Lenny and Mabel are two Elizabethan traveling actors who are very excited to share two beloved fairy tales, Cinderella and Jack and the Beanstalk. Through their high-energy and hysterical performance, the characters of Cinderella, her wicked step-sister, the Prince are brought to life onstage. Believe it or not, the story of Cinderella has its origins in the first century BC in anancient Greek/Egyptian text about a maiden name Rhodopis. While washing her clothes in a stream, a bird steals Rhodopis’ slipper and delivers it to the Pharaoh’s lap. Enchanted, he soon orders all the women in the kingdom to try on the slipper before finally discovering a perfect fit with Rhodopis. Indeed, virtually every culture has a folkloric tale with the key elements of the Cinderella story.
The first recorded version of Jack and the Beanstalk dates back to 1730 in the British publication, Christmas Entertainments. Here a skit involving Jack Spriggins and an enchanted bean, bring the story to life. The next printed version of the story doesn’t turn up again until 1807 by Benjamin Tabard. While these early publications do suggest some cultural familiarity, it wasn’t till 1890 when Joseph Jacob’s book English Fairy Tales was published and gained popularity. We hope that our version of these stories, told with a handful of audience volunteers and just two actors, will quickly become one of your favorites!
SHOW TIMES: 10AM & 11:30AM
Performance is presented at the College of Staten Island 2800 Victory Blvd Staten Island NY 10314