Thanks to Lauri Fredrickson of Idaho for sharing this skit with us
The Eight VERY Beautiful Daughters of Eileen Baba
Cast of Characters:
Eileen Baba, mother:
Daughter #1: Faith, dressed in white veil
Daughter #2: Divine Nature, dressed in blue veil
Daughter #3: Individual Worth, dressed in Red veil
Daughter #4: Knowledge, dressed in Green veil
Daughter #5: Choice & Accountability, dressed in Orange veil
Daughter #6: Good Works, dressed in Yellow veil
Daughter #7: Integrity, dressed in purple veil
Daughter #8: Virtue, dressed in gold veil (the youngest Beehive)
Genie:
Grand Vizier: Bishop
Prop Person:
Narrator:
NARRATOR: Our story begins at the home of the widow, Eileen Baba and her eight VERY beautiful daughters. The daughters have learned that there is to be a celebration at the Palace of the Grand Vizier. In order to be allowed to enter the celebration, each girl must find one of the lamps that was lost from the palace many years ago.
EILEEN BABA: Are you prepared for your difficult journey, my daughters?
ALL DAUGHTERS: Yes, our mother. [in unison]
DAUGHTER #1: We have our scriptures,
[Daughter #2: holds up scriptures]
our 40 day supply of water,
[Daughter #3: holds up a jug of water]
and Verizon has promised us unlimited text messaging. [everyone else flips out their cell phones.] Truly we can make this difficult journey as long as we have our text messaging.
Daughter #8: Mother, please! I wish to go with my sisters on their journey!
[The other daughters look at each other and roll their eyes, shake their heads no.]
Daughter #2: You cannot come with us.
Daughter #3: For we just journey many miles.
DAUGHTER #4: There will be stinky camels.
Daughter #5: And even stinkier boys.
DAUGHTER #6: And worst of all, no chocolate can survive in the hot desert sun.
Daughter #7: Even though you also are VERY beautiful, you are too young and unprepared to face these grave difficulties of life and you must stay home with our mother, Eileen Baba.
Daughter #8: [Folds arms and looks angry.]
EILEEN BABA: [Waving] Farewell my very beautiful daughters. Go in peace.
ALL DAUGHTERS: Farewell, Dear Mother.
Daughter #8: [Watches her sisters leave, then sneaks out and follows them.]
[Girls line up and walk in place as though they are trudging through the sand]
NARRATOR: So the very beautiful daughters of Eileen Baba left their home and went out into the desert. The daughters traveled many miles through:
(Prop person hidden behind rolling chalkboard)
1. fierce winds (blow dryer or fan blowing on Daughter #1, then daughter walks on),
2. fiery serpents (throws rubber snake on Daughter #2, daughter squeals, throws the snake back at the prop person who squeals and throws it back at the daughter, who walks on.)
3. scorching sun (shines flashlight in Daughter #3’s eyes)
4. blowing sand (throws small handful of sand/sugar??? On Daughter #4, who pretends to spits out sand, looks at audience and says: “Boy! Am I glad this ain’t mud!”
PROP PERSON: [Peeks out from behind the curtain] says eagerly, “I have mud. I can do mud. Please, let me do mud! Can I, can I, can I?] Daughter #4 walks quickly away. Prop person looks disappointed and disappears behind the curtain again.
5. lashing rain (throw small thimbleful of water in Daughter #5 face. Prop person leans out and grins evilly at the audience. Daughter walks on.)
6. past glittering malls (Daughter #6 presses face against imaginary glass facing audience and wails “It’s Hollister! And American Eagle. And Ace Hardware. Oh, why is my mother’s credit card maxed out in my hour of need?” She walks on)
7. cell phones with dead batteries (Daughter #7 holds phone to ear, then pulls it away in disbelief and horror and falls to the ground kicking and screaming, then crawls away.)
NARRATOR: And still they travel on, each VERY beautiful daughter searching for the lamp that will allow them to enter the palace. [One by one the girls find an pick up their lamp. As they do a genie comes up and whispers something in their ear]
Daughter #7: “At last we have found all the lamps! Now we can go to the palace…”
[At the palace]
DAUGHTER #1: “We are the VERY beautiful daughters of Eileen Baba and we have come to see the Grand Vizier…”
“What lamp have you brought to me and what is its meaning?” The grand vizier asks. [He asks this same question of each daughter.]
Daughter #1: [Presenting Lamp to Grand Vizier]: I bring you the lamp of faith. I thought I was VERY beautiful because of my beautiful long hair. [flips hair] But my journey and the genie have taught me that my true beauty comes when I walk as a daughter of faith.
Daughter #2: I bring you the lamp of divine nature. I thought I was VERY beautiful because of my big eyes and long eyelashes. [bats eyes] But my journey and the genie have taught me that my true beauty comes when I walk as a daughter of God, secure in my knowledge that I have a Heavenly Father who created me in his image, and I can return to him someday.
Daughter #3: I bring you the lamp of knowledge. I thought I was VERY beautiful because of my beautiful teeth that my mother paid many thousands of shekels to have straightened. [smiles broadly] But my journey and the genie have taught me that my true beauty comes when I seek for true knowledge and to expand my horizons.
Daughter #4: I bring you the lamp of individual worth. I thought I was VERY beautiful because I can sing like a lark and my singing charms the stinky boys into following me. [SINGS scale] But my journey and the genie have taught me that my true beauty comes from building a relationship with my heavenly father and my savior, and that they love me.
Daughter #5: I bring the lamp of Choice & Accountability. I thought I was VERY beautiful because of the expensive, designer clothing that I wear. [pulls aside veil to reveal Hollister or some other brand clothing] But my journey and the genie have taught me that my true beauty comes when I make choices that bring me closer to my Father in Heaven.
Daughter #6: I bring the lamp of good works. I thought I was VERY beautiful because I have very small feet that look really great in my Prada shoes [sticks foot out]. But my journey and the genie have taught me that my true beauty comes when I look outside myself and seek to bring joy to others by serving them.
Daughter #7: I bring the lamp of integrity. I thought I was VERY beautiful because I was voted homecoming queen. [pulls tiara out and gives a homecoming queen wave and smile]. But my journey and the genie have taught me that my true beauty comes when I am honest with myself, my heavenly father, and in my dealings with my fellow men.
Grand Vizier: “You have done well, my good and faithful daughters, but wait…one lamp is missing! You cannot enter the grand palace without the final lamp.”
Daughter #8: [Enters with her lamp]: “I have found the final lamp!” (Her sisters hug her with gratitude)
GRAND VIZIER: “What lamp have you brought me, daughter, and what does it mean?”
Mia: “I have brought the lamp of virtue. My mother and my young women leaders have always taught me that true beauty comes from within and begins in my mind and heart. When my moral standards are high and in keeping with what the Lord has taught, I remain a strong, virtuous daughter of God.”
GRAND VIZIER: “Well done, my good and faithful daughters of Eileen Baba. You may now enter the palace. Come and join us as we celebrate your personal progress through the desert. But, Uh, I have one final decree. No cell phones allowed”.
The girls pause and confer together for a moment. They appear to agree.
DAUGHTER #1: “Truly it is worth giving up texting to enter the Palace of the Grand Vizier.”
The girls drop their cell phones in a basket and enter the palace.
(We are going to be ending with our girls performing a dance and lip sync one of our laurels choreographed to “A Brand New World” from Aladdin.)