THE LORAX

INT. THEATER - DAY

THE LORAX (Who is also the narrator) appears. THE LORAX enters SR in
front of the closed curtain. There’s a spotlight on him. He addresses
the audience. (We could also have a story book with lines for them to
hold--because it’s like they’re reading a story to the audience--in
case it becomes a lot to memorize).

LORAX (NARRATION)
(With enthusiasm) Hello, everybody! Thanks for coming. Are
you all ready to see the Lorax?

Hopefully they all say “yes.”

LORAX(NARRATION)

Are you sure? I can’t hear you!

Hopefully they all say “yes” again. THE LORAX speaks slowly and
CLEARLY so they all understand.

LORAX (NARRATION)
Excellent! Well, I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees. And I’d like
to say a few words, if you please. Regarding the story that you’re
about to see--it actually happened--just take it from me. But there’s
more to this story than what’s on the page, so please pay attention
while I set the stage.

THE LORAX makes a grand gesture as he steps aside, still on SL. The
curtain opens, revealing the town of “Thneedville.”

EXT. THNEEDVILLE - DAY

A MAINTENANCE WORKER works on a “Welcome to Thneedville” sign. The

slogan below it reads, “Fantastic! Made of plastic! 100% Inorganic.”
Several THNEEDVILLE CITIZENS walk by from various directions (SL &
SR),going about their own business.

LORAX(NARRATION)
We open in Thneedville, a city, they say, that was plastic and fake,
and they liked it that way! A town without nature. Not one living
tree. So what happened to them? Cue the music! Let’s see --

THE LORAX exits SL. Music starts to play.

SONG: “THNEEDVILLE” (ALOYSIUS O’HARE will also be introduced as a

character during the number. He’s the short rich man who’s the mayor
of Thneedville and sells the people the fresh air.)

As soon as the song's over, all of the THNEEDVILLE CITIZENS

immediately go back to whatever they were doing prior, trickling off
stage into the wings.

THE LORAX enters SL. TED WIGGINS also enters SL, completely engrossed
in a mobile videogame. AUDREY can be seen SR, entirely focused on
painting a large canvas.

LORAX(NARRATION)

Now, here in Thneedville, everyone’s lives went on just the same.

No one had ever left town, thinking it’d be pretty lame.

They never did question what was past the town’s wall, and beyond.

That included an average kid named Ted, who merrily went along.

Just as THE LORAX finishes speaking, he exits. TED, who isn’t paying
attention, walks into one of the signs headfirst with a loud
‘clank!’.

TED

OW!
AUDREY and TED notice each other, and TED tries to play it cool--as
if that accident never happened.

AUDREY
Oh, hi, Ted! How are you?

TED
Audrey! Hi...I-I’m alright.
(He clears his throat then says in a Joey Tribbiani voice)
How you doin’?​

AUDREY
Oh, everything’s wonderful! Hey--do you wanna see something cool?

TED

Sure. I’d love to.

AUDREY

Okay. Just promise me you won’t laugh.

AUDREY turns the canvas around to show him. It’s large enough that
the audience can see. TED stares at the drawing in awe. It’s a
drawing of a few Truffula Trees.

TED
Whoa. Did you draw this?

AUDREY
Yeah...I’m thinking about putting up my artwork all over town...Do
you like it?

TED
What?! Are you kidding? Of course! This is amazing.
(He points to the trees)
What is that?

AUDREY
Those are trees. Truffula trees. Real ones! They used to grow all
around here.
 People said that the touch of their tufts was softer than anything,
even silk. And they smelled like butterfly milk!

TED
Wow. I mean... Can you even milk a butterf-?

AUDREY
(Cuts TED off) I don’t even know! But it sounds heavenly, and all I
want is to see a real living tree growing in my backyard. I’d want it
more than anything else in the whole wide world.

TED thinks in silence for a moment.

TED
Sooo--I’m just thinking out loud here--if a
guy somehow got you one-

AUDREY

Well, I’d probably marry him on the spot...I bet that sounds crazy.
Does that sound crazy?

TED
(Blushing and nervous) N-No. N-Not crazy! (He clears his throat and
tries to put on that smooth voice again)...Not crazy at all.

THE LORAX enters.

