The Brothers Grimm's LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD Adapted for RECording by RegularJOE

SCENE 1: (TITLE CARD) GRANDMOTHER PUTS 'RIDING HOOD' ON LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD

[LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD MUSIC]

(with underscore) Once upon a time, there was a dear little girl who was loved by everyone, but most of all by her grandmother, who made her a gift of a little riding hood of red velvet. It suited the child so well that she would never wear anything else, so she was always called 'Little Red Riding Hood.'

SCENE 2: (MOTHER'S HOUSE): MOTHER TALKING WITH RED RIDING HOOD; GIVES HER CAKE AND WINE; MOTHER EXITS; LRRH TAKES KNIFE

[MOTHER MUSIC]

(with underscore) One day her mother said to her: "Come, Little Red Riding Hood, here is a piece of cake and a bottle of wine; take them to your grandmother, she is ill and weak, and they will do her good."

The young daughter smiled at her mother's request; she loved walking through the wood to her Grandmother's house and always found the most beautiful wild FLOWERS to pick along the way.

"Set out before it gets hot," her mother continued, "and when you are going, walk nicely and quietly and DO NOT RUN OFF THE PATH." [MOTHER MUSIC]

This final commandment disappointed Little Red Riding Hood, for all of the most beautiful flowers grew off the path. But, not daring to disobey her mother, she answered, "I will take great care," and gave her hand on it.

Never the less, along with the cake and wine, she quietly tucked into her apron a small GARDENING KNIFE [KNIFE FX] her grandmother had given her last solstice, necessary for picking the fragrant blossoms out of the wood's thorny touch-me-not shrubs. [OW!-OOH! FX]

SCENE 3: (WOODS) THE WOLF WILL ENTER — LISTEN AND ACT OUT/PANTOMIME THE DIALOGUE — EXIT SEPARATELY

[LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD MUSIC]

Little Red Riding Hood set out into the wood, but before traveling long, she was met by a wolf. [WOLF MUSIC] She did not know what a wicked creature he was, and was not at all afraid of him.

"Good day, Little Red Riding Hood," said he.

"Thank you kindly, Wolf."

"Whither away so early, Little Red Riding Hood?"

"To my grandmother's."

"What have you got in your apron?"

"Cake and wine. My poor sick grandmother is to have something good, to make her stronger."

"And where does your grandmother live, Little Red Riding Hood?"

"A good half a league farther on in the wood," she answered, "her house stands under the three large oak-trees, you surely must know it."

The wolf thought to himself: "What a tender young creature! What a nice plump mouthful! She will be better to eat than the old woman. I must act craftily, so as to catch both." [WOLF MUSIC]

(with underscore) So he gracefully accompanied Little Red Riding Hood on her way a short time, and then he said: "See, Little Red Riding Hood, how pretty the flowers are about here. Why do you not look round?"

"My mother forbade me from walking off the path," replied the obedient girl, "though I do love the deeper wood's beautiful flowers." "But suppose you bring your grandmother a fresh fragrant blossom from the touch-me-not shrubs," [OW!-OOH! FX] suggested the wolf benevolently, "they grow just yonder, not far off the path at all. Wouldn't that please her too? It is so early in the day that you shall still get there in good time."

Of course, Little Red Riding Hood knew just the fragrant blossoms of which her good-natured companion spoke. And since the suggestion came from such an evidently well-meaning elder, she decided to leave the path and seek out the flowers.

SCENE 4: (GRANDMOTHER'S HOUSE) WOLF KNOCKS; GRANDMOTHER ANSWERS; WOLF EATS HER; PUTS ON HER COSTUME PIECE

Meanwhile, [GRANDMOTHER MUSIC] the wolf ran straight to the grandmother's house and knocked at the door. [DOOR FX]

"Who is there?"

"Little Red Riding Hood," replied the wolf. "I bring you cake and wine, Grandmother." [DOOR OPENING FX]

As soon as the door was open, the wolf sprang inside, and before the poor grandmother even realized her mistake, he devoured her. [WOLF MUSIC + EATING FX, BURP!]

Then he put on her clothes, dressed himself in her cap, laid himself in bed and drew the curtains.

SCENE 5: (GRANDMOTHERS HOUSE) LRRH PICKS FLOWERS WITH KNIFE, ARRIVES AT HOUSE, ENCOUNTER WITH WOLF, EATEN BY WOLF, WOLF GOES TO SLEEP

[LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD MUSIC]

Little Red Riding Hood, however, had been running about picking flowers with her small gardening knife [KNIFE FX], and when she had gathered so many that she could carry no more, she remembered her grandmother, and set out on the way to her.

She was surprised to find the cottage-door standing open, and when she went into the room, she had such a strange feeling that she said to herself: "Oh dear! How uneasy I feel today, and at other times I like being with Grandmother so much." She called out: "Good morning," but received no answer.

So she went to the bed and drew back the curtains. There lay her grandmother with her cap pulled far over her face, and looking very strange.

"Oh! Grandmother what big ears you have!"

"All the better to hear you with, my child,"

"But, grandmother, what big eyes you have!"

"All the better to see you with, my dear."

"But, grandmother, what large hands you have!"

"All the better to hug you with."

"Oh! But, grandmother, what terribly big teeth you have!"

"All the better to eat you with!"

 [WOLF MUSIC + EATING FX, BURP!]

When the wolf had appeased his appetite, he lay down again in the bed, fell asleep and began to snore. [SNORE FX]

 SCENE 6: (WOLF'S BELLY) LRRH ENTERS, GRANDMOTHER ENTERS, CONVERSATION, LRRH CUTS OPEN WOLF'S STOMACH WITH KNIFE

Deep inside the belly of the cunning beast, the little girl cried: "Oh, how frightening! It is so dark inside this wolf!"

"Little Red Riding Hood, is that you?" [MOTHER MUSIC] the grandmother was scarcely able to breathe.

"Oh Grandmother! Mother told me not to, but I strayed from the path to pick the fragrant blossoms of the touch-me-not shrubs [OW!-OOH! FX] , and now we are both devoured!"

"The thorny touch-me-nots?" the grandmother struggled to speak, "have you the gardening knife I gave you?" [KNIFE FX]

"I have."

"Quickly child..." gasped the grandmother.

And with that, Little Red Riding Hood stopped crying, reached into her apron, and brandished the small gardening knife her grandmother had given her last solstice. [KNIFE FX]

Mustering all of her strength, she plunged it through the tender wall of the wolf's stomach [WOLF MUSIC & WOLF FX]. He howled in agony, but was helpless to stop the knife's incision inside out, splitting him clean open from belly to throat. [KNIFE SPLITTING FX]

SCENE 7: (NO BACKDROP) GRANDMOTHER EATS CAKE + WINE; LRRH GIVES FLOWERS TO GRANDMOTHER; LHHR BRANDISHES KNIFE

[GRANDMOTHER MUSIC]

Grandmother and granddaughter climbed out of their captor's carcass. The wise old lady ate the cake and drank the wine and felt much revived.

[LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD MUSIC STARTS (in D] Little Red Riding Hood proudly presented Grandmother with the fragrant blossoms she had picked from the touch-me-not shrubs and thought to herself: [5

CHORD] "As long as I live, and even if mother forbids it, I'll never leave home again without my grandmother's gardening knife." [KNIFE FX] [CODA] THE END

[LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD THEME PLAY OUT]