Cinderella; the Panto
Warm up; we’re nearly ready to start our pantomime. In a pantomime, everyone joins in. Here is the Conductor to help us know when, and what to say. (conductor holds up first prompt) If the Conductor holds up this flag, then it’s time to say ‘BOO!’ Who’s got this one on their Talker? Let’s hear it now! etc
Scene one
Setting: Kitchen
Characters: Cinderella, ugly sisters, wicked stepmother
Narrator at the side throughout
‘Dad’ in the front row throughout
‘Conductor’ at the other side throughout, prompting
Scene setting music= kitchen theme (?Upstairs Downstairs)
Direction Notes: table with patched gingham cloth, and wooden chairs. Laundry basket with clothes spilling out the top. Cinderella is on her own, surrounded by piles and piles of clothes, with iron and ironing board, looking overwhelmed.
Narrator; Hello everyone. I said hello everyone! Etc. My name is xxxx and I am going to tell you all about our pantomime. Is everyone sitting comfortably? Is everyone ready? Well, once upon a time in a land far far away there was a…. (Cinderella sighs)
Oh, who are you? (To Cinders)
Cinderella: I’m Cinderella.
Audience HOORAY
Cinderella; What’s your name?
Narrator, well I’m xxx.
Cinderella; what do you do?
Narrator, I am here to help tell the story today. If you are Cinderella, you must live here. What are you doing today?
Cinderella: work
Narrator; oh dear, how do you feel about that?
Cinderella: I’m not happy
Narrator; no wonder; oops, someone is coming; see you later. (Goes to the edge of the stage)
Enter wicked stepmother looking cross
Audience; BOO BADDIE
Stepmother: Cinderella – Who were you talking to? You are supposed to be working! Get the ironing done. Sort out these clothes – look at this dress – the dog ripped Mabel’s dress – get it sewn up! Ever since I married your father, I’ve had to put up with your laziness. Nothing gets done unless I tell you to do it. Get on with it.
(Enter both Ugly sisters) Doris: Where are my clean clothes? I need my clean clothes!
(Cinderella: Holds out a huge bra)
Ugly sister 1 Doris: Don’t be so rude, that’s not mine1 (picks up tiny little bra from the heap of clothes) – this is mine!
Cinderella: Oh no it’s not! (backed up by the Dad in the front to say this vigorously enough to cue audience participation)
Ugly sister 1 Doris: Oh yes it is!
Audience: OH NO ITS NOT (cued by conductor)Etc
sister 1 Doris: here’s your t shirt, Mabel (gives her a pink t shirt)
Ugly sister 2 Mabel: That’s not right
Ugly sister 1 Doris: what’s the matter?
Ugly sister 2 Mabel: Pink!
Ugly sister 1 Doris: you’re right, it used to be green; Cinderella, you washed the greens with the reds and they ended up pink! this is all your fault
Cinders: Oh no it’s not! ( backed up by the Dad in the front)
Ugly sister 1 Doris: Oh yes it is
Audience: OH NO ITS NOT! (cued by conductor)
etc
Wicked stepmother: For goodness sake! All of you off you go – get on with your work girl! I want all that washing done by tea time – and I don’t want to hear a sound of complaint from anyone.
Audience: (cued by conductor) BOO,BADDIE
Wicked Step mother: (to audience) and that includes you lot too! You can just save your breath to cool your porridge!
Audience;BOO, BADDIE
Exit stepmother and Ugly sisters
Narrator: Poor Cinderella. The wicked step mother just won’t listen. She’s been left to do all the work while those awful girls have all the fun. And those sisters are so mean, they are always trying to trick poor Cinderella. They just want her to get a row. She really needs some friends. Hey, do you think you could be her friends?
Audience; YES
Narrator; you know what, you could keep an eye out for those sisters, and if they are going to play a trick, you could shout LOOK!
Do you think you could do that?
What are you going to shout?
Audience; LOOK!
