CANDY CANE TWIST synopsis

LOGLINE

A high school choir dances the ballet at Christmas, and everyone sings hallelujah!

PITCH

The Hallelujah Chorus meets The Nutcracker at Head of the Class Middle School. When student Elvis Drummer joins the school chorus in hopes of starting a music career like Elvis Presley, the students plot against their teacher to save themselves from the public humiliation of dancing the ballet at the holiday concert. 

SYNOPSIS

This year is about to be different at Head of the Class Middle School in Hoboken, New Jersey. Elvis Drummer, named after the king of rock’n’roll Elvis Presley, is joining the choir in hopes of starting a music career. Little does he know that choirmaster Forte Piper plans to combine singing with ballet in the annual Christmas concert: The Hallelujah Chorus meets The Nutcracker. Mr. Piper is famous for popping candy canes into the mouths of students if they are caught talking in the middle of choir practice. He keeps a handful of candy canes with him at all times, ready for anyone babbling. In case he needs to pull someone off stage, he uses a shepherd’s crook, which looks like a huge candy cane. During the first choir practice, Elvis is frightened at the thought of the entire school seeing him embarrass himself in a ballet-chorus routine. Elvis and his soloist friends, Griff Gig, Amanda Sonatina, and Vicki Viola, each got candy canes popped in their mouths for complaining to Mr. Piper about dancing the ballet. Despite their complaints, Mr. Piper says they are starting their first vocal-ballet practice the next day. He asks them to come prepared, wearing leotards and tutus. 

 

In attempt to protect their reputations, Elvis and his three soloist friends pass the word to the rest of the chorus members to go along with Mr. Piper’s choir practice until the December 14, the night before the holiday performance. Then, they devise a plan to distract Mr. Piper by pretending that Griff goes missing. They want to lock him in the closet with Griff until the performance is finished. Almost every day until then, Mr. Piper charges the students to do pirouettes, and the students wish they had signed up for band or orchestra, where they could at least practice a musical talent. Finally, when performance night arrives, Mr. Piper is tricked into looking for Griff in the music closet, and Elvis happens to close the door behind him. Elvis explains to the crowd that Mr. Piper went missing, but the choir will sing on. He performs his own rendition of “Blue Christmas.”

 

After several holiday selections, Mr. Piper shuts off the electricity from the circuit breaker box inside the closet. The auditorium goes black, and Amanda rushes to let Mr. Piper and Griff out of the closet. Mr. Piper appears on stage in a tizzy in his leotard. The audience laughs as though it is a joke. And so it is, but it is also the best choral performance in the history of Head of the Class Middle School. Mr. Piper insists the students perform the finale as scheduled, singing The Hallelujah Chorus with The Nutcracker ballet moves. Elvis is mortified, but the crowd goes wild with cheers. All he wants to do is sing, sing, sing! 

Copyright 2022 Jennifer Waters