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Comedy
Yo mamma is...
By Snodlander
13 March 2007
My 1st ever script.  Sorry about the formatting

[AN EMPTY STAGE.  ACROSS THE CURTAIN HANGS A SIGN THAT READS “Annual Eton vs Winchester Rap Battle”.  LOUD RAP MUSIC FILLS THE AIR.]

[THE AUDIENCE IS RAUCUS, MAKING RAP RHYTHM NOISES AND CAT-CALLING.  THEY ARE EXCLUSIVELY WHITE MALE YOUTHS, AND ARE ALL DRESSED IN EITHER ETON OR WINCHESTER SCHOOL UNIFORMS.  SOME WAVE SCHOOL SCARVES ABOVE THEIR HEADS.]

[THE MUSIC DIES DOWN AND A LAD OF ABOUT 18 WALKS ON STAGE.  HE IS DRESSED IN RUGBY SCHOOL UNIFORM, AND HAS A LARGE PREFECT’S BADGE ON HIS LAPEL.  THE AUDIENCE BARRACK AND CATCALL AS HE WAITS FOR SILENCE.  AS HE SPEAKS HE HAS AN UPPER-CLASS ENGLISH ACCENT, AS DOES EVERYONE ELSE.]

MC                  “Dudes and dudettes.  Schoolboys and schoolgirls” [UPROAR AT THE MENTION OF GIRLS]  “Tonight, for the annual rap battle between these two great and glorious institutions (though not as great and glorious as Rugby, of course)”  [MORE UPROAR]

                        [SHOUTING]  “Tonight, ladies and gentlemen!”  [THE UPROAR DIES DOWN]  “Tonight, we have two street dogs barking, territory marking, verbally fighting, don’t allow no biting, Posse dissing, no beat missing, booing and hissing, and taking the… Michael.

                        “From Winchester, packing a double-barrel, it’s Tarquin Mainwaring-deVeer.”  [TARQUIN ENTERS STAGE LEFT TO CHEERS AND BOOS FROM THE AUDIENCE]

                        “From Eton, we have the answer to Ali G (and let’s face it, it must have been an odd question), it’s Justin Farquhar Jones.”  [JUSTIN ENTERS STAGE RIGHT TO CHEERS AND BOOS]

                        “And please give it up for the beat meisters tonight, the one, the only, Rugby School Choral Society Rhythm and Beat Section.”

[ENTER LEFT THREE BOYS IN TRADITIONAL CHOIR OUTFITS, SPITTING OUT A RAP RHYTHTM ON MICROPHONES]

MC                  “Let me lay it on you, brethren.  Here are the laws immutable, passed on from head boy to head boy from a time before memory, when Michael Jackson was still black.

                        “Each combatant will strike with a couplet.  His opponent will reply with a counter strike.  Points will be deducted for missed beats, lame insults, poor rhymes or general uncoolness.  Battle will continue for one minute, or until a combatant goes down.  They will then be judged by their peers with rahs or boos.  In the event of a tie, I, as an independent, will make a judgement, and my judgement is final.

                        “Gentlemen, shake hands.”

[THE TWO RAPPERS MOVE CENTRE STAGE FRONT AND SHAKE HANDS]

TARQUIN      “Not one of the Cheshire Jones?”

JUSTIN           “Yes.  Didn’t your father come down for the polo last year?”

TARQUIN      “Yes.  We simply must have you over to our place some time.”

JUSTIN           “That would be delightful”

                        [THE MC STEPS UP TO THEM AND TOSSES A COIN, SHOWING THE RESULT TO BOTH CONTESTANTS.  THE RAPPERS NOD AND MOVE APART, ADOPTING THE SULLEN LOOK OF RAPPERS EVERYWHERE.]

MC                  “Eton to start.  Remember, this is not Marquis of Salisbury.  The lower the blow the better.  Gentlemen, let hostilities commence.”

                        [THROUGHOUT THE FOLLOWING, THERE IS MUCH GRABBING OF CROTCH AND ARM FOLDING, BUT AWKWARD, AND WITH NO SLOUCHING]

                        [THE CHOIR START SPITTING THE RHYTHM]

JUSTIN           Dude, your mother is so ugly, it surely is a crime,
 she’s so ugly she’s only been married one time.

TARQUIN      Blade, your mother is so poor, she really needs a loan.
She’s so poor, her boobs are all her own.

JUSTIN           Dog, your father is so gay, it surely is a pity,
he only has one mistress for those late nights in the city.

TARQUIN      Man, your family is messed up, you all need a lesson.
You don’t even go to a family therapy session.

JUSTIN           Yeah?  Your sister is so boring, she saps a chaps will.
 She only has imagination to pop one kind of pill.

TARQUIN      Shit, your sister is so boring, she’s bland like no other.
Her lack of personality means she’s been turned down for Big Brother.
(Two times)

JUSTIN           Your place is so small the rats are hunched back
You’ve only a hundred and twelve acres round the back

TARQUIN      Your gymkhana field’s tiny, like your family’s tax gains,
It’s so small you jump on the back of great danes.

                        [THE MC STEPS UP BETWEEN THEM]

MC                  “Whoa, gentlemen.  Now the moment of truth.  Give it up for Justin!”

                        [GENERAL CHEERS AND BOOS]

                        “And for Tarquin!”

