Young Patronesses of the Opera
In-School Opera Presents
LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD
a children’s opera in one act
by Seymour Barab
Little Red Riding Hood
A children’s opera in one act
By Seymour Barab
(Performance Duration: approximately 35 minutes)
CAST
Little Red Riding Hood
Grandmother
Wolf/Woodsman
Soprano
Mezzo Soprano
Baritone
Biography of the composer,
Seymour Barab
Seymour Barab was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1921, and at age thirteen, began his
professional career as a church organist. He later became a cellist in the school orchestra and after
graduation performed with a number of orchestras across the United States.
After he served in the military in World War II, Barab took advantage of the G.I. Bill to
spend a year in Paris, where he discovered his talents for musical composition. He produced over
two hundred art songs and other works in just one year. Barab’s love for musical theatre has made
his operas performed time and time again, especially his amusing children’s operas.
Seymour Barab has been bringing delight to audiences throughout his long career. He has
composed operas, instrumental works and some of the most beloved and frequently performed
operas for children the world over.
THE STORY LINE
Little Red Riding Hood begins with an overture (an introduction to the opera,
played by musical instruments, or simply a piano), and a prologue (a short narrative before the opera begins that gives some background to the show).
Scene 1: The Big Bad Wolf is very hungry.
The scene begins with the Big Bad Wolf entering the stage singing: When I meet somebody in the woods, I most politely greet him;
I tip my hat; we have a chat, but after that I eat him!
He is looking for Little Red Riding Hood, whom he heard about from a little boy he
ate for lunch. We learn many things about the Wolf as he begins the opera:
Right now I’m so hungry, I could almost eat grass- but alas-Anything that grows on the ground
Or a bush or a tree
Is sure to poison me
And what’s worse is the way I get a tummy-ache at the mere mention
Of candy (ugh) or ice cream (ech) or cake (ooooh)!
His mother taught him to not overeat, to brush his teeth twice a day and never to eat
anything but people.
Scene 2: The Forest
Little Red Riding Hood has been sent by her mother to Grandmother’s house
to bring food since her Grandma is not feeling well. Before she left, her Mother
warned her to hurry and not waste time by admiring the sunset, picking flowers,
and chasing little animals. Her Mother tells her to be very careful because there are
wild beasts, and it is dangerous to talk to strangers. But Little Red Riding Hood
quickly ignores every bit of her Mother’s advice.
No one should ever break a promise. I haven’t broken one in months.
That’s why I think it will be all right if I break my promise just this once.
While walking in the woods Little Red hears the birds. Suddenly, the Wolf appears.
He convinces Little Red Riding Hood that he isn’t a stranger, because although she
doesn’t recognize him, he knows who she is! The Wolf delays eating her until she
can give him the directions to Grandmother’s house. (After all, he’s very hungry
and could have a grand meal with two humans.)
She not only tells him where her Grandmother’s house is, she asked him to go ahead to
let Grandmother know she is not far behind. She wants to surprise her Grandmother with
fresh strawberries that she plans to pick. Little Red Riding Hood then begins to describe
the goodies she is carrying in her basket. With every word he hears (cinnamon bun,
cake, soda, a marshmallow puff, Bavarian ice cream, a cherry tart) the Wolf feels sicker
and sicker.
Curses! You’ve gone and ruined my appetite!
Now I can’t eat a single bit!
He runs off to Grandmother’s house as she stays to pick strawberries in the forest.
Scene 3: Grandmother’s House.
The scene opens with Grandma sick in bed. She sings about how she is not feeling
well and therefore she cannot do the things she does when she is well like singing and
dancing and visiting with company. Then, the Wolf knocks on the door. He tells her that
he is Little Red Riding Hood so that she will let him in. She doesn’t recognize the voice,
but he tricks her by saying he has a cold. She opens the door and immediately realizes her
mistake. She escapes being eaten by locking herself into a closet.
Little Red Riding Hood finally arrives at Grandmother’s house and she knocks on the
door. The Wolf leaps into the bed and pretends to be Grandma. Little Red Riding Hood
enters and questions the Wolf about his eyes, which are now brown instead of blue; his
ears, which look pointed and furry; and teeth, which seems ferocious.
Just as the Wolf is about to eat Little Red Riding Hood, her Grandmother comes out of
the closet to help save her. Now he has both of them and can have a tasty meal. Little
Red Riding Hood realizes that she made a mistake by not listening to her mother. She
shouldn’t have talked to a stranger and stopped to pick strawberries. The moment he hears
the word “strawberries”, the Wolf starts to get sick to his stomach. Little Red
Riding Hood and Grandmother soon have him on the run.
