Princess Never Laughs.

Storyteller 1: Once upon a time there lived a Tsar. His kingdom was very big and rich – full of forests, seas and rivers, and his people were good and liked him. His Palace was full of gold and silver, but he was always sad and unhappy for his dear daughter never laughed or smiled. So people called her Princes Never Laughs.

Storyteller 2: She had everything: beauty, wonderful dresses, splendor, but, she never smiled or laughed, as if her heart couldn’t be happy… It hurt her father to see his only daughter always sad and gloomy.

Storyteller 1: He opened the chamber of his Palace, inviting all and everyone to visit them and be dear guests.

Tsar: Let them try to cheer her up. He, who makes Princess laugh, will marry her.

Storyteller 2: As soon as the people heard his words, they started to come to the Palace from far and near. They crowded at the gates. Noblemen came and boyars, merchants and ordinary people.

Под музыку выходит первый претендент на руку царской дочери – испанский принц в черном плаще и черной шляпе, с гитарой. Позади него две испанки танцуют под мелодию песни, исполняемой принцем. Царевна недовольна и принц со словами «Каррамба!» уходит и уводит танцовщиц.

Следом за ним на сцену, под фоновую восточную мелодию, выходит восточный принц с корзинкой. Исполнив обильные восточные поклоны он под звуки музыки вызывает из корзинки танцующую змею. Царевна визжит от страха, а затем плачет:

Princess: How silly he is. I don’t like these tricks! Go away! Oh, my God! How dull it is! Oh, my father! Why must I look at these men! I don’t like them. They are very dull.

Tsar: my daughter, be kind to these noble men!

Princess: I don’t want to! I don’t want to! I don’t want to! They will kill me with there tricks! Take them away.

Tsar: Don’t cry my little rose! Go away all of you! Leave my little daughter alone!

Storyteller 1: Feasts began with music and presents, tarts, pies and honey, but Princess didn’t smile or laugh… Not a single time…

Storyteller 2: At the other end of their kingdom lived a simple peasant. He worked hard from day to night. In the morning he swept and cleaned the yard, chopped wood and brought water and in the evening he drove in the cattle. His master paid him well for his work at the end of each year.

Иван усердно работает по дому, колет дрова, носит воду из колодца.

          Storyteller 1: So, the year ended and the master gave him a big coin. He took it and went to the well to drink before leaving. The earned coin slipped out of his hand and into the well. Nothing could be done – he had to work for one more year. He worked well and was again given a big coin at the end of the year.

Показать как монета падает в колодец.

Storyteller 2: And just as before he went to the well to drink and again the coin fell down into the well. He had to stay for the year… You should have seen how he worked! In other fields the wheat drooped; he looked after the horses and all the work about the house.

Иван работает усердно.

Storyteller 1: When the third year passed, his master gave him money again. He took the coin, went to the well to drink and suddenly saw that the previous two coins had floated up to the surface and third one was safe in his hand. He took them and decided to have a look at the world and to learn more about people. He went where his legs carried him.

Ivan: How happy I am! Now I am rich, rich, rich! I can buy everything. I can do everything. I want to have my own home and a lovely wife. And I shall find a pretty girl, I shall marry her.

Storyteller 2: As he crossed the field, he saw a mouse…

Mouse: Hello, nice fellow! Give me a coin – I shell help you some a day…

Ivan: Dear Mouse! I have been working for this money for three long years. And I want to spend this money on a house, my friends, and my wife.

Mouse: Bat I am so hungry! I want to have something to eat, maybe some bread, some apples or sweets. Give me something, please. When you are in difficult situation, I shall help you.

Ivan: But I have nothing except money. Take it, please. Be happy!

Storyteller 1: He gave her a coin. She thanked him and ran away. Soon the field ended and a big forest began. In the forest an old wolf came up to him.

Wolf: Hello, nice fellow! Where are you going? Can you help me? I shall help you next time.

Ivan: I’m going to find my happiness. I want to be very happy. And what do you want?