LORAX(NARRATION)

Ted knows now what he needs.

For Audrey, he’ll find a real tree.

As Ted stood there, his mind ran.

One thing was for sure: he was a boy with a plan.

INT. THE WIGGINS’ DINING ROOM - NIGHT

TED sits at the dinner table with his MOM and GRAMMY NORMA. It’s a
normal dining room, except there’s a fake, plastic tree sitting in
the corner. TED absentmindedly pokes his food with a fork. So does
GRAMMY NORMA, except she’s having more fun with it.

TED’S MOM
Ted, honey, don’t play with your food.
You either, Mom.

TED stops. GRAMMY NORMA tosses her food in the air and catches it in
her mouth.

TED
So...mom. This is just a random thought,
but do you happen to know if there’s any place
where I could get a real tree?

Grammy Norma reacts to this.

TED’S MOM
What? Ted, we already have a tree.
It’s the latest model!

TED
Yeah, but I mean a real one. One that
grows out of the ground or whatever.
You know, like a real tree.

TED’S MOM
(Disgusted) Really? You’d rather have some dirty, messy lump of wood
that just sticks out of the ground and it does what? I don’t even
know what it does. What’s its purpose? Look what we’ve got. It’s the
“Oak-A-Matic”--the only tree with its own remote!

TED’S MOM points a remote at the plastic tree in the corner. With
each click, the color changes to match the season. We could change
the stage lights to symbolize this.
 TED’S MOM
Summer, autumn, winter and disco!

The tree now lights up in neon colors like a disco floor and plays
music. TED’S MOM dances and sings along.

TED’S MOM
Doot doot doot doo-doot doo-doot doot doot!
Come on, Ted. Get into it, dance with the tree.

TED
(Mortified) Mom -- This hurts to watch, Mom. Please stop.

Ted’s Mom clicks the remote and the music stops.

TED
Sooooo, anyway, let’s just say I need a tree.
Where would I go? What would I do in order to find one?

GRAMMY NORMA
You’d need to
find the Once-ler.

TED
The what?

TED’S MOM
Mom, it’s not really the time for one of your,
you know, magical fables. Okay?

GRAMMY NORMA
Oh, that’s right. I forgot. I’m old and
I can't even remember to put my teeth in!

TED’S MOM
Stand down. That’s not what I meant.

GRAMMY NORMA
 No really, I forgot my teeth. Would you be a dear
and go get them for me?

TED’S MOM

(Sighs) Sure, mom.

TED’S MOM exits. As soon as she’s gone GRAMMY NORMA plops in her
teeth and turns to TED.

GRAMMY NORMA

Okay, here’s the deal. The Once-ler is the man who knows what
happened to the trees. You want one, you need to find him.

TED
(Sarcastically) “The Once-ler”? Mhm. Okay, sure.
Grammy is this a real thing that we’re talking about now?

GRAMMY NORMA
Oh, he’s real, all right.

TED
Well, then where can I find him?

There’s suddenly a very mysterious atmosphere, and there’s thunder

and lightning noises. GRANNY NORMA gets close to Ted, almost like a
huddle.

GRAMMY NORMA
Far outside of town, where the grass never grows...
And the wind smells slow-and-sour when it blows-(She makes spooky
wind noises) OOOOO! ...
And no birds ever sing except the old crows...

GRAMMY NORMA suddenly makes a “CAW!!!” sound, like a crow. Ted jumps
out of his seat and screams like a girl. GRAMMY NORMA laughs.

GRAMMY NORMA
 That’s the place where the Once-ler lives.

TED
Wait. Outside of town?

GRAMMY NORMA
Yes, that’s right! People used to say if you brought him fifteen
cents...a nail...and the shell of a great-great-great grandfather
snail, he’d tell you everything.

With each item listed, GRANNY NORMA takes each out one by one. She
holds them up so the audience can see before setting them onto the
table for TED. With each one, he picks them up and examines them
before shoving them into his pocket.

EXT. FAR END OF THNEEDVILLE- NIGHT

THE LORAX enters SR. As he speaks, TED can be seen riding his bike
out of town. He could either do this in place on stage, or around the
lecture hall (obviously not near the audience), or however we want to
do this. An O’Hare Air Blimp hovers above and it’s foggy out.

