Hooved Thing

Picture an island, far away under a full-fat moon. A moonlit

island full of trees, with leaves a hundred shades of green
and blue and orange. (Chuckles) Yes, its that kind of place.
Now picture huge flowers with petals the size of which have
never been seen by anyone, tame
Now think of the wild things that live on the island and
imagine their dream of a king, the king of all wild things.
Are you ready? Can you do that?
Max Roars
The kings gold crown and his sceptre await him
Hooved Thing / Max
And now, let the wild rumpus start
Music intro
Traffic. Footsteps
Max
This is my road. So tame, its always the same. Through night
and day and in and out of weeks for almost over a year. Same
gate, that Im in and out of. Same path, (crunch on gravel)
same door door opens) Same house, same house, Gloves off,
scarf off, cap off. (cap falls on floor) Miss the hat stand,
cap on the floor. Hurray
Mama hums Moon River
Mama sings when shes cooking. Tame song, ding-dong
Carefully creep past the kitchen and upstairs to my bedroom,
where I can change into.
Mama
Max? Is that you love?
Max
Oh, Im shot, she got me (dies)
Mama
How was school today? Do you have homework? Did you keep out
of mischief for once? Come and stir the supper while I feed
the dog
Dog barks
Whoa, Podgie

Max
Same mother, same podgy little pet dog. Same supper. Having
soup?
Mama
Huh? Something wrong with it love?
Max
Nothing, nothing. Nothing
Mama
Tomatoes and tiny onions mixed up with sour cabbage. I made it
because I thought it was your favourite
Max
It is but its a bit tame. No meat. Not wild at all
Mama
Supper isnt meant to be wild, is it Pudgie?
Max
But supper could be wild
Mama
Whatever do you mean, Max?
Max
Well, if for example, instead of supper, I were to eat you
Mother? Eat you up, so as theres nothing left? That would be
wild, wouldnt it? For example, mother!
Mama
Oh, the crazy things my son comes out with. Pudgie, what are
we going to do with him?
Max
Ill go upstairs and fix things
Mama
Dont be long. Papa will be home. Well be eating soon. And I
do mean eating supper, Max. Not each other, you crazy thing
Max
Same staircase, same carpet, same stairs
Hooved Thing
Picture an island, far from carpets and stairs. Picture the
wild things that live there. Think of the mischief that they
get up to. Can you do that? Imagine them, free as they like to
roar as loud as they please, eat whatever they choose, and,
and, and. Sleep, yes. Heavy heads propped against trees. Or
2

nodding up and down on their hairy, scaly chests. The wild

things sleep through night and day and in and out of weeks for
almost over a year. Oh, where is the jump and bump and rumpus,
when wild things spring at the full-fat moon roaring Eat,
Eat, I want I want. Who in the world all round can wake the
wild things and return them to their rightful wildness?
Max
M A X. Max? Whos Max? Not Me! Tonight in my bedroom, Im
going to be different, not the same, not tame at all. Shoes
off, socks off, shirt off, trousers
Mama
Max?
Max
Not me, not tonight. Tonight Im getting changed. Tonight Im
changing into someone else, something wild
Mama
Max, Love whats the racket, whatever are you doing up there?
Hooved Thing
Boom! He slams the door on his mother. Now, I know little of
mothers beyond what Ive heard in stories but from what I
hear, a slammed door is the one thing mothers hate most of all
Max
Trousers off
Hooved Thing
Leaving his clothes in a heap on the floor which is bound to
cause trouble later, the boy gets off his bed and pulls out
from under it. Oh, magnificent! Hes putting it on. Ill say
no more
Max
One white coat. Fur white. Two white legs and hands. For each
hand, four claws. And each hood, my head in a hood. Eight
white whiskers and two white ears, sharp and pointed and
trailing behind me a black, fur tail. So tonight, Im a boy
no more but a wolf boy, going downstairs to make mischief of
one kind or another
Mama
Max, its nearly time
Max
And what does a boy need most to become a wolfboy, as well as
claws, tail, coat

