This year’s Grade 5 class play exposed the trials and tribulations of all the fairy tales characters you thought you knew, in The Fairy Kingdom Trial!
As the curtains rose, the audience found themselves witness to the trial of the century, as young Goldilocks and her sister Sonnylocks have been accused of breaking and entering, stealing, and destruction of private property at the home of the Bear Family, well-respected forest dentists and fire marshals.
Are Goldilocks and Sonnylocks guilty or innocent? Are they selfish and destructive trespassers, as charged (and evidenced by a broken chair, stolen porridge, slept-in beds, and a broken door)? Or are they mere victims of fear and doubt, and instead merely innocent children, lost and terrified in the wild, deep dark woods? Their unexpected defender, Abel Bear (who is definitely NOT a baby), is the first to come to their aid, pointing out that the broken chair was actually from Ikea, so really its fate was a foregone conclusion.
The court of public opinion continues to turn in Goldilocks and Sonnylocks’ favor, as further characters take the stand. Witch Hazel, it turns out, makes great gingerbread, but has terrible eyesight, and her testimony against the sisters falls as flat as her cookies. Another case of mistaken identity occurs from Mr. and Mrs. Wolf, who mistook two other children wearing red capes for the children on trial— apparently unable to discern the difference between human children, except perhaps by taste. Grumpy and Sneezy come next, though they can’t be bothered to talk about anyone but Snow White.
Molly and Myles Muffet take the witness stand, two tuffet-testers, who at first seem as though they’ll be as unhelpful as the other witnesses, able to focus only on their love for curds and whey and their hatred of spiders. Soon, however, they reveal the truth of the matter, having once found the siblings asleep in their own beds! But upon waking up, the two apologized, and they all became fast friends! “What helpful, kind children they are”, share Molly Muffett and Brother Myles, “They even went to Home Depot to replace the Bear’s broken door, and they replaced the broken chair with a tuffet!”
Finally, Goldilocks and Sonnylocks are given the chance to explain themselves, revealing that their house is full of elves who work all hours of the night, hammering away! Seeking a quiet place to sleep, they came upon an abandoned cabin in the woods, ate some delicious porridge, and promptly fell asleep— only to be woken up by the angry bears! Terrified, they ran straight through the door, knocking it off its hinges. With the truth revealed, the Bear family drops the charges, and they all live happily ever after!
But justice never rests, and soon it’s time to begin the trial of Cinderella vs The Evil Stepsisters, who have been accused of overworking their sister Cinderella, withholding food, and forcing her to sleep on the floor!
Eye witness accounts are shared, from the Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe and her husband, who attempt to defend Cinderella, but are deemed unreliable witnesses when they’re unable to identify photos of their own children. Next, the Fairy Godmother, (and Human Resources for the Queen) takes the stand to share her concerns of employee mistreatment on the part of the stepsisters, a claim that is substantiated by Gus and Jack the mice who live beneath the floors.
Despite their attempts to play sweet and innocent, claiming that Cinderella has concocted the story only to sell to magazines and newspapers, the evil stepsisters are unable to hold back their true colors, and the truth of their cruel treatment and exploitation of poor Cinderella becomes clear. The jury is unanimous in their condemnation of the evil stepsisters, and another “happily ever after” conclusion is achieved!
Thank you to Sharisse Cail Perry for her work on costumes, Dan Miller for his work on the scenery, and music by Maeve Lien and Valerie Snow! Thank you, Ms. Sidoli, for adapting the play and directing our DCD plays! And, of course, thank you to all of our Grade 5 teachers and parents for your support in this play, and to our Grade 5 performers for another wonderful performance!
