MTI musical · Full-length
Make Way For Ducklings: The MusicalScript, Piano/Vocal Score & show details
- Full-length
- Small cast (up to 10), flexible
- Roles: 3 women · 4 men · 1 any-gender
- G
The printed Make Way For Ducklings script comes with your MTI license. The digital version is a separate add-on for your whole cast and crew. See pricing
Make Way For Ducklings synopsis
Book by Sandra B. Eskin and Michael J. Bobbitt · Music and Lyrics by William Yanesh · Adapted for the stage by Sandra B. Eskin and Michael J. Bobbitt
Based on the ever popular 1941 children's book, Make Way For Ducklings is centered around a pair of ducks raising their young in the bustling city of Boston. This musical adaptation teaches theatregoers about decision-making, polite disagreements, and owning up to mistakes. Delightful for both adults and children, this wholesome musical has vital lessons for everyone.
Mr. and Mrs. Mallard are searching for the perfect place to nest, somewhere both safe and quiet, but they simply cannot agree on what is best for their future family. As the bickering continues into parenthood, their arguments rub off on their ducklings. It's up to Mr. and Mrs. Mallard to teach them the importance of apologizing - and how love makes any place a home.
Made for a small ensemble and design budgets of all sizes, Make Way for Ducklings is perfect family-friendly entertainment!
Full synopsis
The Mallards, a family of ducks in Boston, block traffic and quack. The neighborhood police officer, Officer Michael, interferes and takes the audience to the beginning of the story. He introduces the audience to the Boston Public Garden: a place for Bostonians to escape the chaos of city life ("When You’ve Got A Park").
Soon-to-be parents to ducklings, Mr. and Mrs. Mallard, crash land in the park. They bicker over if they should stay to raise their ducklings. Officer Michael hears them fighting and commands them to stop by threatening a ticket ("Loud Loud Loud"). Mr. and Mrs. Mallard go for a swim to find food and are given peanuts by a kid. They agree that a tree-covered, cozy island like the one in the park could be the perfect place to raise their ducklings ("When You’ve Got A Park (Reprise)"). However, after further exploration, they realize the park might be too busy for their ducklings.
The ducks encounter Mick ("Introducing Mick"), the street sweeper who tells them to check the State House on Beacon Hill for a suitable place to begin their nest. Mr. and Mrs. Mallard fly to the State House. They notice it is full of anxious, angry politicians and will be too loud for their ducklings ("Just a Little Bit"), so they fly back to Mick for more advice. Mick tells them the Charles River might be a better option for a quiet place to nest. Mick takes them there; it’s not too busy nor too noisy - perfect for their ducklings. They fantasize about making this island home for their perfect ducklings ("No Complaints"). As they get lost in their fantasies, they argue about their ducklings' future. Will they be attending Quackvard or QIT? After Mick returns home for supper, the Mallards set up their nest on the island in Charles River for their ducklings, and Mrs. Mallard lays eight eggs ("Make Way for Ducklings"). Mrs. Mallard lays on the eggs patiently waiting for them to hatch. Jack, Pack, Lack, Kack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, & Quack are born!
Mr. and Mrs. Mallard teach their new ducklings how to be ducks: swimming and waddling. They bicker relentlessly over what to teach the children first ("Follow My Example"). As they learn, the ducklings follow in their parents’ footsteps, sparking arguments and mischief. Mr. Mallard brings the ducklings delicious, nutritious green worms to snack on. While the ducklings snack, Mr. Mallard tells Mrs. Mallard this island has become too small for their family. Mrs. Mallard refuses to leave as they hatched their ducklings there. Captain Mike crashes into their island ("The Water is Wide") and takes the ducks on an adventure upstream to explore possibilities for bigger islands to inhabit. The adventure upstream is through the winding river full of boats, both exciting but also dangerous - sparking yet another argument between Mr. and Mrs. Mallard. They eventually settle and decide to return to the first island in the Public Garden.
The Mallards set off for the Public Garden and find themselves in the middle of a crosswalk. To avoid a massive collision, cars hit their brakes and drivers shout at the ducks while the ducks quack back. Officer Michael whistles to put a halt to the commotion, telling them arguing is clearly going to get them all hurt. Mr. and Mrs. Mallard realize their arguing has not only put their ducklings in danger, but the ducklings are doing what they’ve been trying to teach them all along: following their example by arguing with each other ("Finale"). Mr. and Mrs. Mallard apologize and conced that there’s a polite way to disagree, which they haven’t been doing. The family continues waddling onto the Boston Public Garden where they make their new home.
Synopsis courtesy of Music Theatre International (MTI).
Make Way For Ducklings characters & vocal ranges
The Make Way For Ducklings musical has 8 named roles, for a small cast (up to 10), and the cast size is flexible. Many roles can be cast across gender. ‘Written as’ reflects how MTI lists each role.
| Character | Written as | Vocal range | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| CASTING NOTE | Not listed | Not listed | The musical can be performed by a minimum of seven (7) actors. You can use more actors, without doubling, if a larger cast is desired. Puppet ducks can be performed by kid actors but they have no lines. |
| Mrs. Mallard | Female | F5–Bb3 | A soon-to-be Mother Duck. She is stressed about her impending parenthood but strives to get it right. |
| Mr. Mallard | Male | Ab4–Bb2 | A soon-to-be Father Duck. A slightly wacky and sometimes heroic Duck, who is hysterical about his impending parenthood. |
| The Michaels | Male | G4–B2 | Officer Michael, Mick (the Street Sweeper), and Captain Mike (the tugboat captain). Michael is a master of disguise and a song-and-dance man. |
| Actor One | Male | Not listed | Jack — the energetic athletic duckling, Vendor, Beacon Hill Resident #1, Louisburg Dog, Sport Duckling. |
| Actor Two | Female | Not listed | Lack — the timid scared duckling, Mother with carriage, Beacon Hill Resident #2, Doctor Duckling. |
| Actor Three | Male | Not listed | Pack — an uptight intellectual duckling, Kid, Politician #1, Music Duckling. |
| Actor Four | Female | Not listed | Quack — the simple-minded duckling, Kid on swan boat, Chef Duckling, Old Lady, Politician #2. |
Make Way For Ducklings song list
- Song list
- Overture
- Prelude
- When You've Got A Park
- Loud Loud Loud
- When You've Got A Park (Reprise)
- Just A Little Bit
- No Complaints
- Make Way For Ducklings
- Follow My Example
- The Water Is Wide
- March of the Mallards
- Finale
How to get the Make Way For Ducklings script & Piano/Vocal Score
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Delivered through ProductionPro, MTI’s exclusive digital delivery partner. Looking for a free Make Way For Ducklings script PDF? The script comes with your MTI license, so it isn’t available on its own.
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