Mama
Love, its suppertime, do you hear me?
Max
The wolfboy needs a howl. Oww! No louder. Oww! No, deeper.
Oww, no, wilder. Owwww.
Max / Hooved Thing
A wolfboy needs a howl!.
Max
Owww
Scaled Thing
Whassat?
Feathered Thing
Eh, just a fanged thing, just practicing his roar
Scaled Thing
Think hes lost himself somewhere amongst the pink and purple
trees
Feathered Thing
Who cares?
Scaled Thing
If it was the fanged thing, he sounded very far away
Feathered Thing
If you must know, the fanged thing has a favourite patch of
orange grass on the other side of the island. He found it the
other night when we were down by the ocean, trying to be wild
together
Scaled Thing
Ugly roar for a practice roar. Didnt sound at all like the
fanged thing
Feathered Thing
What do you mean?
Horned Thing
In case it escaped your notice, feathered thing, the fanged
thing happens to have a mouthful of fangs. Usually when hes
trying to roar it sounds nothing like
Horned Thing
Why cant you two stop talking and go back to sleep?

Feathered Thing
Eh, sorry horned thing, the scaled thing is hearing things
again. I told him it was the fanged thing practicing his roar
Horned Thing
It wasnt a roar
Feathered Thing
What wasnt a roar?
Horned Thing
That eughnoise
Scaled Thing
Ah, you heard it too? A Mysterious roar from somewhere far
away
Horned Thing
It wasnt a roar. Was it?
Feathered Thing
There we go again
Horned Thing
Wherever it came from that noise was a yap, a yelp, a bark, a
howl at most
Feathered Thing
Enough!
Horned Thing
That noise was not a roar. This, this is a roar. Roars. There!
Feathered Thing laughs
Scaled Thing
I guess the noise you made was a roar, just about. It hardly
made my hair stand on end, did it. Laughs. Or my tail. Perhaps
were never going to be good at anything without a king to
lead us and rule us and show us what to do
Feathered Thing
The scaled thing is right, horned thing. A king would show us
how to roar terrible, instead of just being large and ugly,
wed be feared
Horned Thing
I dont know about you two but I reckon Im quite scary enough
as I am thank you

Feathered Thing
Really, if you call having three horns, two boggling yellow
eyes and a mane of hair scary, good luck to you
Horned Thing
Horned, fanged, scaled or feathered with a king to show us
what to do, wed be feared and respected. And just imagine the
mischief wed make. Wouldnt it be wild?
Max
Watch out, here I am Max the Wolfboy. Around the house I creep
making mischief of one kind or another. Watch me knot together
some handkerchiefs together to make a rope. Drop some of
Mamas favourite books onto the floor to stand on. Bash a nail
into the staircase wall. Bang! Bang! Bang! Tie the rope with
the handkerchiefs to the nail. Hang it from a coathanger. Hang
from the coat hanger a string noose. Hang from the noose a
tame old teddybear Mama bought me when I was a baby. Bad, now
die. Goodbye. Next watch me draw a picture of some kind of
wild thing straight from my imagination, with terrible eyes
and horns and fangs, large and ugly. Sign the picture by Max
so everyone knows the artist. With two tintacks, stick it to
the wall by the stairs to scare mothers tame old dog
Sssh, stay still. Shes coming
Dog barks
Hurray!
Hooved Thing
Now he chases Pudgie downstairs, with a fork
Max
Here I am. I got you. Eat! Eat!
Hooved Thing
Ive heard of mischief before. As a teller of stories I am a
connoisseur of mischief. But this boy tonight, in his wolf
suit is the mostah, watch out Max
Mama
Whats going on here?
Hooved Thing
Mother!
Mama
Youre so bad