LORAX(NARRATION)

And so, Ted rode his bike to the far end of town,

Where the town’s wall could soon be found.

It seperated Thneedville’s people from the outside world.

Where air pollution always swirled.

Once Ted found an exit, he was on his way,

into the smoggy wasteland, where the vultures played.

There was no more fresh air, no one in Thneedville had ever seen this
before.

After seemingly hours, Ted arrived at the Once-ler’s door...

EXT. OUTSIDE OF TOWN IN DESOLATION - CONTINUOUS

TED comes out into the world outside of town. It’s a desolate
landscape, polluted and filled with tree stumps. There are warning
signs such as, “Stay out!” and “Turn back now!” along the worn path.
He walks past a small ring of stones. The word “Unless” is carved
into one of them.

TED comes to ​ a rickety old shack with a boarded-up window. He

arrives at the door with the sign on it reading, “THE ONCE-LER”.

Suddenly, Two green-gloved arms appear out the boarded up window,

scaring Ted. That’s THE ONCE-LER--but we can’t see him--only the
arms.

OLD ONCE-LER

Who are you?!

TED
Ahh!

TED scrambles to get back but trips and falls backwards.

OLD ONCE-LER

WHO ARE YOU?! And what are you doing here?!

TED
I’m Ted. I’m Ted! I came from Thneedville several miles back! Are you
the Once-ler? I came to ask you about-

OLD ONCE-LER
Didn’t you read the signs? No one is supposed to come here! Get back
to your little town and leave me alone! And don’t let the boot hit
you on the way out.

TED
The boot?

Just as TED is getting up and dusting himself off, a mechanical boot

kicks TED in the butt.

TED
Woah- Ow! Hey!

TED turns back around, holding out the payment in his hand --the
coins, nail, and snail from his pocket from earlier.

TED
Listen, people say that if someone brings you this stuff that you’ll
tell them about trees!

There’s a pause. That word got THE ONCE-LER’s attention.

OLD ONCE-LER

Trees?

TED
Yeah. Real ones, you know, that grow out of the ground.

A long pause.

TED
Hello?

OLD ONCE-LER

Sorry -- it’s just -- Well, I didn’t think anyone still cared about
trees.
 TED
Well, that’s me! The guy who still cares. I’m here!

OLD ONCE-LER
...You want to know about trees? About what happened to them? Why
they’re all gone? ...It’s because of me.

TED
Wait, what?

OLD ONCE-LER

It’s because of me!! And my invention. The Thneed! It was an amazing

product that could do the job of a thousand. It could be a scarf,
hat, towel--It could have any use you’d like.

THE ONCE-LER holds a Thneed out and shows it to TED. TED laughs.

TED
Alright -- sounds ridiculous. But, I mean, it’s cool.

OLD ONCE-LER

You’re darn right it was cool! And you know what, just for

laughing at me, I’m not telling you what happened!! (He blows a
raspberry)

TED

What?? Ugh. Just tell meee. I want a tree!

OLD ONCE-LER

Okay, okay fine. Geez, I was just messing with you. I’ll tell you
what happened.

It all started a long, long time ago --

The set begins to change and THE LORAX comes onto the stage. As he
does, the set changes.

LORAX

As The Onceler begins telling Ted about his journey with the Thneed,

Thneedville’s mayor, O’Hare, is becoming suspicious, indeed.

He has to know why there’s been talk about trees.

And he wonders why in the world would Ted leave?

The new set is in O’HARE’s fancy office--he’s sitting at his big

desk--playing Roblox. A BODYGUARD runs into the room, startling
O’HARE. He slams his laptop shut.

O’HARE

AH! What do you want?? I’m doing important business stuff!!

BODYGUARD

Sir! OW-- ...Mr. O’Hare! One of our security cameras by the town wall

caught someone leaving town.

O’HARE pinches the bridge of his nose for a moment. He seems angry.

O’HARE

I know that, you goon! I was watching the cameras myself!

 (Sigh) It was that kid, Ted Wiggins. Why did he leave town?! No one
leaves town! It’s all smog and fog out there!

