical. Several more singers and dancers performed, all of them enthusiastic and energetic. Bill and Tito’s act was a big hit. Finally only two acts remained—Tulip and the Black Dinosaurs.

  Tulip took the stage in her pale yellow dress and sang in a voice big enough to fill the auditorium, even without a microphone. She used no backup CD or band music.

  “HE’S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS,

  HE’S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS,

  HE’S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS,

  HE’S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS.”

  As she began the next verse, Tulip took her voice down very small. It was softer, but just as powerful.

  “HE’S GOT THE LITTLE BITTY BABY IN HIS HANDS,

  HE’S GOT THE LITTLE BITTY BABY IN HIS HANDS,

  HE’S GOT THE LITTLE BITTY BABY IN HIS HANDS,

  HE’S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS.”

  It seemed as if she ended the song with even more power than she had started with. She held her arms out like a Broadway star concluding a show, with her head tilted back and her eyes closed.

  “HE’S GOT YOU AND ME BROTHER, IN HIS HANDS,

  HE’S GOT YOU AND ME SISTER, IN HIS HANDS,

  HE’S GOT YOU AND ME BROTHER, IN HIS HANDS,

  HE’S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS!”

  When she finished she took a low bow. The audience was stunned. Then they stood and clapped and cheered. No one else had received a standing ovation.

  “We got our work cut out for us,” Jerome said, peeping from behind the curtain. “She was terrific!”

  “Not to worry, mon!” Ziggy said as they listened to the applause. “We’ve got the best performance. Right?” He looked a little worried.

  The four boys waited nervously for their turn. With their colorful, shiny top hats, matching sparkle-covered capes, and black satin shirts and slacks, the four boys looked truly professional. Their colorful accents—Jerome’s blue, Rico’s green, Rashawn’s purple, and Ziggy’s orange—glimmered in the dim backstage lights.

  “We look like rock stars!” Rico said as they looked at one another in the backstage mirror.

  Ziggy twirled with the cape and bowed with the top hat to Mim
i and the other kids backstage who admired the four boys as they got ready. “I’m gonna wear this to school every day, mon! I look too good!”

  “It’s time, boys,” Mr. Cavendish said. “You’re our finale—make it wonderful!”

  The stage, completely dark and completely silent now, suddenly erupted in Jamaican drum rhythms. Then green, purple, blue, and orange spotlights decorated the stage. Into those lights stepped Rico, Jerome, Rashawn, and Ziggy. All was drums and lights and drama.

  “Day-o, Day-o,” they began. Rico’s music kicked in then, a wonderful mix between calypso and hip hop.

  “DAYLIGHT COME AND ME WANNA GO HOME.

  DAY-O, DAY-O.”

  They paused dramatically.

  “DAYLIGHT COME AND ME WANNA GO HOME.”

  The four boys began to dance. Their well-rehearsed steps perfectly matched the rhythms and the drums and the music. Their colorful capes swirled. The audience began to move and clap to the music.

  “COME MR. SILLY MAN, PEEL ME A BANANA.

  DAYLIGHT COME AND ME WANNA GO HOME.

  COME MR. SILLY MAN, PEEL ME A BANANA.

  DAYLIGHT COME AND ME WANNA GO HOME.

  DAY-O, DAY-O,

  DAYLIGHT COME AND ME WANNA GO HOME.

  DAY-O, DAY-O,

  DAYLIGHT COME AND ME WANNA GO HOME.

  A BEAUTIFUL BUNCH OF RIPE BANANA!

  DAYLIGHT COME AND ME WANNA GO HOME.

  HIDE THE DEADLY BLACK TARANTULA!

  DAYLIGHT COME AND ME WANNA GO HOME.

  EAT SIX FOOT, SEVEN FOOT, EIGHT FOOT BUNCH!

  DAYLIGHT COME AND ME WANNA GO HOME.

  I EAT TEN BANANAS FOR MY LUNCH!

  DAYLIGHT COME AND ME WANNA GO HOME.

  DAY-O, DAY-O,

  DAYLIGHT COME AND ME WANNA GO HOME.

