Ira

Ira the Peacock is probably the most noticable of the animal characters. Though the character is written as a male for scientific accuracy, Ira can quite easily be played by either gender and, in fact, is probably more visually pleasing when played by a woman.

As far as personality goes, Ira is the snootiest, and possibly funniest, of the animals. S/he lives up to the old simile "proud as a peacock", and is not afraid to speak his/her mind when s/he doesn't understand something or is skeptical of something. S/he is comically theatrical and dramatic, and easily offended. However, like all the animals, s/he is capable of great love and devotion; s/he is the one who expresses the biggest shock and hurt upon discovering Mr. Grumble's sad past, and later sacrifices some of his/her feathers as decorations for the Christmas Party.

Ira's costume is described in the script as a mardi-gras mask, bright blue shirt with feathers stuck to it, and black pants with a tail of multiple feather boas. The over-all impression is of bright and bold colors, and showiness.

Featured Songs

 * Silent Night (Optional Bacground Vocals)
 * Christmas Carols Overload Medley (Optional Solos and/or Duets)
 * Never Alone (Solo)
 * Finale! (Optional ad lib)

Played By
N/A

Trivia

 * Ira is the author's personal favorite character, and is written to be the last animal to come out at the Curtain Call.
 * Ira's solo in Never Alone is not a set-in-stone thing; other characters can sing it, but it's recommended Ira do so to show his/her slight change of heart.
 * In the original short story, Ira's name was spelled Yrrah.
 * In the play, Ira's personality and actions are a blend of those belonging to two characters from the original story; namely, Yrrah peacock and Arauk the parrot.