BODYGUARD

(Hesitant) ...Well I mean, the kid was probably just curious, boss--

O’HARE

(Cuts them off) NO ONE can know what’s out there! I need to know what
this kid is up to. And it has to be something about those paintings
of TREES being put up all over town. I have to stop them, or my air
business could be threatened...

BODYGUARD

Ermm...then what do we do..?

O’HARE

We send them a warning, my friend. We send them a

warning...mwahahehehehe...

The set changes back to the outside of town with THE ONCE-LER and TED
talking.

OLD ONCE-LER

Ermm, okay. What part of the story was I up to again? I’m old and I
can’t remember...

TED

You were up to the part after your mom kicked you out and called you
a failure for having a horrible, imaginary idea called the ‘Thneed’
instead of doing something worthwhile in your life.

OLD ONCE-LER

Wha- MY MOM did not kick me out! I left home to find material for my
Thneed. You obviously weren’t paying attention to the story!
 TED

I am! PLEASE continue so I can find out where to get a tree.

OLD ONCE-LER

Alright, alright. So, there I was: a young man, off to change the
world!

The set changes to A FLASHBACK. YOUNG ONCE-LER appears on the stage

traveling across the landscapes on a covered wagon which is hitched
to a mule named MELVIN. With him in the wagon, he has is a guitar, an
axe, a pack of marshmallows for food, and various other things.

The OLD ONCE-LER speaks in a voiceover (V.O.) offstage, narrating

what’s happening as YOUNG ONCE-LER sits in the wagon, doing
whatever--maybe singing to himself idk.

OLD ONCE-LER (V.O.)

So there I was at the very bottom with nothing but a

wagon, a mule, and a completely irrational sense of
optimism.

I was searching the globe, obsessed with finding the

perfect material for my Thneed.

But I’d had absolutely no success. Until one day -- I

found a paradise --

YOUNG ONCE-LER eventually reaches the Truffula Valley. He’s amazed at

what he’s seeing. It’s a paradise. He looks around to see blue skies,
green grass, a flowing river, woodland creatures and tons of tall
TRUFFULA TREES with their colorful tufts swaying in the afternoon
breeze. It’s magical.

YOUNG ONCE-LER

Woah!
​
Multiple animals--bears and fishes (BAR-BA-LOOTS and Humming-Fish,
according to [Link])--happily come out into the valley, going along
their merry way, singing and dancing to nothing in particular for a
bit. They seem to welcome YOUNG ONCE-LER with open arms.

YOUNG ONCE-LER gazes at all the sights before him. He seems

overwhelmed with emotion for a second, getting choked up.

YOUNG ONCE-LER

Okay-- This is the most beautiful place...I have ever seen. And just
look at these trees! (He reaches out to touch one) So silky. It’s the
exact material I need for my Thneed.

YOUNG ONCE-LER goes to the wagon to retrieve his axe. The animals are
quiet now. They seem to be fascinated, never having seen a human
before.

YOUNG ONCE-LER

All right! Here we go. About to make a Thneed. About to change the
world.

The animals all stare at the shiny metal axe and watch ONCE-LER
curiously as he walks over to the tall Truffula tree. He raises the
axe up over his head.

Then CHOP! The axe cuts into the tree with a sound that echoes
through the valley. The tree creaks as it falls and hits the ground
with a thud. The animals react in horror and run away.

ONCE-LER stares at the tree, impressed. All that’s left behind is a

small, sad stump.

YOUNG ONCE-LER
 Check it out guys... Huh?

He looks around, noticing all of the animals are gone.

ONCE-LER

Oh, where’d everybody go?

He shrugs, then grabs the tree by the trunk and drags it away
offstage.

OLD ONCE-LER (V.O.)

Little did I know that by chopping down that tree, I had just
summoned a mystical creature as old as time itself. The
legendary--slightly annoying--guardian of the forest.

Beat.

The Lorax.

The animals come back out and investigate the stump. A Humming-Fish
pokes at it. Suddenly the ground starts rumbling. The animals
scatter. The one fish shoves the other fish for poking the stump.
There’s a FLASH OF LIGHT as a thunderstorm arises. The animals watch
from a safe distance.

The storm quickly clears and THE LORAX pops out of the stump. Short,
orange, and in charge. He slowly stands up and sees the stump behind
him. He reacts--horrified--by stuttering and seemingly unable to find
the words.

