The Princess Plays are three utterly charming plays from the author of the immensely popular Lion and Mouse Stories. They include:
The Princess and The Princess is about Popplepea, a poor, polite princess, and Twinkleberry, a rich, rude princess. They meet on a narrow mountain path, and neither will step aside to let the other one pass. Everyone who comes to try to help gets stuck on the moutain with them. After a riddle provided by the Royal Wise Person proves that both princesses are “real,” it is Popplepea who graciously steps aside – not because she has to, but becauses she so chooses.
In Twice Upon A Time the spells of three whimsical witches go awry and Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Beauty (from Beauty and the Beast), and Princess (from The Princess and The Pea) all appear out of nowhere, much to everyone’s aggravation. Unhappy dwarves, soldiers, and a frog materialize as the witches’ spells continue to go wrong. The frog has been turned into a prince and the princesses are all turning into frogs before the witches stumble onto the solution to this fine kettle of fish.
The Lost Half-Hour is about Bobo, a simple fellow who cheerfully endures teasing at the hands of his “friends” who send him on a quest to find a lost half-hour, naturally assuming that he will fail. Bobo takes his quest seriously and amazes everyone when he not only returns with the lost half-hour, but also finds a lost temper, a lost reputation, and a lost princess who happily marries her heroic rescuer.
The Princess and the Princess
Twice Upon a Time
The Lost Half-Hour