quibbles everyone is content - until, suddenly, the Baker's house is reduced to rubble. The only clue: a huge footprint. Back into the woods they go - except Cinderella's and Rapunzel's Princes who, marital bliss notwithstanding, have come across Sleeping Beauty and the equally unwakeable Snow White, two new maidens who again have them in Agony. But, for one of them, there'll be no need for a messy divorce. A Giant - actually, a giantess - is on the rampage, eager to avenge her husband's death, and she carelessly tramples Rapunzel to death. The Witch begins a Lament for her daughter and turns on the Narrator because she doesn't like the way he's telling the story. Only after she's tossed him to the Giantess does it dawn on them that the story is now out of control: the Prince's Steward kills Jack's Mother, Any Moment now they could be dead, says Cinderella's Prince before seducing the Baker's Wife; after a few brief Moments In the Woods, she is, indeed, crushed to death by falling timber. It's Your Fault, everyone tells each other. It's the Last Midnight: the Witch scatters a few beans and disappears in a puff of smoke. No More, decides the Baker. It's time to take responsibility. Devising a plan to slay the Giantess, the Baker, Cinderella, Red Riding Hood and the others comfort each other with the thought that No One Is Alone. When peace is restored to the woods, the Baker begins to tell his son the story - Once upon a time. . and share what he has learned. (Finale: Children Will Listen). CHARACTERS • Narrator - A storyteller who also plays:- • The Mysterious Man - A figure who lingers long enough to make an impression on Jack and the Baker, and is really the Baker's father, who supposedly perished years ago in a baking accident. • Cinderella - A spirited girl who wishes to dance before the Prince but has to work in her Stepmother's kitchen, a dreary existence relieved only by her ability to talk to the birds. • Cinderella's Father - A man under the thumb of his second wife. • Cinderella's Mother - Deceased, but active as a ghostly spirt. • Cinderella's Stepmother - Beautiful of face, but vile and black of heart. • Florida and Lucinda - Cinderella's stepsisters, much as their mother. • Jack - A simpleton whose best friend is a cow. • Jack's Mother - A poor woman struggling to keep the wolf from the door. • Little Red Riding Hood - A small girl who talks to strangers. • Red Riding Hood's Grandmother - A sick old lady who lives in the woods. • The Baker - A man whose family has been cursed by the Witch. • The Baker's Wife - A childless woman. • The Witch - The Baker's ugly old neighbour, who has put a spell on the Baker because his father stole her magic beans. • Rapunzel - The Witch's adopted daughter, but actually the Baker's sister, she sings and combs her hair in a high tower. • Rapunzel's Prince - A man obsessed. • Cinderella's Prince - Another man obsessed, brother of the first. • The Prince's Steward • Sleeping Beauty - A maiden who slumbers in a tower surrounded by a thicket of briar a hundred feet deep. • Snow White - Another sleeping beauty, but guarded by dwarfs. • Giantess - A large woman with a legitimate grievance. ORCHESTRATION Details • Reed I - Piccolo, Flute • Reed II - Clarinet • Reed III - Bassoon • 2 Horns • Trumpet db. Piccolo. Trumpet • Percussion • Synthesizer • Piano • Strings
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