                        [CHEERS AND BOOS AGAIN]

                        “That sounds a draw to me, and I concur.  A pox on both your houses.  Gentlemen, let the Pimms flow”

                        [GENERAL CHEERS AS THE TWO RAPPERS SHAKE HANDS AND EXEUNT ALL FROM THE STAGE]


Reviews

Written by Witzl (1585 comments posted) 13th March 2007
I really like the idea of 'Yo mama' jokes done in received pronunciation; the opening conversation was very funny. Overall, I thought this was a clever bit of scriptwriting, Snodlander. I could actually hear street-talk done as RP here -- no small feat.  
 
As for criticism, it would have been fun if the judge had been able to point out instances of uncoolness. The wrong shoelaces? A calculator falling out of someone's pocket -- or even better, a slide rule? Just a few ideas.  
 
 
Wikkid
Written by stevetroster (1549 comments posted) 13th March 2007

Written by stevetroster (1549 comments posted) 13th March 2007
I am a fan of your work and would hate to see you unduly ctitiqued. But as you like to be pedantic sometimes... 
 
'Yo dog I really is gonna teach yous a lessen, 
if you don't close yo bracket after question.'

Written by Bottleblondesurfer (3298 comments posted) 13th March 2007
Always good to have a poke at the toffs,if it wasn't for their entertainment value they would have found themselves in the tumbrils long ago. 
A great concept, I'm surprised it hasn't been used before and I loved the contrast with all the transposed family values instead of the "street talk" ones. I could see Harry Enfield doing this with his Tim nice but dim character. 
Formatting is always a bugger on the site but this was clear enough 
No problems 
J

Written by Snodlander (501 comments posted) 13th March 2007
Steve, 
 
Word!

Written by coosh (844 comments posted) 13th March 2007
As BBS says, it's a good "Nice But Dim" concept, and easy to visualise. The rhythm came across well and you could have probably overdone it even more, along the lines of the gymkhana. Pimms made a good finish. Out of curiosity, how much work went into the rapping? - the apparent spontaneity of some rappers I've met is quite daunting. Good stuff.

Written by Snodlander (501 comments posted) 13th March 2007
erm... very little work, as is probably evident. I suspect that many rappers have a library of rhymes and lines ready-prepared for those times they need them. But even so, to rap them out in time is a skill I don't have. 
 
I think part of the inspiration of this was watching a documentary about a white jewish kid (who's father bizarrely penned 'funky town') who had an ambition to be a rapper. One of his friends christened him Snoop Synagogue. He was truly awful, though some weeks of professional coaching did lift him. Hillarious to see him out-rapped by a 7-year-old girl, though.

Written by Phil (6645 comments posted) 13th March 2007
Enjoyed this. As BBS said, good to give it to the toffs - that's about all they're good for. Thought the Pimms ending worked well too.  
 
Favourite bit: 
TARQUIN “Not one of the Cheshire Jones?” 
 
 
JUSTIN “Yes. Didn’t your father come down for the polo last year?” 
 
 
TARQUIN “Yes. We simply must have you over to our place some time.” 
 
 
JUSTIN “That would be delightful” 
 
Good stuff. 
 
Phil. 

Written by Bottleblondesurfer (3298 comments posted) 13th March 2007
"Snoop Synagogue" now that is precious ,that is really brilliant. Was he as bad as Kinky Friedman the only Jewish country and western singer who penned "They don't make Jews like Jesus any more"  
I wish I had seen that programme. Snoop Synagogue- I'm still giggling 
J
Golly!
Written by gerardconnolly (1186 comments posted) 13th March 2007
Well, well well, Bob. What a surprise.  
 
First my hat off to you for actually having the gumption to attempt a script. I really do appreciate those who have a go at scripting. Notably because it is the proven entre into commercial writing and also, on this site, it says 'Comedy Scripts' and I applaude those who come here and can read English and therefore produce a 'Comedy Script' rather than the jackasses who simply inflict on us a misplaced dollop of slovenly prose. I know I have a bee in my bonnet about this, but it sure does get up my nose when some gormless wannabe can't be arsed to tell the difference between a script--direction of the spoken word-- and prose--non metric narrative continuity, and insults my intelligence and the wonderful efforts of those like Woody, Jane, Paul, David, Chris, who do so much to make Comedy Scripts different.  
 
I thought this was a sound first effort, if that is what it was. Putting my critic's hat on, however, I do think that though you have shown you know what a script is, you need to think a little harder about the actual material itself. English Public Schoolboy jokes a a tad 'lame, tame and what a shame'. Nothing wrong with the writing. Its just that if you are going to present posts on Comedy Scripts you might want to think about material that is a touch sharper. I have to say it is a flaw I feel bedevils a significant volume of your writing. Not bad in any way. But just off the pace. Rather old fashioned, for want of a better term. 
 
But let's end on a high note. Competent script. Eleven out of ten from the Irish judge for that. Fine brave effort. Get yourself a dog that bites and you are away! 
 
Slan!
Enjoyed
Written by givitsum (651 comments posted) 13th March 2007
..this one Snods, I think it was a good idea, and competently executed.  
 
As above, I think you could have pushed the envelope a tad further with the gags, and added a little more bite, but on the whole I enjoyed it sir. Good concept and I'm sure there's a little more mileage with these snobby bastards. 
 
Rgds 
 
Givitsum

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