Max
See what happens when I get mad. See what happens when you
dont listen
Mama
When Papa comes home, hell spank you
Max
The Wild One will
Mama
Wild Thing!
Max
Ill eat you up
Mama
Eat me up. Thats it, youll eat nobody. Youll go upstairs to
bed without eating anything
Hooved Thing
Humbled! When as a seeker of kings I had such hopes for him.
Tonight, me and Max have learned a hard lesson. Theres
nothing in all the world as wild as an angry mother. Is there?
Horned Thing
Everybody hop for the horned thing dance, everybody strut for
the horned thing dance. Moon is high, so take your chance, and
dosi-do your partner
You fanged thing go round the outside, round the outside,
round the outside. You scaled thing go round the inside, round
the inside, round the inside, round the inside and dosi-do
your partner
Outside, round the outside! and dosi-do your partners hair,
roll your eyes and shake your hair, bare your teeth and lock
your jaws and promenade the island, promenade the
Promenade the island on and on
Try and not to, no, no, no
Feathered thing, thats my favourite tree you have uprooted.
Cant we even dance properly anymore
Feathered Thing
My feet got too big
Scaled Thing
My feet got wet
Fanged Thing
I keep tripping over my ridiculous tale
Feathered Thing
7

We need a teacher
All (except Horned Thing)
A leader
Horned Thing
Excuse me, I was leading the dance
Fanged Thing
O, youre not good enough horned thing, none of us are. You
know what we need, dont you?
All (except Horned Thing)
A king! A King!
Horned Thing
But of we need a King how do we get one? Where do we find him,
stuck as we are on an island in the ocean full of waves and
wet things
Hooved Thing
Where to find a king? Wild things do have the habit of asking
the most obvious questions. Where to find a King? Im coming
to that. Let us return to Max, the wolfboy sent to bed without
supper. This being the fate of anyone who dare make their
mother angry
Max
Same staircase, same stairs
Hooved Thing
The nail has been pulled out of the staircase wall. The wall
mended. The handkerchiefs have been unknotted and the teddy
bear rescued from being hung. The picture of the wild thing
signed by Max has been taken down and thrown on the fire and
mothers dog, Pudgie, is snug in the night kitchen on mothers
lap. In fact, all traces of Maxs mischief have now been
removed except of course forah! Do you remember what it is?
Door opens
Thats right. His wolf suit
Max
Same bedroom, same bed. Same old window, same shutters flung
wide open
Hooved Thing
And outside, Max? I know you cant hear me because Im telling
your story. Look outside, picture the view. Imagine

Max
Somethings new
Hooved Thing
Oh yes!
Max
Somethings changed. Its not the same
Hooved Thing
Yes?
Max
Something different, in the sky?
Hooved Thing
As White as the white of your wolf suit?
Max
The moon!
Hooved Thing
Yes! And what do wolfboys do by the light of the moon?
Max
I see myself
Hooved Thing
And who are you Max,mmm? Are you the same tame boy who mother
shouted at and withheld supper?
Max
Ears, tail, whiskers, claws?
Hooved Thing
Yes, Max. Believe.
Max
But theyre not real
Hooved Thing
Try. Go on
Max
Its just a costume
Hooved Thing
No, dont end the story now. Take it on. Turn the page. Let it
happen. What do wolfs do by the light of the moon?
Max howls
9

Horned Thing
Hear it?
Feathered Thing
What a howl.
Fanged Thing
That was no howl, that was a roar
Scaled Thing
Loudest I ever heard
Horned Thing
The roar of a king
Feathered Thing
It may be
Fanged Thing
Might be
Scaled Thing
It Must be
Horned Thing
Hes right. Only a king could roar like that
Feathered Thing
If thats the king, he must be large and really ugly
Fanged Thing
With teeth, thousands of terrible teeth.
Scaled Thing
Didnt I hope. Didnt I say. Hes come to lead us, teach us to
be wilder
Horned Thing
To be feared
Feathered Thing
Dance to dawn without pulling out a single tree
Fanged Thing
We must find him
Scaled Thing
Where is he?
Horned Thing
10

