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An
ambivalent Cinderella? A blood-thirsty Little
Red Ridinghood? A Prince Charming with a
roving eye? A Witch...who raps? They're all
among the cockeyed characters in James Lapine
and Stephen Sondheim's fractured fairy
tale.
When
a Baker and his Wife learn they've been cursed
with childlessness by the Witch next door,
they embark on a quest for the special objects
required to break the spell, swindling, lying
to and stealing from Cinderella, Little Red,
Rapunzel and Jack (the one who climbed the
beanstalk).
Everyone's
wish is granted at the end of Act One, but the
consequences of their actions return to haunt
them later, with disastrous results. What
begins as a lively irreverent fantasy in the
style of “The Princess Bride” becomes a
moving lesson about community responsibility
and the stories we tell our children.
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