The Princess and the Peas: Previously at LCT
What does it take to be a princess? Find out when you stream Lexington Children’s Theatre’s The Princess and the Peas written by Vivian Snipes, LCT’s Artistic Director Emeritus! When Charming and Pei set off to find the “perfect princess” for Charming to wed, Charming will soon find out that princesses (like most people) are complex, unique, and full of surprises! So join us on this one-of-a-kind adventure that you can now enjoy from the comfort of your own home!
By Vivian Snipes
Adapted from the original fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen
Best enjoyed by ages 6 and up
Length of Show: 59 minutes
School Streaming Passes:
Weekly passes available NOW through May 27, 2022
School passes run from all day Monday through Friday at 4:00pm
The Princess and the Peas is recommended for 1st-5th grade
Curricular Connections – Adaptation, Fairy and Folk Tales, Girl Power, Overcoming Fears
Learn More about School Streaming Book a School Streaming Pass
Family Streaming Passes:
The Princess and the Peas is one of the shows in our Holiday Streaming library! You can purchase a pass to watch it any time between December 19-31, 2021. Learn more at the link below!
Things to Understand Before You Stream On Demand
Read the Playbill Educational Play Guide
About our Video Streaming Process
We are thrilled to offer this unique opportunity to see our 2020 production of The Princess and the Peas! The stream features video from one of our public performances of the show in early February 2020 – so you’ll hear the audience and be able to laugh right along with them!
Remember, the video link and passwords can be found in your confirmation email! During the time period your pass is valid for, you can use this link and password combo to watch the show as many times as you would like. If you do not receive your confirmation email within one hour of purchase, please check your spam filter. If you experience technical difficulties, feel free to email Kathryn at khenriques@lctonstage.org! Thank you!
About LCT’s Touring Productions
The Princess and the Peas is one of our touring productions, which means it didn’t just perform here in Lexington! Our three professional actors traveled with this and our production of Long Road to Freedom from February through early March to schools, libraries, and theatres all over the Commonwealth and beyond before this tour had to be cut short with the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
About The Princess and the Peas
The Princess and the Peas is a world premiere play written by Vivian Snipes and adapted from the original fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. Our story follows Crown Prince Charming and his best friend and courtier Pei (pronounced like “pea”) as they go on a quest to find a true princess, someone who has vision, courage, and character and who can help Charming rule the kingdom. In order to do so, the Queen and Charming come up with a test that will help determine whether someone is a true princess. Pei doesn’t think this is the best idea, saying that a test is not always the best measure of anyone’s capabilities, but goes along anyway to protect the Prince and help him on his quest.
Throughout our story, you will find references to many other fairy tales, from Snow White to Rapunzel to The Frog Prince. See if you can spot them all while watching the play! In particular, two of the princesses Charming meets along his quest are the main characters of their own stories – Eliza from The Wild Swans and Leascelyn, the youngest princess in The Twelve Dancing Princesses. While both women clearly pass the “princess test,” possessing great vision, courage, and character, Charming realizes that they are both on important quests of their own, as they work to save their families from evil curses placed upon them. It would be unfair to ask them to leave their kingdoms to come and live in his.
Since our story is a fairy tale, there are also elements of fairy tale danger throughout. The princesses share their stories of curses placed on their families and the hardships they have endured to try and break the spells. The Prince and Pei get in an intense sword fight with a mysterious highwayman who recognizes, then immediately tries to disarm and kidnap Pei. It seems that the Prince’s best friend is hiding some fairy tale secrets as well. All stage combat you see is carefully choreographed and rehearsed multiple times before the show to make sure it is 100% believable for the audience yet 110% safe for the actors as they must be able to repeatedly perform the production.
This play is a great way to spark conversations about the idea that no one can define you… but you! As Pei reminds Prince Charming, “Not all princesses wear ball gowns.” Throughout the play, we meet all kinds of princesses, and they are each strong and brave women, even if it is not in a way that might be expected. Not all princesses wield a sword, but they are all courageous and kind in their own unique way. We hope this story helps your family have conversations about what makes someone brave, or truthful, or kind – and how you can keep developing those qualities in your own lives.
We love this story because it is a beautifully updated fairy tale told with humor and heart. It’s the kind of story we all know and love, one that begins with “Once Upon a Time” and ends with “Happily Ever After” while teaching us important lessons along the way. We love this story because it reminds us that we are all strong and capable, that princesses don’t need anyone to rescue them, and that courage comes in all shapes and sizes. We can’t wait to share it with you!