The Grimm World

A lively Minstrel stands onstage with a lute ready to entertain and speaking to the audience as they enter the theatre. A young Boy sits in the audience looking at him with admiration, ready for an unforgettable tale. The Boy asks the Minstrel to tell several classic stories, but the Minstrel strikes each suggestion down, telling the Boy that he is still too young for those stories. Finally the Boy uses the audience’s response as leverage and coaxes the Minstrel into beginning a very important story.

He introduces two children, Hansel and Gretel, who have been sent into the woods by their father, a Huntsman, at the suggestion of their hateful Stepmother. Hansel assures his sister that they will be safe as he lays down several white stones so that the two might find their way back. But his clever solution was met once again by their evil Stepmother’s wrath; they are sent into the woods after being locked in their room with only food and water. This time Hansel leaves breadcrumbs, but they are soon eaten by birds. The two siblings are left alone and lost.

A Prince enters with his servant Henry, who is carrying the young Snow White. The Prince suggests that the two children visit the cottage of the Seven Dwarves for help, then leaves. As the two children make their way, they find a young Princess who is playing with a golden ball. Hansel accidentally throws the Princess’s ball into a well and she is distraught.

A Frog Prince hears her crying and comes to help. He fishes out the ball from the well and asks for a kiss in return. The Princess ignores his requests and runs off with her ball as the Frog Prince hops after her.

The Minstrel begins to tell the Boy the story of Snow White (after he asks about the women that Henry the servant was carrying). He explains about the evil Stepmother and her Magic Mirror and how Snow White (via another Huntsman), was driven to the woods. Snow White hears some crying by a near by tree and finds Cinderella crying by her mother’s memorial.

The action switches to Cinderella’s story, as we see her cleaning up after her two Stepsisters. The town is invited to the ball that the Prince will be throwing, and Cinderella is forced to pick up lentils out of the ash in the fireplace (an impossible task given her time limit) in order to be allowed to go. With the help of some birds, she manages to complete the task, but her Stepmother still wouldn’t let her attend.

Meanwhile, Snow White has come across the cottage of the Seven Dwarves, who take her in to keep her safe.

The young Princess has gone home to her castle and tells her father, the King, about how she nearly lost her golden ball.

Hansel and Gretel have found their way to the gingerbread house, where they are locked in cages by an old Witch. Gretel ends up saving them both by tossing the Witch into the oven and they leave, picking up a sack of gold coins on their way out.

The Frog Prince has found his way to the castle of the King and her daughter. The King forces his daughter to accept the Frog as a guest because he retrieved her golden ball. She ends up touching the Frog and he turns into a Prince. The two fall in love and agree to get married.

Snow White is found out by her Stepmother, who attempts to kill her several times while visiting in disguise. Finally, the Stepmother succeeds and puts her into a deep, sleepy, almost-dead state by using a poisoned apple. The Prince comes with Henry, and the two of them decide to take Snow White and try to revive her. That is when the Prince, Henry, and Snow White crossed paths with Hansel and Gretel (see earlier).

Meanwhile Cinderella makes it to the ball with the help of her magic tree and dances with the Prince the entire evening. She runs off to make her midnight deadline, and the next day, the Prince searches the town using the glass slipper that she had left. He finds Cinderella and commits to marrying her.

Hansel and Gretel find their father, who has separated from the evil Stepmother.

Snow White wakes up, and the Prince explains that he has moved on to Cinderella, his B-plan. Snow white commits to spending her life with the recently separated Huntsman. The Frog Prince and the Young girl are smitten with each other. The three couples get married and everyone lives happily ever after.