Fairy ales & Fables – the Short Story

Into the Woods: Cinderella/Jack & the Beanstalk/Little Red Ridinghood/The Baker & the Baker’s Wife – Into the Woods interweaves the storylines of several well-known fairy tales. Each story’s characters make their way into the woods to accomplish a different task: Cinderella - to pay respects to her late mother and make a wish to attend the King’s festival, Jack to sell his beloved cow at market, Little Red Ridinghood to take some sweets to Granny, and the Baker & his Wife to collect items from each of these stories in order to break the witch’s curse and fulfill their wish of having a child.

Hansel & Gretel – When Hansel and Gretel’s family is running out of food to eat, their parents plan to lose them in the woods. The children wander together until they find a cottage made entirely out of gingerbread and candies! But who lives there, a princess, or a witch?

Aladdin – Aladdin is a poor boy who is recruited by a sorcerer to fetch a special lamp from the Cave of Wonders. When he rubs the lamp a Genie appears and offers him three wishes, which he uses to woo and marry the sultan’s daughter.

Alcina (solo) – Alcina is a powerful enchantress who lures men to her island and then turns them to animals or rocks once she is tired of them. But when she brings Ruggerio to her island, his fiancée, Bradamante, hatches a plan to rescue him with the aid of a magic ring that will open his eyes to the reality of the island. In this aria, Alcina’s sister, Morgana, pledges her love to “Ricciardo,” who really turns out to be Bradamante in disguise!

Zémire et Azor – In this version of Beauty & the Beast, little Beauty’s father leaves on a trip and promises gifts to each of his daughters. Her older sisters ask for lace and ribbons, but Beauty simply asks for a rose. However, her father has taken the rose from the garden of an enchanted castle, and Beauty must save him by returning to live in the castle with Azor, the cursed Beast who lives there. She finds many wondrous entertainments in the castle, and grows close with the beast, eventually falling in love just in time to save his life and break his curse.