Business with the switch operated washing machine while the scene is being changed to the palace;
Cinderella; Can you help me?(to member of the audience)
Cinderella ; We need all the white washing. (points to the pile of washing which is on the other side of the stage )
Cinderella watches the helper go over to collect the white washing. As she is looking over there
enter sister 1 (sneaks to washing machine and puts in a red sock, hee heeing.)
prompt from conductor
Audience; LOOK! BADDIE!
Exit Doris
(Cinderella looks in the washing machine, surprised,)
Cinderella; Red!
(Takes out the sock)
(Helper loads the white washing in. Cinderella gives the switch to child in the audience to make the machine work. Exit Cinderella when machine finishes.
Meanwhile in the background, the scene is changing to the palace....)
scene two
ng: Palace
Characters: Prince Charming, friend
Music: scene setting music= palace theme
Direction Notes: thetable is now draped with a cloth (red with swags and tails and cron motif) chairs have posh covers.Prince on his own, looking lonely and bored and thoughtful. Friend waiting to come on at side of stage.
Script:
Narrator: At the same time, in the palace the prince was all on his own. The Prince had no-one to talk to. He was very lonely.
Audience; AWW SHAME
Narrator; Look at our handsome Prince – all the girls think he is gorgeous! What do you think?
Audience – YES, wolf whistle (cued by conductor)
Narrator: I wonder – has the prince met a girl he wants to marry?
Prince’s friend enters
Friend ; What are you doing moping around? You should be out looking for a girl to marry. This kingdom needs a princess. It’s getting urgent! I’ve done some searching for you – what about this girl? (shows big picture Ann Robinson? Shows picture to audience too, for reaction )
Prince – No Way!
Friend: or this one?
Repeat for a few famous faces we love to hate, (or would not want to marry!)
Prince responses: No way, I don’t want to.
Friend: Well, what are we going to do?
Prince: I don’t know. I’m sad.
Friend: I know – why don’t we have a great big party. We’ll call it a ball, and invite everyone. We’ll invite every girl in the country. That way you are bound to meet one that you like. To audience: Do you want to come to the party? Is that a good idea?
Audience – YES, HOORAY (cued by conductor)
Friend: It sounds like everyone wants to come – come on Charming – let’s start writing the invitations. (Friend holds up distinctive notepaper e.g. parchment with crown on the back)
Exit Prince and Friend
Business while scene changes back to the kitchen;
Narrator: A party – that sounds like great fun!
(to Dad) Hey you, you have been taking a lot of photos; why, what for, can we have a look?
Dad mimes linking his camera to the laptop, and data projector now displays the sequence of photos of what has happened so far. Narrator gives a running commentary.
Narrator, well now we’d better get back to the story. So the big party was planned and invitations were posted. Let’s see what happens when the invitations arrive.
scene three
Setting: Kitchen as before. The pile of washing and laundry basketstill there but a new basket with boots and shoes and polish has been added
Scene setting music= kitchen theme- ‘Upstairs Downstairs’
Characters: Wicked step mother, ugly sisters, Cinderella, good fairy
Direction Notes: table and chairs. Wicked step mother and ugly sisters sitting Cinderella polishing shoes in the background. Door bell goes (switch operated)
Doris: Ooh that might be my ebay parcels!
Mabel: (signs) No – Me (shoves Doris back into chair)
Doris: (points out of window on opposite side) What’s that out there in the street? (Mabel goes ‘window’ and looks out, meanwhile Doris runs to ‘door’.
Mabel sits down, looking grumpy)
(Doris comes back on with prominent envelope)
Wicked stepmother: That looks important – it must be for me (snatches and opens envelope)
Audience; BOO, BADDIE!
Wicked stepmother; Hmmm. An invitation to a party at the palace. Oh yes, the Prince is having a ball to find a wife.
Mabel: When?
Doris: and who can go?
Wicked step mother: It’s tonight, for all the ladies in the house. The Prince is looking for a girl to marry.
Cinderella: Can I come?
