A BEAUTY OF AN ADVENTURE!

Our story opens with a big party to celebrate the birth of King Stefan and Queen Clara’s newborn daughter Princess Aurora. We meet our friend Joxer, the court jester, he tells us what’s going on and tells us he will be our guide through this magical story. So everyone is invited to this celebration of the Princess’s birth including King Hubert and his son Prince Philip, who it is agreed will wed Aurora when she comes of age.

All the Fairies in the land are invited too, and bring magical gifts to the newborn Princess, all but one – The Evil Fairy Maleficent, who crashes the party. In her rage she puts a curse on the child that when she reaches her eighteenth birthday she will prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die! All is not lost though, as the good fairies undo some of the evil and decree that she will not die but will just fall into a deep sleep and can be woken by loves first kiss.

It is agreed that for Aurora’s safety she will never be told of the terrible curse and she will go into hiding deep in the Great Forest with her three Fairy Godmothers who will pretend to be her aunts, and not use their magic so Maleficent can’t find them. While in the forest, Aurora will be known as Briar Rose. Joxer is also sent along to help protect the Princess (And for comedy relief)

The hidden Princess grows into a beautiful young woman and one day she meets a young man in the forest. It is Prince Philip, who is out hunting with his father King Hubert and the royal nursemaid, Nurse Nelly Numb-bum. When he meets Briar Rose (Our Princess in hiding) they fall in love, as you do, but it is short lived as Nurse Numb-bum and King Hubert quickly remind him he is royalty and cannot marry a peasant. However, before Briar Rose runs away he arranges to meet her again that night. The Fairy Godmothers and Joxer must now explain to Briar Rose that she is in fact a princess and cannot be seen to be talking to peasants in the forest. She is heart broken as she has fallen in love with Philip, who she thinks is a peasant. All of this has been observed by two of Maleficent’s spies, Vivian and Victor, who summon their mistress to tell her they have finally found the Princess. Maleficent is overjoyed and makes plans to full-fill her curse.

Later on a very sad Aurora and Joxer are preparing to return to her kingdom. After Joxer leaves there is a knock at the door and it is Malificent in disguise as an old woman. She unvails a spinning wheel and asks Aurora to help her thread its spindle as she is old and unable. Aurora agrees but in the process pricks her finger and falls into a deep sleep. Maleficent is overjoyed to have had her revenge. The Fairy Godmothers return but without their magic are helpless. Victor and Vivian assisted by their Troll Army tie them and Joxer up and take the Sleeping Beauty with them to Malificent’s evil layer that no one will ever find.

The second act opens with our hero Prince Philip arriving at the cottage to meet his love, but instead he finds the Fairies and Joxer tied up. He releases them as Nurse Numb-bum and King Hubert arrive on the scene. After much confusion it becomes clear that Briar Rose is in fact Princess Aurora and the boy she has fallen in love with is indeed Prince Philip. With all this cleared up Prince Philip decides he is going to rescue his love. Everyone agrees to go with him and our seven friends set out on a very big adventure. Luckily, the Fairies have a magic mirror that with the help of the audience using the magic spell on the back of this very programme will lead them to Maleficent’s hidden layer. So prepare to go on the quest of a lifetime as our heroes set out to rescue our Sleeping Beauty!