Search the island

Feathered Thing
Cmon
Fanged Thing
Nooo! Wherever he is, he isnt here. No. That roar came from
somewhere beyond our island, across the ocean
All (except Fanged Thing)
OOO!
Horned Thing
Theres only one thing for it
Fanged Thing
Learn to swim?
Feathered Thing
Fanged thing, were too heavy to even paddle without half
drowning
Horned Thing
Hes right. And even if we could swim, the wet thing would eat
us up before we reached our King
Scaled Thing
My ugly friends. If we want the owner of that roar to come and
rule over us, well just have to do what we do..best(yawns)
well go to sleep and dream him here
All
Oh yes, that should do it
All yawn then snore
Max
Somethings happening, something new. My bedrooms changing
Hooved Thing
Hiding in his darkest cave, the wolf creeps, the wolf bites,
the wolf watches
Max
The floors getting hairy
Hooved Thing
Look Max, touch the floor
Max
11

Grass! Whoa! Trees and roots, stumps, bursting from the

bedposts. The bedrooms full of trees
Hooved Thing
A moonlit bedroom full of trees
Max
The post grows
Hooved Thing
And grows
Max
And grows. The ceilings all vines. The bedroom fades away
Max / Hooved Thing
And the walls become the world all around
Wild Things (in a dream)
King of the Wild Things. Were waiting for you. King of the
Wild Things, we sleep for you. King of the Wild Things we
dream

Max
Trees in my bedroom at the edge of an ocean, tumbling by.
Through surf and swell, I see a mast, flag, two yard sails and
rigging. A rig hull with a word on it M-A-X. Laughs. My
private boat. The good ship Max
Wild Things
We are the Wild Things we swim for you
Max
The ocean wants me to climb aboard and be launched
Climbs aboard
Out to sea without even wetting my whiskers. Goodbye tame
house. Hurray
Mama
Pudgie, stop the fuss and eat whats in your bowl unless you
also want an early kennel? Max is quiet as a mouse now. I told
him off good, didnt I? If I know my son, he tucked up tight
in bed having an early night. When Papa gets home I might
decide to forgive Maxs mischief and take him supper after
all. Wont that be a surprise?
Hooved Thing
12

Mmhh! If only Maxs Mama or her Pudgie dog could

tell her Max is gone from being inside over here
over there, beyond the reach of mothers and the
supper. But I cant, so I wont. Ill just steal
her cabbage soup for the journey

hear me, Id
to outside
smells of
one sip of

Sounds of soup and sea

Max
And so, I float through night and day and in and out of weeks.
Adrift on a boat which is named after me but seems unsure
where to take me.
Wolf Voice
The Wolf must hide and slide inside of night
Max
Perhaps, if I imagine a rock or an island the ocean will hear
my thoughts and wash me ashore.
Wolf Voice
To wait for the same, staring moon.
Wolf Voice
And stalk as still a shadow till she forgets and sinks
Wolf Voice
And pounce and claw and catch and Quick
Max
What would be my perfect wolfplace? I suppose it would look a
lot like my bedroom. That time very far away and long ago when
it changed into a forest and the ocean took me. Yes, like that
only wilder
Hooved Thing
Picture it Max, a patch of grass and two stumps of trees
rising up from beneath the foam and waves
Max
Land ahoy!
Hooved Thing
It grows and grows
Max
My boat is sucked towards it
Hooved Thing
Careful Max
Max
13

The weirdest island

Hooved Thing
It might be a test. It could be a trap
Max
Im about to land
Hooved Thing
Those trees are horns, the grass is hair, below it rises a
jawful of fangs
Wet Thing
Who dares approach me? A furry thing, in a boat?
Max
Im not a furry thing, just a boy wearingdisguisedin a wolf
suit
Wet Thing
Furry thing? Boy thing? Whats the difference?
Max
I thought you were an island
Wet Thing
I think youre a snack. I wonder should I eat him up head or
tail first
Max
Eat? Eat? Please Id rather be shown the way to where Im
going, thank you
Wet Thing
Please? Thank you? Nothing I was about to eat was ever polite
before. Me, me, me they yell and holler. Such a selfish racket
I find myself gobbling them whole just to shoosh them up,
which gives me the most awful wind
Burps
Max
How unpleasant
Youre too
wet thing,
things go,
pretending
reputation

