Revised Rumpelstiltskin

Rumpelstiltskin

A readers theater

Parts:

Narrator

Rumpel

Miller’s Daughter- Lulu/Queen

Miller

King

Narrator:  Once upon a time and very far away, there lived a Miller and his beautiful daughter.  One day on his way to town, the Miller happened to pass the King in his coach.  Wanting to impress the king, the Miller rode up and spoke to him.

Miller:  Good morning, your majesty!  Might I interest you in my fine corn flour? 

King:  My servants buy my food, Miller, I don’t have time for you.

Miller:  Of course, majesty.  Pardon me, but have you ever seen anyone as beautiful as my daughter?  There she is, standing in yonder field.

Narrator:  The king glanced over and smiled. 

King:  She is lovely, Miller.  Now we must be on our way.

Miller:  She is not only lovely, my King, but she has a secret talent. 

King:  What is that?

Miller:  She can spin straw… into gold!

King:  What?  She can spin straw into gold?  I don’t believe it.

Miller:  It’s true, your highness!  She spins the most beautiful golden thread.  I know your highness has been seeking a beautiful bride, and my daughter would be the most wonderful wife.  And with this talent of hers, she would also make you the richest king in all the land!

Narrator:  The Miller hadn’t really stopped to think about what he was saying.  He was very excited to be speaking to the King, and he really did have a beautiful daughter, but she did not have that magical talent. 

King:  If what you say is true, I will marry your daughter.

Miller:  gulp!

King:  Bring her to my castle this evening and we shall see if she can spin straw into gold.  If she can, she shall be my wife!

Miller: (BOWING) Of course, your majesty.  Of course.

Narrator:  The King rode away and the Miller turned back toward home to speak with his daughter. 

Lulu:  You told the King I could spin straw into gold?  Father, he’ll kill us both when he finds out you lied to him!  Oh what shall I do?

Narrator:  The daughter was frightened and the Miller was too, but they had no choice. She had to go to the castle.  She packed their bags and left home. 

Lulu:  Goodbye, Father. 

Narrator: When she arrived at the castle, she was shown to a little room, filled with straw from the floor to the ceiling.

King:  You have until morning to spin all of this straw into gold.  If you cannot do it, you will be put to death.  If you can do it, though, I will make you my Queen.

Narrator:  The King left Lulu in the room and she heard the door being locked from the outside.

Lulu:  Oh my! (CRYING) What shall I do?  I cannot spin straw into gold!  Boo hoo!  Boo hoo!

Narrator:  Next to the girl suddenly appeared a little old man wearing brightly colored clothes and little shoes that curled upward.  He was the strangest thing Lulu had ever seen.

Rumpelstiltskin:  Good lady tell why

you sob and you cry

The hour it is late

tell me,

what is your fate?

Lulu:  Gasp!  Where did you come from?  Who are you?

Rumpel:  Who I am does not matter

But you I will flatter

If you tell me your tale

I’ll help without fail

Lulu:  Well, you see, my father told the King I could spin straw into gold, and if I don’t do it, I’ll die in the morning and I just don’t know what to do! Boo hoo!

Rumpel:  Magic spinning indeed?

It is me that you need!

I will spin it to gold,

Pure and bright to behold.

What will you give

In order to live?

Lulu:  What about my ring?  It’s very pretty and would look nice on your long, thin fingers.

Rumpel:  Perfect!  We will trade,

A good deal we have made.

Narrator:  Rumpelstiltskin pulled a pile of straw over to the spinning wheel and sat down.  Lulu lay on her cloak and watched the wheel spin and spin, faster and faster, until she fell sound asleep.  In the morning, she woke to hear a rooster crowing and to her amazement, the room was filled, floor to ceiling with shiny golden thread.  The little man was gone.  A smile came to her face as she heard the door being unlocked.

King:  Good morning, Miller’s daughter.  I see you have completed the task!  Come with me, I have another, larger room filled with straw.  If you spin it to gold tonight, I shall let you live to become my Queen!

Narrator:  That night, the King locked Lulu in large room filled floor to ceiling with straw.  Again, Lulu sat down and cried.

Lulu:  Oh, poor me, poor me!  What shall I do?

Rumpel:  More straw to be spun?

I’m here for some fun!

I will spin it to gold,

Pure and bright to behold.

What will you give

In order to live?

Lulu:  What about my necklace?  It came from a land far away across the sea.

