Sleeping Beauty
By Charles Robertson
Music and Lyrics by Michael K. Myers
The story of Sleeping Beauty is told through the eyes of Jack, a lowly palace sweeper. Jack was once the king's messenger but was demoted to palace sweeper after making a big mistake. When a new princess is born, Jack is sent with invites for all the fairies in the kingdom for the baby's christening. Jack is successful with most of the invitations but one. Carabasse, a bad-tempered fairy who lives in the darkest, deepest parts of the woods does not get her invitation. Jack has lost it.
Carabasse feels slighted after having not been invited. She attends the christening anyway. The good fairies, Flora and Fauna are sipping tea from specially made gold cups. Carabasse has to settle for a silver cup which angers her even more. When the fairies are called upon to deliver their gifts, Carabasse casts a spell on the new princess. The princess who has been christened Briar Rose will prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel on her sixteenth nirthday and fall down dead.
However, Flora changes the spell so that the princess will only fall asleep...for a hundred years and can only be awakened by the kiss of a king's son.
The king immediately orders all the spinning wheels in the kingdom to be destroyed which of course hurts the fashion industry. As Briar Rose turns sixteen, she is locked away by the king in a tower to protect her. Briar Rose feels her father is being unfair by locking her up. Carabasse in the disguise of the royal babysitter manages to gain entry to the tower and she has brought a gift...a spinning wheel. Naturally Briar Rose pricks her finger and falls asleep. Flora, the good fairy then puts every living creature to sleep as well for a hundred years, so that when the sleeping beauty wakes up, she will again have her family and friends.
Carabasse has one more trick up her sleeve. She builds a wall of thorns that will keep all but the most courageous of princes out. A hundreed years have passed and many princes have tried to find out what was behind this imposing wall of thorns. The farmers in the surrounding countryside have heard stories of fairies and beautiful princesses but they don't explore it. One day a brave and handsome prince comes in and manages to cut his way through the thorns. Carabasse appears and they have an epic battle before Carabasse wins and is about to claim victory when Flora appears and uses Carabasse's own wicked spell to banish her from the kingdom. Without an obstacle the prince awakens the sleeping beauty with a kiss and everyone and every creature also awakes and life in the palace returns to normal.
This is a highly entertaining play, performed successfully to the enjoyment of Kingston audiences over the past two decades, and priced for families to enjoy.
Bottle Tree Productions gives young men and women the chance to perform these well-loved fairy tales on stage at The Wellington Street Theatre.
We draw heavily from kids we have worked with in our acting classes. It is the best way to become involved with our company. For more information about our classes click acting classes