Wet Thing
kind. Which puts me in a fix. After all, I am the
feared the whole world around. I cant be letting
especially small, furry things called boys
to be things called wolves. Its a matter of

14

Max
I understand
Wet Thing
I knew you would. Thats what makes this even harder. Oh,
lets get on with it. If you tuck in your whiskers and point
your claws downwards itll be all over before you
Max
Hold on, what if you let me go and I promise not to tell
anyone?
Wet Thing
Youd do that?
Max
I could try
Wet Thing
Thank you
Max
Not at all. Its a pleasure
Wet Thing
And by the way, theres an island to the left just over the
horizon. It may be the one you want. Need a push? A flick of
my tail should do it.
Hooved Thing
The wet things right, on the crest of a wave the good ship
Max tumbles towards its destination and so do I, the teller of
stories and seeker of Kings, my journey nearly over as the
wolf boy and his boat are washed ashore
Max is here at last, on the island where. The. Wild. Things.
Are.
Door opens
Mama
Max, love? From the look of your clothes on a heap on the
floor I expect your asleep under your quilt like a good boy.
And because Mama forgives you as she always forgives you, for
being so crazy earlier, shes gone and decided to bring you
your
Pudgie barks

15

Why bark, Pudgie? Nothing to get excited about. Here love. One
glass of milk, one piece of cake and one bowl of your
favourite cabbage soup. Suppers ready
Cmon Pudgie, kennel for you. Noisy dog! Say goodnight
Max
Back on dry land, the wolf creeps, the wolf watches. Down in
the grass by a Horned Thing, a Scaled Thing, a Feathered
Thing, Fanged Thing and many more so large and ugly. Theres
even a thing here with a bulls head and human feet all
covered in blue hair. Why are they asleep? Have they been like
this through night and day and in and out of weeks for almost
over a year? Its as if theyve been waiting for..
Things startle awake
Scaled Thing
Whats that?
Feathered Thing
Scaled Thing, will you ever stop waking me?
Horned Thing
Why cant you two stop talking and go back to ..
Fanged Thing
Peace
Scaled Thing
Him. It worked. We dreamed him and he came. He came true. In
him our dreams come true
Feathered Thing
Who?
Scaled Thing
A King of course. The King
Horned Thing
Where?
Scaled Thing
Behind that purple bush of course. Oh, he is mighty
Feathered Thing
Mighty small
Fanged Thing
Hes got claws, innit he?, a tail

16

Scaled Thing
And mighty socks
Feathered Thing
No hair, just fluff
Max
Well, its fur actually
Horned Thing
He speaks
Feathered Thing
So, ask him. Since when was a small, furry thing a king
Horned Thing
Ah, if hes a king why does he tremble?
Fanged Thing
And why wont he look us in the eye?
Max
I, I, I wont look you in the eye because youre far too scary
and I havent got used to you yet. What I can do in the
meanwhile is introduce myself. (Clears throat). Im Max, The
Wolfboy from a bedroom very far away. Im so pleased to meet
you and Im sure in time well get along just fine
Horned Thing
If you are a king why are you being so polite?
Max
Eh, it worked with the Wet Thing
Laughter
Max
You dont believe me?
Feathered Thing
The Wet Thing wouldnt spare a small, furry thing for being
polite. Its a matter of reputation, Shed never live it down
If youre the King, wheres your roar?
Scaled Thing
The mysterious roar we heard the world around and made us
dream of a Max to show us how to be wilder
Max
Do you want me to roar?
17