Wicked step mother: ( puts letter on the table) Don’t be ridiculous! He must mean me, Mabel and Doris. The Prince won’t know about you. You’ll stay here and get on with cleaning. Come on girls, we need to look at clothes (they start to leave)
Audience; BOO
(Cinderella picks up invitation and starts to read, ugly sisters come from behind and are about to pounce tograb it off her)
Audience: LOOK OUT (cued by conductor)?
Cinderella: It says everyone
Wicked step mother: be quiet you – don’t interfere. You’ve got too much work to do. You can’t come to the party. Come on Girls – let’s start planning what we will wear. One of you must marry the Prince.
And as for you, Cinderella, don’t just sit there; those boots need cleaning(Uglies and Wicked sweep out to boos and hisses)
Audience; BOO
enter Mabel with a big pot labelled ‘GLUE’. Mabel tiptoes towards the pile of washing
Conductor promptsAudience LOOK! BADDIE!
Cinderella looks round
Exit Mabel
(Cinderella on her own, exhausted by the empty grate)
Cinderella: I’m sad. I’m tired. I’m lonely. I want to go too.
Audience: aww, shame etc
enter good fairy
Good Fairy: Excuse me.
Cinderella: hello. Who are you? What’s your name?
Good fairy: I’m your good fairy. What’s the matter?.
Cinderella: I’m sad. I’m tired. I’m lonely. I want to go to the party. I want to meet the prince.
Good fairy: I’m your good fairy. I can help!
(good fairy waves her wand – lights go out, distractions etc)
(Lights come back up- Cinderella is transformed
Audience; HOORAY
Cinderella: I love it!
Good fairy: Cinderella, you shall go to the ball!
Audience: Hurray! Yes!
Good fairy; lets sing a song; come on everyone!
Intro= first line of ‘jingle bells’ the words are projected onto the screen;
All; you can go, you can go, you can go tonight
Oh what fun it is to go to the prince’s ball tonight,
OH
Don’t be slow, Don’t say No, you can go tonight
Oh what fun it is to go to the prince’s ball tonight!
Good fairy; But you must leave at midnight. Don’t be late; or your dress will disappear!
Cinderella: Thank you! goodbye!
(Cinderella and fairy exit)
Narrator: Goodness me! What a day! Lots going on! ( to the Dad) Have you taken any more photos? Lets have a look. (slide show with recap)
Narrator; Now, it’s time for the party. It’s time for everyone to get dressed up. Everyone look under your chair. What can you find? Let’s get ready!
Music; party ?dancing queen?
( audience dress up in hats etc meanwhile, the scene is changed to the palace.
scene four
Setting: Palace, decorated for a party. Some of the decorations are on the floor.
Characters: Prince Charming, Cinderella, Ugly sisters, wicked step mother. Friend, Host, other guests. All in party outfits
Music: party theme
Direction Notes: Prince charming and friend are on stage already. Party guests are at the side, ready to come on.
Narrator: At last, we’re all at the party. You all look great! Do you like our party?
Audience: YES!, hurray etc.
Host: (to guests on the edge of rows) What’s your name?
Cast guests come on to the stage, host asks them their name one by one.
Background music cues the first game.
Guest (Crystal) ; lets play
(All cast move into a circle. One round of pass the parcel with tubs of bubbles in each layer. Switch operated music .When the music stops the winner on stage takes a bubble pot out of their parcel and blows bubbles festively. There is a parcel to go round the audience as well; zigzagging along the rows. When that is empty, the game ends.)
Guest (Anthony) ; Oh No, the decorations have fallen down; come and help fix it up? (Everyone except the prince and cinders go to the back of the stage and blutak up the bunting or whatever)
Friend (to Prince) come and help with the decorations.
(Enter CinderellaNoone notices her except the Prince)
Prince; I don’t want to. I want to talk to that girl. She is beautiful.
Prince; you look nice.
Cinderella; What’s your name?
Prince; Prince charming
Cinderella; what do you do?