LORAX

What the-- WHO DID THIS??

He’s angry now. Right afterwards, YOUNG ONCE-LER comes out. He’s
already knitted two Thneeds with the tree's tufts, using them like
cheerleading pom poms as he dances on stage and does the cha-cha. THE
LORAX spots him.

LORAX

Hey!

YOUNG ONCE-LER is startled and trips, falling to the ground.

LORAX

(accusingly) Did you chop down this tree?

One of the small bears--PIPSQUEAK--curiously wanders over to them.

YOUNG ONCE-LER

What? Uh... no. Who did it?

ONCE-LER looks around for a culprit. He suddenly gasps and points in

the other direction, trying to distract THE LORAX.

YOUNG ONCE-LER

What’s that?!

THE LORAX follows his pointing and looks in that direction. ONCE-LER
drops the axe onto PIPSQUEAK--trying to frame him. PIPSQUEAK falls to
the ground, trying to catch the axe in his arms.

PIPSQUEAK
 Ow!

ONCE-LER

I think he did it.

THE LORAX isn’t buying it.

LORAX

YOU CAN’T BE CHOPPING DOWN MY TREES!

Leave! Vacate the premises! Take your axe and get out!

YOUNG ONCE-LER

And who are you?

THE LORAX seems confused as to how THE ONCE-LER doesn’t know who he
is.

LORAX

What-- what?!! I’m-- I’m the Lorax!

THE ONCE-LER gives him a blank look.

THE LORAX

Guardian of the forest. I speak for the trees.

Still blank.
 THE LORAX

So you’re telling me you just didn’t see me magically appear out of

that stump? With all the lightning and thunder and stuff? You didn’t
see any of that?

THE ONCE-LER clearly isn’t taking THE LORAX seriously.

YOUNG ONCE-LER

No. (Sarcastically) But that sounds amazing. Can I see some of that?

THE LORAX

Uh -- yeah, I could show you. But that’s not how it works.

YOUNG ONCE-LER

(condescending) Okay, um -- Didn’t really happen.

THE LORAX frowns, just getting increasingly more frustrated with him.

THE LORAX

Fine...You don’t wanna leave? Then we’ll have to fight fire with
fire.

THE ONCE-LER doesn’t seem to mind until THE LORAX walks over to his
wagon. THE LORAX opens it up and starts throwing all THE ONCE-LER’s
stuff out of it in retaliation--the guitar, the packaged
marshmallows--everything.
 YOUNG ONCE-LER

Whoa, what are you-- Hey, mustache! Will you stop that!?

This turns into a full on chase scene/throwing match. THE ONCE-LER

chases THE LORAX around as they throw things at each other. The
animals are back on stage at this point, and they’re running around
and freaking out too. THE ONCE-LER even throws one of the bears (a
fake one/stuffed obviously) at one point.

This goes on for about 20 seconds until they’re both out of breath.

YOUNG ONCE-LER

Listen-- ah, I’m out of breath, hold on...

Once they both catch their breath, they're back to arguing normally.

YOUNG ONCE-LER

Alright. You listen to me, you furry meatloaf. I’m gonna chop down as
many trees as I need. Okay? News flash, not going anywhere. End of
story!

THE ONCE-LER blows a raspberry at him and begins to stomp off.

Suddenly, THE LORAX speaks, stopping him. He points a threatening
finger at THE ONCE-LER and speaks in a spooky voice, as if he’s
casting a spell.

LORAX
If you’re not gone by the time the sun sets on this valley, all the
forces of nature will be unleashed upon you...and curse you until the
end of your days! ...You... have been warned.
Then, the set begins to change back to TED and THE ONCE-LER outside
of Thneedville in the middle of nowhere.

OLD ONCELER (V.O.)

But I didn’t listen to his warning. And you won’t believe what
happened next...

TED is clearly entranced by the story at this point.

TED

...What? What happened next? Did you end up cutting down more trees?

OLD ONCE-LER

...If you want to hear more, come back tomorrow.

TED

Hey, wait, wait! Tomorrow?

The mechanical boot from earlier comes back out and kicks TED in the
butt again.

