ACT 1

SCENE 1 (Sample of Scene Only)

JACK: What a beautiful day, the sun is shinning, the birds are singing, a perfect day for an adventure, a perfect day to fight dragons, rescue damsels and find lost treasures, a perfect day for brave heroes like me.

VILLAGER 1: You’re not brave.

VILLAGER 2: You run at the first sign of danger.

VILLAGER 1: Prince Fredrick is brave.

VILLAGER 2: And good looking.

JACK: I’m brave and good looking too.

VILLAGER 1: Name one time you’ve been brave.

JACK: That’s easy, there was the time that little girl had fallen down the well and I bravely…

VILLAGER 2: …ran and got Prince Fredrick.

JACK: Well there was the time when that boy fell in the river and he couldn’t swim so I bravely…

VILLAGER 1: …ran and got Prince Fredrick.

JACK: Well what about the time that giant came into town and started threatening to eat everyone up, I bravely…

VILLAGERS 1+2: …ran and got Prince Fredrick.

JACK: Well every hero’s got to have a sidekick.

VILLAGER 1: Yes, but why are they all so utterly useless.

JACK: I suppose they’re right, I am a coward, I try to be brave like the prince but every time I see danger I go weak at the knees and…(notices AUDIENCE. Cringes) oh lots of people! (JACK slowly opens eyes and looks at AUDIENCE.) Wait a minute you’re not scary at all, in fact you look quite friendly. Must be having the audience from (local town) another night then. Well I suppose I should introduce myself. My name’s Jack and I live over there (points to DAISY’S shop.) at Daisy Chain’s Flower Shop. She’s my mum and I work for her with my sister Aurora. Well, I work when I can’t get out of it, I’d much rather be off having adventures than working in some silly flower shop. The thing is I’m not really brave enough for adventures. Tell you what, you can all give me moral support, every time I come on if you shout out some sort of battle cry it might help me to be more brave. (Thoughtfully) Now what could we shout? I know, when I come on I’ll shout out "what do we say to villains?" and you can all shout back "come and have a go if you think you’re hard enough". Will you do that?

AUDIENCE: Yes.

JACK: Great, let’s have a practice. (JACK exits then runs back on.) What do we say to villains?

AUDIENCE: Come and have a go if you think you’re hard enough.

JACK: Well that was rubbish, that’s not going to motivate me at all, we’ll give it one more try. (JACK exits then runs back on again.) What do we say to villains?

AUDIENCE: Come and have a go if you think you’re hard enough.

JACK: That’s better, that should help me to be brave, no one will stand in my way now. (Whilst JACK is speaking AURORA enters from shop and stands behind JACK.) There’s no danger I can’t face, nothing can scare me now, I’m so fearless…(AURORA puts her hand on JACK’S shoulder.) ah, mummy!

AURORA: What are you doing?

JACK: Oh, it’s you Aurora, not that I was scared, I was just taking on a defensive posture.

AURORA: You’re supposed to be helping me in the shop, mother will go spare if she finds you hanging around out here.

JACK: I wasn’t hanging around, I was saying hello to all the boys and girls. (to AUDIENCE) This is my sister Aurora, she’s a little goody two shoes, she always does what she’s told.

AURORA: Unlike you who never does what he’s told.

JACK: Well it’s boring working in a flower shop, I want to be commanding armies, battling the forces of evil, defending the realm from vicious monsters.

AURORA: Then why don’t you join the Royal Guard?

JACK: Couldn’t do that they use swords and stuff, have you seen them, those things are sharp you could cut yourself.

AURORA: Oh Jack, you’re so useless.

JACK: Prince Fredrick doesn’t think I’m useless, he said that I was very helpful when that girl fell down the well.

AURORA: Yes, you kept out of the way. And why haven’t you introduced me to Prince Fredrick yet, you know I want to meet him.

JACK: He wouldn’t be interested in you, you’re just a girl and besides he’ll be marrying the princess.

AURORA: But nobody has ever met the princess, how does he know what she’s like?

JACK: Well she’ll probably be gorgeous, most princesses are.

DAISY: (offstage) Jack!

JACK: Oh no, it’s mum she’ll kill me if she finds me not working. Help me sis!

AURORA: (sighs) Okay, go and hide behind the flowers over there.

DAISY: Jack! Oh, where is that useless layabout, I’ll give him a good hiding when I get my hands on him. (to AURORA) Oh hello dear, have you seen that brother of yours?

AURORA: Er, no mother.

DAISY: (suspiciously) Really? I know you Aurora, you’ve covered for him before, I don’t know why you do it, you just give yourself more work to do. What are you doing out here anyway dear?

AURORA: (gesturing to AUDIENCE) Talking to these lovely people.