Horned Thing
Oh, this is pointless. Lets just eat him up and be done
All
Good idea
Max
They roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible
teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible
claws. Id better roar back quick
(1st roar is pathetic)
No, I must roar louder
(2nd roar is not much better)
Oh, I sound like Pudgie. I must be deeper, fiercer, wilder
(3rd roar still isnt any good)
Too late, they cant even hear me. Theyre opening their
terrible jaws to eat me up. Wait please Wild Things.,
ROAR!!!!
(All is quiet)
I did it. I made them stop. Now before they recover I must
raise my claws and pull a solemn face and tame them with the
magic trick of staring into all their yellow eyes without
blinking once
(Wild Things tremble)
It works. Theyre frightened of me. They walk away and they
part and walking between them is a small white furry goat????
Hooved Thing
In front of the Wild Things Id rather you called me the
hooved thing. In all these years they havent yet noticed how
small and tasty I am
Max
Oh of course, if itll save you from being eaten up
Hooved Thing
Believe me, it will save both of us majesty
Max
Majesty?
18

Hooved Thing
Ssh. No more whispering
Hooved Thing
Wild Things. The dream you dreamed, the story I told, came
true. Majesty, in the name of every wild thing who bows before
thee, I, Hooved Thing, teller of stories and seeker of kings
hereby declare thee to be an honorary Wild Thing. Max, thou
has braved every challenge and passed every test. Now, thou
art arrived in splendour to thine island kingdom
Max
Kingdom?
Hooved Thing
Art thou ready to be so honoured? I am. Say I am
Max
Oh, I am
Hooved Thing
Take the sceptre from the cushion. Now hold it in your claws.
Max
Ok. I do
Hooved Thing
Now bow your head. Herald
Elephant blows
Hooved Thing
Now Max the Wolfboy, I hereby crown you King of all Wild
Things
All Wild Things
King of all Wild Things!
Scaled Thing
We dreamed you King of all Wild Things.
Fanged Thing
We hear you King of all Wild Things.
Feathered Thing
We bow before you King of all Wild Things
Horned Thing
Sire, what is your first command oh majesty?
19

Hooved Thing
Well, go on, try
Max
Eh?
Horned Thing
Lead us
Feathered Thing
Rule us
Fanged Thing
Make us respected the world all around
Max
Eh?
Hooved Thing
Be a King. Think of something
Max
Eh, the only thing I could lead them in is a dance
Horned Thing
Thats it Majesty. Just what we need
All cheers
Max
Very Well. And now, let the wild rumpus start
Music
Max
The King of Wild Things says dance like this
All Wild Things
Dance Like this
Dance Like this
Dance Like this
Hooved Thing

20

Ah, magnificent. His newly crowned majesty and the assembled

wild things jump and pump and rumpus up the night, hurtling
around the island
Max
The King of Wild Things says leap for the moon
Leap for the moon
Leap for the moon
Leap for the moon
Hooved Thing
The moon for its part joins in the spirit of celebration by
spinning and darting around the sky. And then to sink and fall
like the stars behind the trees
Max
The King of Wild Things says swing from trees
Swing from trees
Swing from trees
Swing from trees
Swing from Trees
Hooved Thing
As darkness gives way to the first glow of dawn
Max
The King of all wild Things says Now stop! And off to bed
without any supper
Hooved Thing
Oh, was that a wise order?
Fanged Thing
Yes, your majesty
Feathered Thing
Thank you, your majesty
Scaled Thing
Your majesty
Horned Thing
Majesty. To hear is (snoar) to obey

21

Hooved Thing
Heads propped against trees or nodding up and down on their
chests the wild things sleep again. At the command of their
wolfboy king. And so, at last, may I
Later
Max
Suns rising over the island, turning the orange sky blue
right across my kingdom. Crown on head, sceptre in hand, I sit
in my regal tent with a three legged stool for a throne, king
of everything I see. But when I close my eyes, for some reason
all I can see is my bedroom
Scaled Thing
Your majesty?
Max
Huh? Whos that?
Scaled Thing
Only me, The Scaled Thing
Max
Why cant you stop talking and go back to sleep
Scaled Thing
I tried and tried to obey your command sire but Im too
excited
Max
Quiet down there. Come inside my tent
Scaled Thing
Oh, ah, thank you
Max
Scaled Thing. Im not used to being King. I really need time
to think. How do I make you sleep so I can do that?
Scaled Thing
You could tell me a story. Thats what Hooved Thing does
Max
Of course. Thats what mothers do
Scaled Thing
Eh, forgive me Sire. Whats a mother?
Max
Oh, they live in houses and rule over them
22