TED

What?? Are you serious right now? Ugh! You live in the middle of
nowhere and there’s a bunch of fog and pollution! It stinks out here!
Don’t make me come back.

OLD ONCE-LER

Then I guess you don’t really want to hear the rest of the story.
Ted gets back up and shouts up to the Once-ler.

TED

No, no, no, no, I do. I really do! I wanna hear the story, I just--

OLD ONCE-LER

Nah! You don’t have what it takes. Goodbye!

His green arms leave the window. Ted realizes he’s pushed too much.

TED

Wait, wait, wait! I have what it takes! ...It’s alright. It’s okay.
I’ll come back. It’s no problem!

Ted turns and quickly heads down the path back to his bike.

TED

See, here I am leaving! Walking away now. I’ll see you tomorrow!

The Once-ler watches Ted as he runs down the path.

OLD ONCE-LER

(To himself) Hmmmmm. Maybe...just maybe.

The Lorax begins the narration, just as he did before.

 LORAX (NARRATION)

And so, for now, Ted went away…

For he would return the next day.

But back in Thneedville, things are going wrong…

What’s going to happen? Let's find out! It won’t be long.

TED has returned to Thneedville for the day but something is off.
AUDREY sits in the usual corner with her paint canvas, looking upset.

TED

Audrey..?

TED slowly approaches her.

TED

What’s wrong?

AUDREY gives him a sad look before lifting up her painting of her
trees to show TED. The canvas is ripped up and the picture is mostly
painted over--the painting is ruined. TED’s eyes widened in shock.

TED

Oh my gosh...what happened?

AUDREY

I-I came out to my usual spot here in town--where I showcase my tree

paintings--to start working on them for today. But as I was walking
over, I saw O’Hare and his bodyguard...completely ruining my
artwork...
TED isn’t sure if he’s hearing correctly.

TED

O’Hare?? Our mayor? He did this??

Suddenly, O’Hare speaks up, walking up to AUDREY AND TED with his
BODYGUARD.

O’HARE

That’s right. I can’t have anybody in MY TOWN putting up pictures of

these nasty, disgusting trees!

TED

Uh... Mr. O’Hare.

O’HARE

Hello, Ted. So I hear you’ve become interested in trees. You too,

Audrey. What’s that all about?

TED laughs nervously as he and AUDREY exchange glances.

TED

Oh, um -- Where’d you hear that?

O’HARE

Oh, Teddy, there’s not much that goes on in Thneedville that I don’t
know about. ... Here’s the deal. I make a living selling fresh air to
 people. Trees, oh, they make it for free. So when I hear people
talking about them, I consider it kind of a threat to my business.

TED

C’mon, I don’t even know what you’re talking about, I --

O’Hare, furious, gets right in Ted’s face.

O’HARE

Listen to me, boy. Don’t go poking around in things you don’t

understand. Or I’ll be your worst nightmare! I’m Frankenstein’s head
on a spider’s body!

Ted nods, trying not to freak out.

TED

Yeah, um, okay... my mom’s expecting me so I’m just gonna--

O’HARE

(He chuckles) Of course, of course, now go back to your family. Your

‘Grammy Norma’ just got back home from the grocery store.

TED

How-- How did you know that ?

 O’HARE

Please. I have eyes everywhere. ...Now, you’ve got a beautiful town

here, Ted. Lots of fun stuff to occupy your short attention span.
Why, I can’t think of any reason you’d ever want to go outside of
town again. ...Ever.

TED and AUDREY are left standing there--stunned and frightened--as

O’HARE and the BODYGUARD start to walk away.

O’HARE

Good talk! Really good talk.

They leave. Once they’re out of earshot, TED speaks again and looks
determined.

TED

I’m going back out there.

AUDREY

What?? Did you not hear what O’Hare just said? If you leave
Thneedville again you’re in deep--

TED

I know, I know. But I gotta go. Trust me, this will all make sense
soon enough.

TED grabs his bike and heads offstage to leave Thneedville once more.
AUDREY tries to call after him, but to no avail.
 LORAX(NARRATION)

Ted left town again. He needed to get a tree.

Or else, in Thneedville, O’Hare would never let the people go free.

Ted would hear the rest of the Once-lers story.