A Woodsman standing nearby puts an end to the Wolf was his ax. Grandmother realizes
that all the excitements has cured her. The Woodsman joins them as they sing
“Hallelujah... they have not been eaten... it is a happy ending”! Little Red Riding Hood
has learned her lesson -- Always obey your Mother, because, Mother Knows Best!
******
THE END
For Classroom discussion after seeing Little Red Riding Hood:
1. How is music important in this opera? Give examples of how the music lets you know what is happening, or how someone in the opera is feeling.
2. Why do you think the composer lets the audience watch the Wolf put on his
make-up at the beginning of the opera (in the Prologue)?
3.
Write the names of the characters and what they are doing at the beginning, the middle and the end of the story.
A. Beginning of the story: Describe what each character is doing as he/she
is introduced.
B. Middle or climax of the story. What is happening during the climax of
the story?
C. End (resolution) of the story. How is each character involved at the end
of the story?
4. How is the opera Little Red Riding Hood different from versions of the fairy tale
that most children know?
5. Fairy tales often have a moral, or a lesson that they are trying to teach. Does
Little Red Riding Hood have a moral? If so, what is it? Can you think of other
fairy tales and the morals they share?
Unscramble this message from the opera:
ethrom sawaly wonks tebs
Get Well Soon
Little Red Riding Hood was going to bring some goodies to her sick grandmother.
List some of the things she had in her basket. Are these things you give someone if
they were sick?
My Get Well Recipe
Discuss things that cheer you up when you are aren’t feeling well. Write your own
recipe to help someone feel better quickly.
A Basket of Goodies
Draw your own basket and fill it with things from your recipe above to make someone feel
better.
Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?
The wolf wasn’t really Little Red Riding Hood’s friend even though he was very
friendly. He pretended to be her friend to get information. Then he used the information to try and harm Grandma and Little Red.
Let’s write a verse for a song to help children to be careful in suspicious situations.
We can begin by writing some rhyming lines for the lyrics, (the words to a songs).
In poetry, when two lines rhyme with each other, they are called couplets. The first
pair is called the A rhyme. The next is called the B rhyme, and so on. Try to make
the rhyming couples have the same length.
Example:
When you play alone 5)
Use the telephone.
If you should be-come afraid,
Help is just a call away.
A (hint, count the syllables - this line has
A
B
B
How many syllables does the second and last lines have? ________________
Now, try to put your lyrics to music!
A
A
B
B
THE STORY
Fill in the missing words, then put them where they belong in the puzzle on the next page.
The Wolf is very _____________________. (15)
“The Next person I meet, I’ll eat”, said the ____________________. (12 down)
The Wolf’s mother had told him not to eat anything but ____________. (2)
Little Red was given advice to not speak to strangers by her ____________. (11)
Then she went to visit her __________________. (10)
In the forest, she hears ________________. (16)
She breaks her __________________ to her mother, (9)
When she stops to pick strawberries in the ________________. (12 across)
The Wolf hears about the goodies in her basket and loses his ___________. (6 down)
Then he rushes off to Grandmother’s ________________. (15 down)
Grandmother sings about being _______________. (14)
The Wolf plans to eat Grandmother for ________________, (13)
And then Little Red Riding Hood for _______________. (19)
To get into Grandmother’s house, the Wolf pretends to have a ______________. (7)
Grandmother hides in the _______________. (1)
Little Red Riding Hood asks the Wolf about his ___________, (3) ___________, (17)
and __________.(5 down)
When Little Red Riding Hood says that she ate ________________, (18)
The Wolf gets sick to his ____________. (4)
A Woodsmen kills the wolf with his _____________. (20)
Little Red Riding Hood learned the lesson to _____________ (8 across) her mother.
THE PUZZLE
HELP LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD FIND HER
GRANDMOTHER’S HOUSE
Opera Etiquette
Learn a little about the show.
Read the story before you go.
Wear your very nicest clothes,
No giant hats, hairdos, or bows.
Get there early, take your seat.
No noisy wrappers on what you eat.
No talking, singing, or loud snoring,
Even if you think it’s boring!
No photographing of the show
And taping is a real no-no.
Turn cell phones off, computers, too.
No texting till the show is through.
To make performers feel real proud
Applaud or yell, “Bravo!” real loud!
12
THE PUZZLE
THE MAZE
Unscramble this message
from the opera:
ethrom sawaly wonks tebs
Mother Always Knows Best
THE SOLUTIONS