Scaled Thing
Ah! Oh?
Max
Yes, with pudgie little pet dogs
Scaled Thing
Oh
Max
If theyre good they cook you supper
Scaled Thing
And you meet one of these mother things?
Max
Met one? Ive got one
Scaled Thing
Where? Where? In your boat? In this tent?
Max
No. Back home. Shes very far away
Scaled Thing
Your homes here now Majesty, with your wild subjects forever
Snores
Max
The Scaled Things nodded off already and Ive hardly begun
telling him about my home
Hooved Thing
Your majesty, if I may. Perhaps whats most important about
every story thats ever been told is who tells it
Max
Yea, hello hooved thing
Hooved Thing
Majesty, awake and refreshed on this day I kneel before you.
Our last night was a rumpus to be proud of. In all my years on
the island I never
Max
No, no, no. Never mind that. Do you smell something?
Hooved Thing
Yes majesty, I smell your furs, the fur of a great king
23

Max
Stop telling me stories and tell me the truth
Hooved Thing
Emm, yes there is something. Perhaps the terrible breath of
The Fanged Thing?
Max
No, beyond that. A smell all around. From faraway across the
world. It smells like good things to eat. Smells like supper
Hooved Thing
Oh dear
Max
Hooved thing, Im lonely
Hooved Thing
We were doing so well
Max
Pardon me, I want to be where someone loves me best of all. I
want to go home
Hooved Thing
Well, yes, I understand but sire, being King of all Wild
Things has certain duties, it has certain obligations
Max
No more. I give up being King of Where the Wild Things Are. I
remove my crown and sceptre
Hooved Thing
To lose you so soon, I cant
Max
Obey me (echoes)
All Wild Things
Here, wot was that
Hooved Thing
Youve woken everyone
Max
Im off to my boat
Hooved Thing
24

Listen, you havent much time

Max
Coming?
Hooved Thing
Me? What would I do in your world? What youre going back to.
Inside, over there without me in your world, Im no teller of
stories or seeker of kings, am I? Im just the same old, tame
old goat
Max
Goodbye then my hooved friend
Hooved Thing
Goodbye Max
All Wild Things
O Majesty, please dont go
No, please dont go
We love you so
Hooved Thing
Go Max, hurry or theyll catch you
All Wild Things
Well eat you up, we love you so
Max
No
All Wild Things
Well eat you up, we love you so
Hooved Thing
The Wild Things roared their terrible roars and gnashed their
terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their
terrible claws
All Wild Things
We love you so oh please dont go.
Well eat you up we love you so
Hooved Thing
But Max steps into his private boat and waves goodbye
Max

25

Hurray, Ive escaped, they didnt eat me. And so the Good Ship
Max sails back over the ocean, over a year and in and out of
weeks and through a day and into a night of my very own room
where mothers left supper waiting for me. One glass of milk
(drinks) One piece of cake (eats) and one bowl of my favourite
cabbage soup (sips) And its still hot
Mother humming Moon River
Max
Hood off. Ears off. Whiskers off. Coat off. Tail off. Claws
off. Goodbye Wild Things. M-A-X Thats me
Hooved Thing
Wild Things, the story doesnt end here, because it cant.
Because as long as Im here to tell it, the story never ends.
Are you with me?
Horned Thing
Right. Hell come back. You watch
Hooved Thing
As Max grows older, hell grow tired again of this same old,
tame old world
Feathered Thing
Yes hell howl again and roar at the full fat moon
Hooved Thing
Picture his return. Imagine our celebration
Horned Thing
And whether or not we dreamed him
Feathered Thing
Or even if he dreamed us
Fanged Thing
A night will come when we crown him again
All
Our smallest, wildest King
Max howls
The end

26

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