Synopsis
The traditional tale of ‘Princess and the Pea’ is given a new twist where West meets East in the desert sands of a mysterious Arabian town called Siladabab.
Thinking that the Demon is safely locked up and imprisoned in a magical dungeon, the immortal fairy, Daisy White, thinks she will not be needed this Christmas, so she decides to go on holiday to Arabia. However, unbeknown to the fairy, the demon has escaped and in order to put as many miles as he can between the meddlesome fairy and himself, he has inadvertently arrived in the desert too.
As birds of a feather flock together, it is hardly surprising that the Demon releases Suleiman, a mighty evil Genie, from a glass bottle buried in the sands. Shahrazad, a good Genie, has been imprisoned in a magical ring and, of course, Fairy White, is duty bound to release her. The scene is set for not one, but two sets of immortals from different cultures, to lock horns, but good must always triumph over evil.
Aided by sorcery, Suleiman pretends to be the Sultan of Siladabab. He cruelly orders that the town square must be cleared of all property forthwith. This is so that he can locate the secret doorway so that he can gain access into the Pyramid of Surprises. Once inside the secret chamber he must find the Chalice of Secrets to steal the forbidden secrets of ‘Akabar the Invincible’, a powerful genie from the past.
Sparks fly and nonsense ensues, when Dame Salami Pants is given her marching orders by the incompetent ‘Broker’s Men’, Mustaphawee and Mustaphapoo. They have been sent by the surrogate Sultan, to forcibly evict her from her ramshackle home, which has been precariously built in the shadow of the Pyramid of Surprises.
This is an imaginative tale involving, magical flying carpets, spells, pyramids, secret passages, a mummy, a bazaar, a gorilla, a lion, a puppet parrot, and a particularly touchy camel. However, no pantomime would be complete without its traditional ‘love at first sight’ element. This is lovingly provided by Prince Al-Rashid and Princess Aisha, who after many trials and tribulations are finally destined to be together. With the immortals despatched, the Princess has one final test to pass, a night sleeping with a single dried pea hidden under her mattress. Once the pea episode has been satisfactorily played out, the lovers are free to marry and live happily ever after! |