  DAY-O, DAY-O,

  DAYLIGHT COME AND ME WANNA GO HOME. . . .”

  They paused, but the drums kept vibrating. They removed their hats, and slipped smoothly into the second song, ending and beginning on the same word: home. The music switched a beat and slowed down just a little. They sang, in perfect four-part harmony,

  “HOME, HOME ON THE RANGE,

  WHERE THE DEER AND THE ANTELOPE PLAY,

  WHERE SELDOM IS HEARD A DISCOURAGING WORD,

  AND THE SKIES ARE NOT CLOUDY ALL DAY.

  OH, GIVE ME A HOME WHERE THE BUFFALO ROAM,

  WHERE THE DEER AND THE ANTELOPE PLAY,

  WHERE SELDOM IS HEARD A DISCOURAGING WORD,

  AND THE SKIES ARE NOT CLOUDY ALL DAY.”

  As they sang the word day, the beat of the music sped up, the boys put their top hats back on, and day became the first word of “The Banana Boat Song.” It was a slick transition.

  “DAY-O, DAY-O,

  DAYLIGHT COME AND ME WANNA GO HOME.

  DAY-O, DAY-O,

  DAYLIGHT COME AND ME WANNA GO HOME.

  COME MR. SILLY MAN, PEEL ME A BANANA.

  DAYLIGHT COME AND ME WANNA GO HOME.

  COME MR. SILLY MAN, PEEL ME A BANANA.

  DAYLIGHT COME AND ME WANNA GO HOME.”

  The four boys ended their performance as they began—dark stage, four brightly colored spotlights, heads bowed. The music became softer and finally stopped.

  Shrieks, whistles, and stomps erupted from the crowd. “Bravo! Bravo! Hey, now! Awesome!” the people in the audience chanted. Rico’s mom shouted over all the noise, “That’s my boy up there! That’s my baby boy!”

  The four boys kept taking bows, and the audience kept cheering. Ziggy motioned to the rest of the kids who were standing offstage, and all of the other participants, along with Mr. Cavendish, crowded onto the stage to take their final bows. Brandy in her red dress and shoes, the magician, the dancers, the rappers, the singers—all of them stood grinning with pride at the explosive applause and appreciation that was coming from the audience.

  “See what I mean?” Mr. Cavendish told the kids on the stage as they gave him hugs around his large waist. “This is what it’s all about! There’s nothing better than the roar of the crowd as they thank you for entertaining them well.”

  “Do you think we nailed it?” Rico whispered to Ziggy as all the performers took more bows.

  “I think Tulip blew us away, mon,” Ziggy whispered back.

  “She was dynamite!” Rashawn added, joining hands with the others as the whole cast bowed as one.

  “Maybe we don’t deserve to win,” Jerome reasoned, joining in the whispers, although no one could hear them over all the cheering and stomping with the satisfaction of a show well done.

  “We worked so hard on this. I think I’d feel bad if we lost,” Rashawn said, frowning a little in spite of the joy all around him.

  “I think I’d feel bad if we won, wouldn’t you?” Ziggy asked, but his question went unanswered because Mr. Gordon, the owner of the Double-Good Grocery, walked onto the stage as the audience quieted.

  The performers waited on the stage, huddled together. Tulip stood very close to Jerome.

  “I have truly enjoyed watching the students perform here tonight,” the tall gentleman in the business suit announced to the crowd. “We believe in supporting our schools, and we will be making a sizable donation to the music department here to make sure this kind of program continues.”

  The crowd cheered and clapped again. The grocery representative held his hand up to get everyone’s attention once more. “And although we feel that everyone who performed here tonight was a winner, the first-prize winner of the two hundred dollars goes to . . .” He paused for effect and looked at all the children on stage. “… the group called the Black Dinosaurs!”

  Everyone on the stage roared with approval as they all hugged the four boys in congratulations. The audience’s cheers and applause showed their approval as well. Ziggy, Rashawn, Rico, and Jerome made their way to the front of the stage, looking a little dazed as the man gave them an oversized check made out for two hundred dollars. Ziggy took it and held it aloft, grinning triumphantly. Mr. Cavendish stood next to them, beaming with delight.

