E S Carlson

The Evil Stepmother vs. Snow White E S Carlson

What if, instead of using spells, potions and magic, a wicked witch hired an attorney instead? That's the premise of the legal fairy tale play "The Evil Stepmother v. Snow White." Many familiar characters inhabit this modern day Fairy Tale Land, including Red Riding Hood and Big Bad Wolf as co-newscasters and Thumbelina as the presiding judge. The story begins when Snow White makes a commercial for Poison Proof Apples, implying that she'd been poisoned by her stepmother. This would not have been a problem if the stepmother had actually died in the fall off the cliff. Unfortunately, not only did the Evil Stepmother survive, she'd also become the sole owner of the only television station, radio station and newspaper in Fairy Tale Land. Fearing the damage to her business reputation, the stepmother sues Snow White for slander and libel and uses the media to attempt to sway public opinion. Despite this, Snow White has a strong case, until her star witnesses are sabotaged on the eve of the trial and even the Fairy Godmother Institute is unavailable. Since this is Fairy Tale Land, of course everything turns out okay. This play has 21 parts available, and can be easily adapted for smaller groups. It is about an hour long and is suitable for middle school and perhaps high school theater classes- although grown-ups have been known to enjoy it, too.