For if Ted had a tree, he would have glory.

Ted arrives out of breath. Runs up to the door and rings the
doorbell. OLD ONCE-LER comes to the boarded up window again.

OLD ONCE-LER

Hi, you came back!

TED

Hey! Mr. Once-ler! You gotta tell me the rest of that story so I can
get a tree. Thneedville’s in trouble! Our mayor doesn’t want anyone
knowing about the trees, just so he could sell the air to us himself.
He’s crazy, I’m telling ya!

OLD ONCE-LER

You’re kidding...We gotta get you that tree...I’ll tell you the rest
of the story. Now, where was I? ...So basically, I didn’t listen to
The Lorax’s warning. I continued to cut down HUNDREDS trees and make
my Thneeds. The Lorax tried everything to get me out of his
forest--stealing my Thneeds, eating all of my food, ruining my wagon,
and he even threw my bed into a river. As I was sleeping in it.
Crazy! And on top of that, I was completely broke. I was about to
give up...that is until I started making money.

The set changes. We see YOUNG ONCE-LER now in new clothing--a green
suit with a top hat, and a guitar on his shoulder. He looks
unbothered, counting money. A few of his own WORKERS are cutting down
trees in the background and sorting Thneeds.
The Truffula Valley is beginning to look barren and not much like the
bright place it once was. More trees have been cut down. All of the
ANIMALS look sad and upset.

OLD ONCE-LER (V.O.)

My invention was starting to become very popular, and I was getting

very rich very quickly! The thing was, I was becoming
very...inconsiderate and greedy.

The Lorax comes on stage and looks furious.

THE LORAX

ONCE-LER! This isn’t right!! You’re destroying my forest--for MONEY--

and I’ve been telling you for a long, long time to LEAVE!

YOUNG ONCE-LER

Sorry, bud. I’m running a business now. I’ve got money to make and
workers to pay. So what if I’m chopping down a few trees?

THE LORAX

So what?! What about the poor Barb-a-loots, and the Humming-Fish,

and-!

YOUNG ONCE-LER

(He cuts him off) AND it’s none of your business! Money talks and
you’re not speaking my language.

YOUNG ONCE-LER starts to walk away.

 LORAX

NOO! You’re better than this! You gotta stop! This is bad!

That catches the ONCE-LER’s attention, and he turns around again.

ONCE-LER

Bad? I’m not bad. I’m the good guy here! You just don't get it. I’m
making an amazing product and I’m making lots of cash!Something good
finally happens to me, and you just have to come along and rain on my
parade? What’s your problem? (He scoffs)

Yeah, “bad.” Right.

SONG: HOW BAD CAN I BE? (Basically just The Once-ler talking about
how he thinks what he’s doing is fine and justified. This can be sung
with the WORKERS on stage.)

As the song ends, WORKERS go back to what they were working on. THE
LORAX gives ONCE-LER a disappointed look.

THE LORAX

Happy yet? You fill that hole deep down inside you? Or do you still
need more?

ONCE-LER

Look, if you’ve got a problem with what I’m doing, why haven’t you
used your quote, unquote “powers” to stop me?

LORAX

I told you. That’s not how it works.

 ONCE-LER

Right, I forgot, you’re a fraud. I need you to get out. Now.

LORAX

Why? Do I make you uncomfortable? Remind you of the promises you

made? The man you used to be?

The Once-ler confronts the Lorax angrily, backing him down.

ONCE-LER

You know what? You can just shut your mustache! My conscience is
clear. I have done nothing illegal. I have my rights, and I intend to
keep on biggering and biggering and turning more Truffula trees into
Thneeds.

The Lorax falls backwards and hits the ground.

ONCE-LER

And nothing is going to stop me!

Just then, on the other side of the stage, we hear a THWACK! The
Once-ler and Lorax both look and see the very last Truffula tree
chopped down by a WORKER.

LORAX

Well, that’s it. The very last one.

That may stop you.

The Once-ler stares out into the valley. All that can be seen for
miles and miles is stumps. The Truffula trees are all gone. Any
ANIMALS on stage start to slowly walk away.

ONCE-LER

Wha-- Where are they all going?