Prince; I’m a prince
Cinderella ; where do you live?
(prince gestures grandly to show that all this is his home)
Prince; who is in your family? (Cinderella points to wicked stepmother and ugly sisters. The clock begins to chime 12.Bigmac)
Cinderella; oh no! I need to go !
Prince; NO, stop! Can we have a chat?
Cinderella; Goodbye
(exit Cinderella)
prince is distraught; Oh no, I love her I want to marry that girl.
Audience; AWW shame
Dad in front row; ‘look, her slipper’
Prince; where etc
Audience; LOOK! etc (cued by conductor)
prince;(finds the slipper) that is no good
friend, no now we can find her; we can find the girl who can fit into this shoe
prince; I am going to come with you!
friend, OK
(EXIT friend and prince.The host and the remaining guests look at each other, shrug, and exit)
Narrator; phew, she just got away in time there. Hey,(to Dad) did you get any photos of the party? (Recap as before.)
Narrator; Oh look; who is this coming now!?
Scene change;
(Meanwhile da da da trumpeter processes through the audience followed by the Prince, followed by Friend carrying slipper on a cushion and finally the herald.
Herald makes the proclamation (step by step) ‘ hear ye hear he; the prince is looking for the girl he met at the ball. Every girl in the kingdom can try this slipper on. Whoever fits this slipper will marry the prince’
Friend offers people in the audience the chance to try the slipper...
Prince, trumpeter and friend wait at the side of the front (as if outside the door))
scene five
Scene setting music= kitchen theme
characters; prince, trumpeter, friend, ugly sisters, stepmother, Cinderella, fairy
the kitchen; chairs and table; an additional basket with dirty washing up.
sisters have got hangovers disgruntled and bossy. smeared makeup
sister 1Doris ;I’m tired, my feet hurt.
Sister 2 Mabel; your hair looks bad
Sister 1;my hair is fine
Sister 2 oh no its not
Sister 2. oh yes it is
Audience oh no its not (cued by conductor)
enter mother (all excited, has heard the proclamation)
Audience; BOO
Wicked stepmother; quiet you lot! Girls; quick tidy up, get busy, the prince is coming. your feet might be too big; what will I do; I need to make your feet small so they will fit in that slipper. Will I use this? (produces the bread knife and approaches sister 1)
audience shout NO, (cued by the conductor)
(wicked step mother picks up a pair of garden shears),
audience shout NO, (cued by the conductor)
(wicked stepmother picks up the wood axe)
audience shout NO, (cued by the conductor)
Prince ; AHEM, (Stepmother looks round, sees him. Looks shocked, drops tools)
(Friend offers the slipper. Sisters jostle to be first to try the slipper. Both try, without success)
Sister 2 Mabel; I’ve got an idea (sprays WD40)
Friend; It’s no good
Sister 2 Mabel; I’ve got an idea
(she fetches the transparent plastic box with ‘water’ and plastic goldfish like a fish pedicure. Doris hoists up her skirts ready to put her foot in the box)
Friend NO, time to go, goodbye.
(Prince looks depressed and disappointed, also about to leave)
Good fairy; have you really tried everyone??
Friend ; is there anyone else??
(Cinderella modestly working in a corner. Looking longingly at the prince and the slipper)
Audience YES! LOOK!
Friend looks wrong way, repeat, then sees her
(Friend presents her with the slipper. Cinderella tries it on)
Friend; It fits! You must be the girl from the Ball,
Audience; YES
Prince(turns round); It’s you! I am happy. will you marry me?
Cinderella; YES
Audience HOORAY
Good fairy; well done! Lets sing a song, come on everyone!
Intro = a line of ‘happy birthdayto you’
the words are projected on the screen:
All;
Happy Wedding to you, happy wedding to you
Cinderella got her fella
Happy Wedding to you!
(Confetti cannon /Switch operated fan and a helper to distribute confetti?)
Prince; Come to the wedding. You are all invited.