Stephen and the Emperor's New Clothes

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * Percy
 * Toby
 * Bill and Ben
 * Stephen
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Lady Hatt
 * Stephen Hatt
 * Bridget Hatt
 * Dowager Hatt
 * Eleanor Hatt
 * Mr. and Mrs. Hatt (Stephen and Bridget's parents)
 * Velma, Daphne and Keeley (Bridget Hatt's friends)
 * Bernie Harrison
 * Sir Robert Norramby (does not speak)
 * Henry (cameo; seen in the audience)
 * Gordon (cameo; seen in the audience)
 * James (cameo; seen in the audience)
 * Duck (cameo; seen in the audience)
 * Donald and Douglas (cameo; seen in the audience)
 * Oliver (cameo; seen in the audience)
 * Emily (cameo; seen in the audience)
 * Glynn (cameo; seen in the audience)
 * Ryan (cameo; seen in the audience)
 * Daisy (cameo; seen in the audience)
 * Millie (cameo; seen in the audience)
 * Annie and Clarabel (cameo; seen in the audience)
 * Henrietta (cameo; seen in the audience)
 * Toad (cameo; seen in the audience behind Oliver)

UK and AUS

 * John Hasler as Thomas
 * Keith Wickham as Edward, Sir Topham Hatt and Dowager Hatt
 * Nigel Pilkington as Percy
 * Rob Rackstraw as Toby, Bernie Harrison and Mr. Hatt
 * Jonathan Broadbent as Bill and Ben
 * Bob Golding as Stephen
 * Teresa Gallagher as Lady Hatt, Stephen and Bridget Hatt, Velma, Daphne and Keeley (Bridget Hatt's friends) and Mrs. Hatt
 * Rebecca O'Mara as Eleanor Hatt

US

 * Joseph May as Thomas
 * William Hope as Edward and Toby
 * Christopher Ragland as Percy
 * Jonathan Broadbent as Bill and Ben
 * Bob Golding as Stephen
 * Keith Wickham as Sir Topham Hatt and Dowager Hatt
 * Jules de Jongh as Lady Hatt and Mrs. Hatt
 * Teresa Gallagher as Stephen and Bridghet Hatt and Velma, Daphne and Keeley (Bridget Hatt's friends)
 * Rebecca O'Mara as Eleanor Hatt
 * Rob Rackstraw as Bernie Harrison and Mr. Hatt

Transcript
Narrator: Stephen may be an old engine because of his basis, but he is still in good working order and loves to help out whenever needed. One afternoon he was puffing along humming a merry tune, delivering goods to Sir Topham Hatt's grandchildren's school. Then he heard someone crying just be the school gates.

Stephen: Is someone crying? I wonder what could be wrong. Perhaps we should go and see. Hello young man, what's the matter?

Stephen Hatt: Hello Mr. Rocket, uh I mean Stephen. I was going to be the emperor in our school play tomorrow night.

Stephen: A school play? How exciting!

Stephen Hatt: I know. But I fell over a tree root and hurt my knee, and my teacher Mr. Harrison says he cannot have a very important-looking Emperor limping about on the stage with a bandage on his knee.

Stephen: Wait a minute though. How did you know my name?

Stephen Hatt: Grandfather's told me and Bridget so much about you. BTW, I'm Stephen too.

Stephen: Now there's a coincidence. And please tell me the story of the Emperor, will you?

Stephen Hatt: Well yes, I'll start from the beginning. The play is based on the famous fairytale, The Emperor's New Clothes.

