CHARACTER PROFILES
THE BAKER
An ordinary working man who has lived an uneventful life, except for the fact that he and his wife have
not been able to conceive a child due to a magical spell. He is, in general, a warmhearted and responsible person.
BAKER
...You are not coming.
BAKER’S WIFE
I know you are fearful of the woods at night.
BAKER
The spell is on my house.
Only I can lift the spell,
The spell is on my house.
(Act One)
THE BAKER’S WIFE
A capable and determined woman. Above everything, she wishes to have a child. Though mostly a
practical person, she occasionally is distracted by romantic fantasies of others’ less ordinary lives.
If you know
What you want,
Then you go
And you find it
And you get it—
…
Do we want a child or not?
—And you give
And you bid
And you bargain,
Or you live
To regret it..
(Act One)
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THE WITCH
The rather unpleasant and angry next-door neighbor to the Baker and the Baker’s Wife. Once wronged
by the Baker’s parents, she has sought vengeance by placing a curse on their entire family. She is also
an overprotective and possessive adoptive mother to Rapunzel.
And your father cried
And your mother died,
When for extra measure—
I admit it was a pleasure—
I said, “Sorry,
I’m still not mollified.”
And I laid a little spell on them—
You too, son—
That your family tree
Would always be
A barren one…
(Act One)
RAPUNZEL
The now-grown baby the Witch kidnapped from the Baker’s parents. She has been kept in a tower and
away from the world for her entire life by the overprotective Witch, who she believes is her mother. She
spends her days mostly singing and brushing her very long hair.
Brushing my hair, combing my hair,
Only my mother and me and my hair—
Our little world is perfect—
(Act One)
CINDERELLA
A beautiful, pure, and kind young woman whose beloved mother has died. She serves her father’s new
wife and her two stepsisters, who constantly pick on and abuse her physically and emotionally. She has
one wish: to go to the Festival.
Mother said to be good,
Father said to be nice,
That was always their advice
So be nice, Cinderella,
Good Cinderella,
Nice good good nice—
(Act One)
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CINDERELLA’S STEPMOTHER
A beautiful woman who is motherly and loving to her two daughters-by-birth, but inexplicably cold and
cruel to her stepdaughter Cinderella.
CINDERELLA
Now may I go to the Festival?
CINDELLA’S STEPMOTHER
The Festival!
Darling, those nails!
Darling, those clothes!
...
Darling, with those,
You’d make us the fools of the Festival
And mortify the Prince!
(Act One)
LUCINDA & FLORINDA
Cinderella’s stepsisters. Both are cruel to Cinderella and in competition with one another. Both want to
marry princes.
FLORINDA
Hurry up and do my hair, Cinderella!
(To LUCINDA)
Are you really wearing that?
LUCINDA
(Pointing to her sleeve)
Here, I found a little tear, Cinderella!
(To FLORINDA, eyeing her hair)
Can’t you hide it with a hat?
CINDERELLA
You look beautiful.
FLORINDA
I know.
LUCINDA
She means me.
(Act One)
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CINDERELLA’S PRINCE & RAPUNZEL’S PRINCE
Brother princes. Both are very handsome and very vain. The former seeks Cinderella after encountering her at the Festival, while the latter searches for Rapunzel after hearing her singing from her tower.
Both enjoy the pleasures afforded bachelor princes, but agonize over the odd challenges.
CINDERELLA’S PRINCE
Did I abuse her
Or show her disdain?
Why does she run from me?
If I should lose her,
How shall I regain
The heart she has won from
me?
Agony!—
...
RAPUNZEL’S PRINCE
High in her tower,
She sits by the hour,
Maintaining her hair.
Blithe and becoming,
And frequently humming
Alighthearted air:
Ah-ah-ah-ah–ah-ah–ah—
Agony!—-
JACK
A poor, innocent, simple, and inexperienced boy on the verge of manhood. His best friend is his cow,
which he must sell. He often disappoints his mother.
I guess this is goodbye, old pal.
You’ve been a perfect friend.
I hate to see us part, old pal.
Someday I’ll buy you back.
I’ll see you soon again.
I hope that when I do,
It won’t be on a plate.
(Act One)
JACK’S MOTHER
Jack’s mother. She is a practical, no-nonsense person who is always worried about money, her home,
and her son’s daydreaming.
Chimney stack
Starting to crack,
The mice are getting bolder,
The floor’s gone slack
Your mother’s getting older
Your father’s not back,
And you can’t just sit here dreaming pretty dreams.
(Act One)
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MILKY-WHITE
Jack’s old, yet beloved, cow, who is no longer able to produce milk.
JACK
...Milky-White is my best friend in the whole world!
JACK’S MOTHER
Look at her!
There are bugs on her dugs.
There are flies in her eyes
There’s a lump on her rump
Big enough to be a hump!
(Act One)
THE WOLF
A cunning, hungry, and nondiscriminating wolf.
Hello, little girl,
What’s your rush?
You’re missing all the flowers.
The sun won’t set for hours,
Take your time.
(Act One)
LITTLE RED RIDINGHOOD
A polite, yet demanding adolescent girl. She knows the right path, but doesn’t always stay on it.
I wish—
It’s not for me,
It’s for my Granny in the woods…
A loaf of bread, please,
To bring to my poor old hungry
Granny in the woods…
Just a loaf of bread, please…
And perhaps a sticky bun?...
Or four?...
And a few of those pies,
Please...
(Act One)
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THE MYSTERIOUS MAN
If we told you then it wouldn’t be a mystery! He is a man encountered deep within the woods, who appears and disappears and speaks in riddles. He may be more entwined in the lives of the other characters than he might at first appear.
When I first appear, I seem mysterious. But when explained, I am nothing
serious.
(Act One)
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