  “Which of you wishes to speak for the group and thank Mr. Gordon?” Mr. Cavendish asked.

  Ziggy raised his hand. “Uh, I’ll talk, but can I have one second to talk to the rest of my group, sir?” Mr. Cavendish and Mr. Gordon nodded, and the people in the audience quieted, waiting to see what was happening. Ziggy and the rest of the Black Dinosaurs huddled together for less than a minute, their capes draped across their shoulders, making them look a little like a multi-colored bird on the stage.

  “You think we ought to?” someone heard Rico whisper.

  “Yeah, mon!”

  “We’re agreed, right?”

  “Cool!” The four boys broke out of their huddle and walked together to the microphone. They were smiling widely.

  Ziggy took the microphone in his hand and took a deep breath. Rashawn, Jerome, and Rico stood next to him. Ziggy turned toward Mr. Gordon and grinned. “This is way cool, mon!” Mr. Gordon smiled broadly and the people in the audience chuckled. “And we really want to thank you, sir, for the money.” The audience clapped politely.

  Ziggy spoke a little louder. “We planned to use the cash to fix up our clubhouse—new table and chairs, maybe a little orange and purple paint.” He grinned as Rashawn punched his arm. “Our clubhouse is a place we play in; it’s just for fun. But we met a family in the past few weeks that could use the money to help fix up a real house, so we’ve decided to donate it to them instead.”

  Again, the audience exploded in applause.

  “What a wonderful group of young people you are!” Mr. Gordon said with approval. “I’ll tell you what—we’ll double your gift to them, and offer them free groceries for a month! How does that sound?” Everyone in the room cheered.

  Ziggy and his friends the Black Dinosaurs all shook hands with Mr. Gordon then. Rico’s mother ran up on stage to take pictures.

  Mr. Cavendish dismissed the audience then, and real chaos took over. Parents rushed on stage to hug their
children, offer them flowers, and take hundreds of pictures. Everyone, it seemed, wanted to hug or shake hands with the Black Dinosaurs.

  When the crowd had thinned, and all the costumes had been collected and lost hair ribbons and sweaters had been placed in a pile, Ziggy and his friends waved good-bye to Mr. Cavendish, who told them once more how proud he was of them.

  As the four boys reached the back of the auditorium, Tulip got up from a seat in the very back row. She hugged each boy with tears in her eyes.

  “Thanks so much,” she said simply. “I like the Black Dinosaurs.”

  STUDY GUIDE FOR

  Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs #6:

  Stars and Sparks on Stage

  BY SHARON M. DRAPER

  DISCUSSION TOPICS

  CHAPTER 1

  1. Describe the sights, sounds, and smells of Ziggy’s bath time.

  2. From the conversation that Ziggy has with his mother, what can you tell about the relationship between the two?

  3. Give an example of Ziggy’s unusual eating habits.

  4. Even though Ziggy eats unusual foods, explain how his food choices are basically healthy.

  5. Describe the boys’ school building and the area around it. Tell how their school is similar or different from your own.

  6. What kinds of dreams do the boys have about becoming successful as singers?

  7. “She’ll Be Coming ’Round the Mountain” is an old American folk song with many possible verses. Make up your own verses to it.

  8. “In the distance, their gravel-covered track waited for runners, and the old wooden bleachers sat empty.” Write another descriptive sentence that gives human characteristics or feelings to nonliving things.

  9. Describe the singing voices of the four boys.

  10. “None of them noticed the car that was parked in the tall grass behind the athletic stands.” Make a prediction about how that car becomes important in the story.

  CHAPTER 2

  1. Describe Mr. Cavendish. What lets you know he is a good teacher?

  2. What does Mr. Cavendish believe about performing?

  3. What does Mr. Cavendish believe about competing for prizes?

  4. Who donated the prize money and why?

  5. How does Ziggy help Mimi during the tryouts?

  6. Describe Bill and Tito’s performance for the tryouts.