Narrator: Well, Stephen had never had the story before, not even in his youth, so the young boy explained about the vain and foolish Emperor who was tricked by two naughty weavers into wearing a suit of invisible clothes. He even said that the weavers told the Emperor they could make him a very special suit of clothes to wear at the Royal Parade. It would be spun from gold thread. But the really special thing about it was that only wise and very clever people could actually see it! To foolish people the suit was invisible. Stephen says about the trick being that the weavers pretended to spin the suit from gold thread the Emperor gave them, but there was no suit at all, and of course the weavers kept all the gold thread for themselves. Then he explains that the Emperor was most anxious that he, of all people, should not appear a fool. Whenever the weavers came to show him the fine cloth they had spun or to point out the magnificnet details of the suit they had sewn, the Emperor pretended he couldn't see it. And whenever the Emperor sent his Prime Minister or Lord Chancellor or even Members of the Court to see how the weavers were getting on, they all said how fine the suit was. Because of course, they didn't want to appear fools either. But they truth was they couldn't see a thing.

Then Stephen Hatt said that at the end of the story, on the day of the Royal Parade, the foolish Emperor undressed and put on the special suit of clothes Which mean of course, he was completely bare, except for his underpants. And the silly man marched proudly throught the streets so that everyone could see him in his new clothes. Then somebody who hadn't heard about the special suit of clothes shouted "The Emperor hasn't got any clothes on!" Which taught the vain and foolish man a lesson. As for the naughty weavers, they ran off with all the gold thread and were never seen again.

After that, the wise old Rocket engine decided that a play about invisible clothes sounded fun.

Stephen: Hey, I know. Why don't we put on a play of our own up at Ulfstead Castle. We could call it 'Young Emperor Stephen and the Invisible Clothes'.

Stephen Hatt: That idea is making me better already. Thanks Mr. Rocket. But just one question, why can we get to play all the other parts?

Stephen: Simple, I'll go and ask some of my friends.

Narrator: And sure enough it wasn't long before Stephen had returned with some of the engines all eager to join in the fun.

Stephen Hatt: Why will be the naughty weavers?

Bill: Ooh, let me be one of them.

Ben: I'll be the other.

Narrator: And everyone agreed that you can't find a pair of naughtier weavers than the young China Clay Twins.

Stephen: Edward could be the Prime Minister.

Edward: I'd like that.

Stephen: Toby, you're the Lord Chancellor.

Toby: I love it.

Stephen: Thomas and Percy the Members of the Court.

Thomas: Wonderful.

<p style="font-size:14px;">Percy: Absolutely spiffing.

<p style="font-size:14px;">Stephen: And now we all have to learn our lines. But don't worry, I can prompt you if anyone forgets.

<p style="font-size:14px;">Narrator: At last everything is ready. Needless to say that Stephen had arranged some more amazing things. He had built a stage with all the lights, scenery and everything up at the Castle grounds, with Sir Robert Norramby's help. Sir Topham Hatt's grandson invited his sister and her friends, Velma, Daphne and Keeley to come and watch.

<p style="font-size:14px;">Bridget Hatt: Thank you Stephen. We gladly accept your invites.

<p style="font-size:14px;">Velma, Daphne and Keeley: Let's hear it for your big brother Bridget!

<p style="font-size:14px;">He even remembered to invite his teacher, as well as his parents, his grandparents, and even his grandmother and grandaunt. They are all delighted to hear that Stephen Hatt will be the Emperor after all.

<p style="font-size:14px;">Bernie Harrison: Congrulations young Stephen. This will be a play to remember at all time.

<p style="font-size:14px;">Sir Topham, Lady, Dowager, Eleanor and Mr. and Mrs. Hatt: Here, here!

<p style="font-size:14px;"> Narrator: Well the play was a massive success, despite young Stephen marching about in the Royal parade in his underpants with a bandage on his knee.

<p style="font-size:14px;"> Bridget Hatt: Hooray for the emperor!

<p style="font-size:14px;">(engines watching whistle in agreement. then all the children in Velma, Daphne, Keeley and all the rest of the children in Stephen and Bridget's class come up from their chairs, pick up Emperor Stephen and throw him up and down several time as they whoop and cheer. finally Mr. Harrison uses his automatic camera on a tripod to take a picture of the entire class with the engines in the play, as well as director Stephen the Rocket who helped to organize the play, so there'll always be something to remember the play by)