Can anyone stop the evil queen from killing Snow White and gaining total
control of everything?
The show uses the music of Beethoven.
In this version of the Snow White story, the Evil Queen, named Malexandria,
takes centre stage along with her human mirror and stylist, Cedric The
Hairdresser. After killing her
sister (the former queen and Snow White's mother), Malexandria marries the
widowed king and sets out to make herself the sole ruler of the kingdom.
First,
borrowing from the story of "The Emperor's New Clothes," she humiliates the king
by arranging for two confidence tricksters to fool the king into believing they
have magic cloth that is invisible to those who are stupid and impure of heart.
When he appears in public in his "new clothes", and people realize he is
naked, their respect for the king plummets while their respect for Malexandria
grows.
After killing the king with a poisoned apple and then throwing him from the high
window of their bedroom - telling people he had fallen from the window because
of drinking too much - Malexandria
then plots to kill off Snow White.
But Snow White is rescued by a rich prince who has been wandering the world as a
hunter, looking for someone who will love him for himself and not just because
he is a rich and handsome prince.
The story ends, naturally, with everyone living happily ever after.
Bernard J. Taylor
writes: I was always fascinated more by the evil queen in the Snow White story
than by Snow White herself (although I wanted Snow White to win in the end).
In this musical I give more prominence to the evil queen and combine the
story with elements from other traditional fairy tales by Hans Christian
Andersen, the Brothers Grimm, and others.
Some excerpts from reviews:
"The Evil Queen is a fantastic creation. I am dying to play her. The whole
libretto is very clever from start to finish." - Rebecca Greenstein, Opera
Manhattan.
"The libretto is enchanting and very clever. You are currently writing at your
best." - Professor Edward Figgins, Professor of Theatre, Ashland
University, Kentucky.
"A brilliant idea, brilliantly executed. Malexandria is terrific and having her
hairdresser as her mirror is an inspired creation." - Professor Hugh
McCracken, retired professor of literature at Youngstown University, Ohio,
USA.
"Hilarious, creepy, brilliant, great characters, great lyrics. The Evil Queen is
a great role and I love Cedric the Hairdresser. Beethoven’s music works so well
with the libretto." - Lindsay Saltsman, Ashland Theatre, Kentucky, who
sang the role of the Evil Queen on the first CD recording.
Please see Production Enquiries for
licensing contacts. Libretto, orchestrations and midi files are available upon
request; contact Bernard J. Taylor.