Rumpel:  Perfect!  We will trade,

A good deal we have made.

Narrator:  Rumpelstiltskin again spun and spun and Lulu fell asleep.  In the morning, the King came into the room

King:  I see you have spun this straw into gold, even finer than the first!  I will take you to one last room, the biggest room in the castle.  If you can spin all the straw in the room to gold, in the morning, I shall marry you and you will be Queen.  If you cannot, then you will die.

Narrator:  That night, when the King locked Lulu in the room, the little man was waiting for her. 

Lulu:  Oh, little man, will you help me one last time?  If the straw becomes gold tonight, tomorrow I will become Queen!

Rumpel:  More straw to be spun?

I’m here for some fun!

I will spin it to gold,

Pure and bright to behold.

What will you give

In order to live?

Lulu:  Oh, me.  Oh my.  I have nothing left.  I have given you my ring.  I have given you my necklace.  I have no other treasures.  But tomorrow, I will be Queen and I will give you anything you desire.

Rumpel: You have nothing to trade,

No deal can be made.

Unless…

Your first child you will give

In return, you will live.

Lulu:  Hmm… (TO HERSELF)  Who knows if I will ever have a child? If I don’t promise him, he won’t help me and I will die.  If I help him, I will live and marry a King.  I will worry about the trade when the time comes.  (TO RUMPEL) I agree to your price.  If you will spin for me tonight, I will give you my first child.

Narrator:  That night, Lulu slept again as Rumpel spun, and in the morning, the King kept his promise. Lulu’s father barely had time to get to the castle in time for the wedding.  Years passed and one day, Lulu had a baby.  A beautiful baby.  A baby that she loved very much.  She had forgotten all about the little man.  But he had not forgotten.  One night as she tucked her new baby into his cradle, she heard a little voice behind her.

Rumpel:  Today is the day!

I’ll take him away!

I spun gold so fine,

Now the child will be mine!

Lulu: (CRYING) Oh, dear, oh dear!  I remember you now!  Oh, you mustn’t take my child, for I love him so!  I am Queen and I can give you anything in the kingdom, won’t you take something else? Sob!

Rumpel: 

Oh how the tears of the lady fair

Touch my heart and make me care.

By and by a game we’ll play,

‘Ere I take the child away.

If my name you can guess

In three days or less,

Your child will stay

And I’ll go away.

Lulu:  Oh, I agree, I agree!  We’ll start right now.  But you must give me three guess each night.

Narrator:  The little man nodded his head and the Queen wiped her eyes and began to think of all the names she had ever known.

Lulu:  Is it Charles? 

Rumpel:  no!

Lulu:  Is it Mortimer?

Rumpel:  no!

Lulu:  Is it Bartholomew?

Rumpel:  (GIGGLING) no!

Once and twice and three times more

My name you’ll try to guess before

At last the game will ended be

And the child will belong to me.

Narrator:  And the little man disappeared.  The Queen immediately sent three of her most trusted servants on horses to the far corners of the land to search out names for her to guess.  The next night, she tried again:

Lulu:  Is it Frederick?

Rumpel:  no!

Lulu:  Is it Alexander?

Rumpel:  no!

Lulu:  Is it Antonio?

Rumpel:  (GIGGLING) no!

Once and twice and three times more

My name you’ll try to guess before

At last the game will ended be

And the child will belong to me.

Narrator: On the third day of searching for names, one of the Queen’s servants came upon a little clearing deep in the darkest forest outside the castle walls.  Quietly, he crept up and discovered a tiny little man, dancing around his campfire, and singing:

Rumpel: 

Oh la-dee-dah and lucky me

The Queen’s own son I soon will claim.

For no one knows on land or sea

That Rumpelstiltskin is my name!

Narrator:  The servant raced back to the castle to share the good news with the Queen.  The next evening, when the little man appeared, the Queen was ready.

Lulu:  Is your name Boris?

Rumpel:  No!

Lulu:  Is it Humphrey?

Rumpel:  No!

Lulu:  Is it… Rumpelstiltskin?

Rumpel:  (SCREAMS) Aaagh!  How did you know?  Who told you? AAAHHH!!

Narrator:  And the little man turned bright red with rage, stamped and stamped and stamped his feet until the very Earth beneath him opened up and swallowed him whole.  The Queen and King and their little baby lived happily ever after.