Wolf : I am too hungry and I want to have some meat, milk or sausage. Do you have anything to eat? Three days have passed and I didn’t have any food in my mouth. I have a stomachache now. I shall be ill s-o-o-on. Help me, please!

Ivan: But what can I do for you?

Stooping Beetle: A lot of useful things. You can give me cheese sandwiches and a basket of gold nuts. You can give me a bottle of milk. And I shall have this food with great pleasure!

Ivan: I don’t have anything to eat. No food. I’ve got only two big coins. Do you need them?

Stooping Beetle: I shall help you some day…

Storyteller 2: He gave him a coin and went on. Soon he saw a cool wide river and decided to walk along it. A cat came up  towards him and said…

Cat: Hello, nice fellow! Give me a coin and I shall help you one day.

Ivan: What for? I have only one coin. And I want to bay something for myself. I have been working for this money during three long years. But on my way I met a mouse. She asked me to help her and I gave her one coin. I went on and met the wolf . He was so hungry and unhappy and I gave him one coin, too.

Cat: But me children! They will die. They have a toothache, they need some medicine. If you give me your coin, I shall buy some pills and they will recover. So my family will be happy. Let me have a chance. I’ll treat my little sons and daughters.

Ivan: Poor things! Your children are so helpless. I shall help you with great pleasure.

Cat: Oh, thank you! A noble man! I am proud of you. Now my children won’t be in danger. Can I do anything for you? If you need my help, ask me for it.

Storyteller 1: Soon he came to a big city. He saw so many people, houses, doors! He stared and stared at them and didn’t know where to go! His attention was attracted to a beautiful palace, decorated with silver and gold. Suddenly he saw Princess Never Laughs. She was sitting at an open window looking straight at him.

Ivan: What a beautiful girl! How pretty she is! Her eyes are blue, her hair long and brown. I love her. I want to marry her.

Princess: Oh, my god! There is nothing to do! How unhappy I am! My father is always busy about his palace. And what can I do? I want to do something useful, but my father… He doesn’t let me do anything. It’s very dull! Father, come here!

Tsar: Yes my princess, my rose, my primrose, my snowdrop, my sweetheart, my lovely daughter! What can I do for you? Do you want to visit a foreign country? Do you want to have a sandwich or pancakes with black caviar? What do you want, my princess?

Princess: I want to help my nurses about the house! May I sweep the floor, wash windows in our palace or clean our carpets with a vacuum cleaner?

Tsar: Are you crazy? Don’t even think about it! You are a Princess. It’s not the kind of work you should do.

Princess: But I will! I will! I will!

Царя отзывает царица в сторону- подписать какой-то документ.

Storyteller 2: During this speech Ivan was looking at the Princess Never Laughs. He couldn’t turn his eyes away from her, so pretty she was! Then everything become dim in his eyes and he fell right into the mud.

Storyteller 1: Immediately the cat with its long tail appeared and the old wolf and the troubled mouse. They began to nurse and tend him: the mouse tried to take off his shirt, the wolf began to clean his tools, the cat scared away the flies…

Storyteller 2: Princess Never Laughs looked out and saw them attending him and suddenly… BEGAN TO LAUGH MARRILY!

Царь оборачивается , бросив все свои дела:

Tsar: Who??? Who?? Who? Who made my daughter laugh? Who is this noble man? I want to see him immediately.

Princess: Dad! Dear! How happy I am! It was that fellow down there! Just look at him… He is so nice… He is so handsome.

Storyteller 1: She pointed at the poor worker and began to laugh again, and again, and again…

Tsar: Nobody had made my lovely daughter laugh but you could, so I want you to marry her. You will have some pretty children. I will become their grandfather. I dream of grandsons and granddaughters every night. I want my dream to become true.

Storyteller 2: Ivan was immediately led into the palace and taken to the Tsar. And there he stood before the Tsar. And the Tsar kept his word and Ivan married the Tsar’s daughter. And they were happy and merry ever after!

Все актеры делают глубокий поклон.

                                                          The end