Plot Synopsis at Birmingham Repertory Theatre

REP Insight - Sleeping Beauty

Plot Synopsis

In The Forest

A boy is being chased by an Ogre through the forest. Goody, a shabby fairy tries to help the boy and so hides him from the Ogre. After the Ogre leaves Goody realises the boy is a Prince, The Prince of Nerves and so tries to convince him to wake the sleeping Princess. Goody shows the Prince through story dust the first encounter between herself and the King and Queen. Goody helps the King and Queen by making the Queen pregnant and farts – a side effect of the powerful magic. The King is so grateful he promises to make Goody a guest of honour at the naming ceremony, but the Queen has different ideas.

The scene returns to the forest and Goody then takes the Prince of Nerves to the Castle for the naming ceremony she wasn’t invited to. The King and Queen argue about allowing Goody to attend, the King in his weak nature is overpowered by the Queen. The Queen refuses to let Goody near Beauty and so Goody puts a curse on the child to be pricked by a Spindle before she is 16 years old and to sleep for a hundred years.

Goody tells the Prince of Nerves that all the spindles in the land were destroyed. The Ogre finds the Prince of Nerves and whisks him away to be eaten. Goody begins to think she will never find a Prince to save Beauty when the Prince of Nerds appears.

As Beauty Grows Older

Beauty, attempting to hide from the Courtiers, Minstrel, King and Queen and they insist on her staying within the palace walls until after her 16th birthday – the next day. Beauty asks kindly for one special present of a new dress to wear. The Kingdom was long ago rid of spinning wheels and the King wanting to please his daughter finds Goody who agrees to make a new dress for Beauty.

Goody begins to make the dress while Beauty finds the room where Goody is working. Excited by the prospect of a new dress, Beauty tries it on and accidentally pricks her finger on the spindle and falls asleep. The King and Queen are devastated and so try the spindle out on the guards before pricking their fingers they finding the curse has run out. Goody casts a spell to cover Beauty in roses to protect her. The King and Queen both try to fight back the roses and are consumed by them.

The Ogre appears once more and tries to grab the Prince of Nerds. Goody fills his mouth with herbs and he falls to the ground. The Prince of Nerds attempts to take on the thorns and is consumed. A pregnant Ogress enters the forest and tells Goody she is bearing a prince, but is afraid she will eat it when it is born. Goody promises to look after the boy.

The Palace Sleeps

Time passes by and the Prince is now a young man. He is a confident boy who loves to hunt in the woods with his slaves. Goody has become an Aunty to the Prince and begins to explain the story of the sleeping Beauty. The Prince begins to find an attraction in the adventure and listens until he find out he has to kiss a girl! He decides he would prefer to hunt but is taunted by the thorns. The Prince outwits the thorns who begin to fight with one another and leave the Palace exposed. The Prince is convinced by Goody to kiss Beauty and the Palace awakes with great excitement and they kiss. Elsewhere the Ogre awakes.

Happy Family

The Prince brings his new bride Beauty to meet his mother. The two introduce their two new born babies Rose and Hector. The family sit down for dinner with Goody and soon the Ogre is heard outside. The Prince decides to fight the Ogre and leaves for the woods. During the commotion the Ogress puts Rose underneath her dress and hides her there. Taking Hector with her she goes to search the palace.

A Tasty Meal

The Ogress takes out baby Rose and tempts the hungry servants with the baby. Goody arrives looking for the baby and finds the Ogress holding her. The Ogress orders Goody to take the baby to the kitchen and cook her for dinner. Goody tells the rude Table Slave that she cannot kill the baby but must find something else. The Table Slave tells Goody of his Donkey and the Fairy cooks it for dinner instead of Rose. The Ogress eats the goat thinking it’s the child.

Beauty still searching for Rose, asks the Ogress to hold Hector while she continues her search. Again the Ogress asks for Goody to cook the child and Goody asks the Table Slave for help. He offers his goat and Goody goes to kill and cook him.

Beauty returns to the Ogress feasting on ‘Hector’. Beauty weeps as the Ogress leaves ordering Beauty to be killed and her heart served up. Goody consoles Beauty telling her of her plan and returning the children to her. Beauty leaves for the forest with her children while the Ogress calls for “more meat!”. Goody serves up the Table Slave’s cat’s heart and as the Ogress finishes she coughs up a collarbell. The Table Slave reveals it is in fact his cat and the Ogress is sick all over the table.

A Chase Through The Forest

A chase ensues between the Prince, the Ogre, Goody, the Ogress and Beauty. Beauty whilst hiding loses her dress to the thorns. The Ogress trying to eat Beauty is consumed by the thorns with the dress. Goody finding the dress uses her magic to cut back the thorns and reveals the Ogress who is still alive. Goody is happy to find she has her magic back and is chased away by the Ogress.

The Prince finds the Ogre who is confused why the boy smells like an Ogre, so they go to find the Ogress. The Ogress finds Beauty once more and tries to eat her as the Ogre comes in with the Prince. The Ogre questions the Ogress and she reveals to the prince that she is not human as he thought. The Ogar fights the Ogress and wins killing the Ogress. Goody finds them and fights the Ogre. Using her magic she kills the beast and falls to the ground. Goody soon awakes realising she has lost her magic for good but is now a human instead. Beauty begins to question her trust in the Prince after realising he is half Ogre, but the Prince reassures her and they kiss. And they all live happily ever after?