DAISY: (notices AUDIENCE) Oh, hello. If I’d known we were going to have company I would have put my best hair on. Allow me to introduce myself, my name’s Daisy Chain and I own the shop just over there. It was left to me by my late husband who had a very untimely demise. You see, he was in the middle of decorating the kitchen at the time, I had to finish it off myself. Lou his name was, Lou Chain. I pulled him in a night club, he’d been dancing so he was all flushed. He invited me to a party you know, though he wasn't very romantic when he asked me, he just said do you want to go to a ball cock, so I said well if you in-cistern. (laughs) Well that’s enough toilet humour for one night, anymore and the whole pantomime could go down the pan, it is a family show after all. This is my lovely daughter Aurora by the way, isn’t she beautiful? She gets that from me you know. Well not really, she’s adopted, or rather thrust upon me in middle of the night nearly eighteen years ago. She was nothing more than a tiny baby then, but I brought her up as my very own and as you can see she’s grown up into a beautiful young lady. Reminds me of myself when I was that age. Enjoy the figure whist it lasts kid, come forty it’ll be sticking out in all sorts of places.

JACK: Ow!

DAISY: And what are you up to young man?

JACK: Nothing.

DASIY: Exactly, you’re supposed to be helping in the shop. (lets go of ear) I don’t know where you get your laziness from, certainly not from me I love working with flowers. From a very early age I realised I had green fingers.

JACK: (muttering) Yeah, so did the Incredible Hulk. (DAISY hits JACK across back of head.) Ow!

DAISY: Cheeky little monkey. Now listen carefully the pair of you. As you know tomorrow is the eighteenth birthday of our princess and for the first time ever she will be revealed to the world.

AURORA: But won’t that mean the Fairy Queen will then know who she is?

DAISY: Well yes, but the thing is the curse that she put upon the princess will be lifted the day she turns eighteen. Now as you know Prince Fredrick is betrothed to the princess even though he’s never met her, so he’ll be coming here to buy her a big bunch of flowers shortly so I want big smiles for the royal visit. Now remember, if we do a good job here today we just might get to do the flowers for the royal wedding as well.

AURORA: How wonderful.

DAISY: Well the money we’ll get for it will be. Aurora, you can keep an eye on things out here and Jack, I want you inside where I can keep an eye on you.

AURORA: I wonder who the princess is, she could be anyone, just imagine going through your life like any other normal person and then suddenly finding out you’re princess. It must be wonderful, though I’m not sure I’d want to marry someone I’d never met, although Prince Fredrick is supposed to be good looking and ever so brave. But that’s not the life for me, I’m happy just being an ordinary girl.

SONG 2 Song and dance, AURORA and CHILDREN.

Well I suppose I’d better get on with my work or Jack will not be the only one in trouble with mother.

GAVIN: Excuse me.

AURORA: Yes, may I help you?

GAVIN: I was told you were the one to talk to about buying some flowers. Are you Daisy Chain?

AURORA: Oh no, she’s my mother, my name’s Aurora.

GAVIN: It’s a pleasure to meet you Aurora, my name’s Prince Gavin.

AURORA: Who?

GAVIN: Prince Gavin.

AURORA: I’m sorry, I’ve never heard of you.

GAVIN: Don’t worry about it I get it all the time, you’ve probably heard of my brother though, most people have, he’s Prince Fredrick.

AURORA: Oh Prince Fredrick’s brother, yes I heard he had one, although I didn’t know your name.

GAVIN: Don’t worry about it.

AURORA: I wasn’t.

GAVIN: Oh.

AURORA: So what’s the occasion?

GAVIN: I’m sorry?

AURORA: The flowers you want to buy, what are they for?

GAVIN: Oh they’re for Fredrick to give to the princess.

AURORA: (disappointed) But I thought he was coming to pick them up himself?

GAVIN: He was going to but he thinks buying flowers is…

FREDRICK: (offstage) Sissy! (FREDRICK strides on stage right and strikes a pose.) Buying flowers is sissy. At least I thought it was till I laid eyes upon the bit of crumpet selling them. Come on Gavin, don’t hog the wealth, introduce me to the filly.

GAVIN: Yes of course. Aurora, this is my brother Prince Fredrick, Fredrick this is Aurora.

AURORA: Your Highness.

FREDRICK: Please to meet you with a capital phaw. Now why don’t you step over here and tell me what my breath tastes like.

AURORA: Excuse me?

FREDRICK: Give us a kiss hot lips and let us raise the temperature in this wintry little town.

AURORA: I beg your pardon?

FREDRICK: I say Gavin you picked a thick one here, (emphasises words) give us a snog sweetheart.

AURORA: (outraged) I will do no such thing! Your brother is not at all what I expected Prince Gavin, I’ve never been so insulted in all my life.