Sylvie:                 Did ya hear what's goin' on over yonder at the palace?

Gerti Cummings: No, what's happnin'?

Sylvie: Well, the Curly is hostin' a great big ice cream sociable fer all the townfolk, and he's wantin' Ado Annie to come on over and show off how purty she is and dance up a storm fer 'im - but she ain't havin' nothin' ta do with it!

Gerti Cummings: Nothin' a-tall?  Wow... the king must be madder'n a ole wet hen.

Sylvie: He shore is!  Seems like he had his heart set on havin' this big hoo-hah of a event, and she wuz s'posed to be the main attraction. 

Gerti Cummings: Like, in the middle of the whole corral?  With all the fillies and broncos circlin' around admirin' her?

Sylvie: That wuz the i-dea.

Gerti Cummings: And she ain't havin' nothin' ta do with it.  Nothin' at all.  Whoa, Nellie.  That cain't be good a-tall... Not a-tall.

Townspeople exit.

SCENE 2 - The Palace Ballroom

Gerti Cummings: Meanwhile, back at the palace, Ahashverosh was makin' his dis-pleasure known to his queen.  Now, b'tween you and me, it ain't a real good idea to dis-please a king... especially one as powerful as this one.  But Vashti was bein' harder ta move than a pig stuck in the mud on a rainy day.

SCENE 3 - Outside the Palace

Gerti Cummings enters.

Gerti Cummings: It didn't take King Ahashverosh long ta start feelin' a mite lonely on those cold nights on the prairie- so he decided it was time to find himself a brand-spankin' new queen.  He invited all the eligible young fillies in town to a big square dance down at the palace.  

Ali Hakim, Esther Laurie and Uncle Ellerchai enter.

Ali Hakim:      Well, howdy ma'am.  I don't reckon I've noticed ya 'round these parts before, but yer purtier than a new gingham dress on the cover of the Sears catalogue.  Are you fixin' ta go ta the king's square dance today?  He's got a powerful hankerin' fer a new queen - and ah think you might be just the type of girl he's lookin' fer.  What's yer name?

Esther Laurie:  I'm Esther Laurie.  And who're yew?

Uncle Ellerchai:        Esther Laurie, this here's the Hakim. 

Esther Laurie:  Shalom Alei-Kim (giggles).  Well, Ali, do ya really think I'm purty?  That's a durn sweet thing fer you to say to me. 

Ali Hakim:      Oh, I don't think there's any question.  Y'all come ta the party, y'hear!  And I ain't jokin' around, neither.

Ali Hakim exits.

Esther Laurie:  Oh, Uncle Ellerchai... That was a right nice invitation... and from the King's very own top banana.  Do ya think I should go?

Uncle Ellerchai:        Well, Laurie, I always did say you were the purtiest chick in the whole henhouse!  Why not go?  Ya never know what might happen.

Esther Laurie:          All right, I will.  Who knows?  Ah might git to be queen!  Wouldn't that be a kick in the pants?

Uncle Ellerchai:        One thing though, Esther Laurie.  Ah reckon it might not be a good idea fer you to tell the King that yer Jewish - at least not right now.  People 'er funny sometimes, and ah wouldn't want anything to stack the deck against ya.

Esther Laurie:  (Gives him a hug.)  Thanks, Uncle!  Yer the best.

Uncle Ellerchai and Esther Laurie exit.

Gerti Cummings: And so Laurie put on her best Shabbas-go-ta-meetin' clothes and headed on down to the palace for the big square dance.  Nah, pay attention - especially you young'uns.  This here's a real im-portant part of the story.  It's what we like ta call a "critical plot twist."  So, listen up!