The Fourth Orange and Other Fairy Tales You've Never Even Heard Of

A funny, flexible fairy tale comedy with something for everyone!
It’s bedtime bedlam when a washed up clown tries to sell three unruly princesses on something other than their fairy tale favorites. Cinderella, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty… these are just a few beloved classics that Truffaldino will NOT be reading tonight because you’ve heard them a zillion times already and, frankly, he’s sick of them. Instead, he’ll be dusting off four of the weirdest, wildest and downright hilarious fairy tales you’ve never even heard of. But will his new spin on these old tales be enough to get his sneaky nieces asleep in time? This funny and flexible adaptation of Giambattista Basile’s classic, The Tale of Tales, is told in the slapstick tradition of classic Italian theatre with a modern twist.

Comedy / Fantasy / Adaptation
Full Length
100–120 minutes (60 minute option also available)
25 w 12 m 11 any (11 to 60+ performers possible)

Features

For upper middle school to high school teen performers through adults.
Large cast! (Though you can do it with as little as 11 performers, there are over 60 speaking roles even without counting the ensemble and silent roles)
Flexible staging and casting (+ majority female roles) • Variable length: productions can omit a tale to perform without intermission in just about an hour
Source material was recently adapted into an award winning movie (The Tale of Tales starring Selma Hayek and John C. Reilly)
Educational tie in: The Tale of Tales itself is an important collection historically because it's the one the Brothers Grimm based theirs on and this is first time these tales have been adapted for the stage
Can be performed in masked commedia dell'arte style if desired (or not!)

One Act Plays

There are also standalone one-act versions of the four fairy tales Truffaldino tells, each the perfect length for competition and festivals!

They are…

The Myrtle: 30–40 minutes, 5 m 8 f (6–20+ performers possible)
Goosed!: 25–35 minutes, 2 m 6 f 8 any (11–20+ performers possible)
Arm Candy: 35–45 minutes, 2 m, 4 f (5–7+ performers possible)
The Fourth Orange: 20–30 minutes, 4 m, 6 f, 5 any (7–20+ actors possible)

Looking to perform this show?

Bulk pricing for printed and electronic scripts is available for theatres and schools doing the show either to perform or for classroom use.