Prince Ugly

About the Play

Musical. Flexible ensemble cast. Unit set. About 70 minutes. Prince Ugly was premiered at The Montgomery Academy. It has since played in many states and abroad (including a production in translation in Estonia). It uses a flexible ensemble cast which can be as small as around 20 (with doubling) or as large as you want. It runs about an hour and ten minutes. Prince Ugly is a contemporary fairy tale about the nature of friendship. The ten original songs are charming and written with young voices in mind. Prince Ugly delights audiences of children and adults alike.

Synopsis

The story seems familiar at first. A new baby is born to the King and Queen, and a gala reception is held. But somehow the invitation intended for the sorceress, Lady Rebecca of Steppington, fails to arrive. Angry at being slighted, Lady Rebecca shows up anyway and curses the baby. Only this baby is a boy, and this curse is different. Prince William will be the ugliest child on the face of the earth--so ugly that children run from him and even adults look away. The only way the curse can be broken is for Prince William to make one real friend. But how can he, when children run from him?

At first, no one tells the Prince about the curse. But Megan (the "maid of all work" and the only one in the palace who really understands Prince William) finally persuades his parents to tell him the truth. For a moment he's devastated, but then he realizes that now at least he has hope. If he can just make a friend, the curse will be broken.

After a few false starts, Prince William comes up with a plan. Covering his face, first with a paper bag and later with a mask, he is able to play with other children for the first time. But his elevated status, along with a strong dose of trying to hard, still keep him from his goal of true friendship. Finally the King offers a huge reward for anyone who makes friends with the Prince. Hundreds of children come, but it still doesn't work.

Meanwhile the palace is all in an uproar because someone has been stealing food from the kitchens, and Maurice (the temperamental palace chef who is the only one in the kingdom who can cook food that the King can eat) is threatening to quit. To placate him, the King declares that the culprit, if caught, will be banished. When it finally turns out that the theif is Megan (she's just taking leftovers to feed her seven children), Prince William can't bear to see her banished. He takes the rap himself.

Instantly there's a thunderclap and Lady Rebecca appears to announce that the curse is over. By caring more about someone else than about himself, Prince William has demonstrated true friendship.

Prince Ugly is also available in a non-musical version, with a slightly reduced cast. CLICK HERE for information.

Read an Excerpt

To read the beginning of Prince Ugly as a PDF, CLICK HERE.

If you are unable to read PDF files, CLICK HERE to download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Hear the Overture

To get a sense of the music for Prince Ugly, CLICK HERE to hear a low-quality Mp3 recording of the show's overture, which contains snippets of most of the songs. Hear other demo recordings here.

HOW TO ORDER

Prince Ugly is licensed by YouthPlays.com. To order a perusal copy and performance rights, visit their online ordering page.

Amateur rights for Prince Ugly are $80.00 for the first performance and $60.00 for subsequent performances. These prices include the right to print as many copies of the script as your production needs. Professional rights should be negotiated directly with the playwright, who can be reached by email at: playwright@childdrama.com.