THE LORAX

Thanks to you and your hacking and smogging and glupping, they can’t
live here anymore. So I’m sending them off. Hopefully they’ll be able
to find a better place out there somewhere.

LORAX gives ONCE-LER another disappointed look. The animals continue

their march, heading for the horizon. Once the animals are gone, it’s
just LORAX and ONCE-LER. LORAX is standing on a rock that says,
“UNLESS” from earlier in the story.

THE ONCE-LER takes off his top hat in shame.

Then THE LORAX pulls himself up by the seat of his pants and
magically floats up through the air (he doesn’t have to actually fly,
we’ll figure it out).

THE ONCE-LER watches, amazed. THE LORAX then disappears through a

hole in the smog.

The set changes back to TED and OLD ONCE-LER talking in the middle of
nowhere. TED looks around at the polluted wasteland, and now it all
makes sense. Ted stares down at the word “UNLESS” in the rocks. TED
looks up at the boarded window, shaking his head.

TED
 So this is really all your fault. You destroyed everything.

OLD ONCE-LER

Yes. And each day since the Lorax left I’ve sat here regretting
everything I’ve done. Staring at that word--”unless”--and wondering
what it meant. (beat) But now I’m thinking...well, maybe you’re the
reason the Lorax left that word there.

Ted looks up, stunned.

TED

Me? Why would he leave that for me?

OLD ONCE-LER

Because unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is
going to get better. It’s not.

OLD ONCE-LER’s gloved arms disappear from view and we hear him
rummaging around for something . Finally his arms reappear in the
window. He tosses something down to TED. TED catches it. It’s a SEED.
TED stares at it.

OLD ONCE-LER

The last Truffula Seed. (beat) You need to plant it, Ted.

TED

Yeah, but nobody cares about trees anymore.

ONCE-LER

Then make them care. Plant the seed in the middle of town, where
everyone can see. Change the way things are. (beat) I know it may
seem small and insignificant, but it’s not about what it is -- it’s
about what it can become. That’s not just a seed. (beat)
 Any more than you’re just a boy.

TED looks up at OLD ONCE-LER, deep in thought. He gets a determined

look. His fist closes around the seed.

TED nods, then walks over to his bike and gets on.

TED

(calls out) I won’t let you down.

TED rides off toward Thneedville. THE ONCE-LER watches him go--with
hope.

OLD ONCE-LER

(To himself) I know.

The set changes back to THNEEDVILLE for the final time. TED travels
back to town, determined to change things.

As he comes back though to everyone in town looking for him, along

with AUDREY, GRAMMY NORMA, O’HARE, BODYGUARD. This is also including
his MOM, who runs up to him.

TED’s MOM

Oh my gosh!! My baby! Where have you been?!

TED doesn’t say a word and walks past to the middle of the crowd and
opens up his hand, revealing the Truffula Seed. TED speaks in a loud
voice.
 TED

People of Thneedville, I bring you-- (he holds it up) -- the last

Truffula tree seed!

There’s mixed reactions from the crowd, all murmuring. One person
shouts out: “TREES ARE REAL?” O’HARE looks panicked, trying to take
back the moment.

O’HARE

HE’S LYING! I mean, really?? Trees?? Folks, the last thing you want
around here is trees. They’re filthy, spewing that sticky, nasty sap
all over the place.

O’HARE speaks to different people individually and the crowd as he

makes his speech.

And... I just thought of, you know, they make leaves! I mean, you
know that right?! And these leaves-- they just fall. They just fall
wherever they want.

AUDREY

(to the crowd) Oh COME ON! We know why you’re REALLY against trees!
Because they produce fresh air!

O’HARE frowns.

TED

(to the crowd) For free!

The crowd starts murmuring at this.

O’HARE

(gasps dramatically) I am wounded! You have lied!

AUDREY

It is not a lie! It’s called photosynthesis!

 O’HARE

Oh, come on! She’s making that up! That’s a made up word, people!
Thneedville is perfect just the way it is. We don’t need trees!

(points accusingly at TED)

That boy has a seed! We need to stop him! Who’s with me? C’mon!

The crowd murmurs until a MAINTENANCE WORKER walks out of the crowd,
and speaks his mind. This starts off the final song.

SONG: LET IT GROW.

They plant the seed!

THE END!