Ranita: The Frog Princess

Name: Date: Ranita: The Frog Princess CHARACTERS FELIPE: The Viceroy s rotten son RANITA: A little frog with a mysterious past PEPE: Felipe s mistreated servant VIEJA SABIA: A wise but cranky old woman VICEROY: A representative of the King of Spain VICEROY S WIFE COOK SERVANT 1 SERVANT 2 MAN 1 MAN 2 MAN 3 SCENE 1 1 [Curtains open. In a forest clearing, men are frantically searching the ground. From a nearby stone well, RANITA watches but remains unnoticed.] 2 MAN 1: [Frustrated] Keep looking! If we don t find that golden arrow 3 MAN 2: we ll be on tortillas and water for the next month! 4 [Men, grumbling, all agree. Enter FELIPE.] 5 FELIPE: [Loud and demanding] Well? Have you found my golden arrow yet? 6 MAN 3: Not yet, Señor! 7 FELIPE: [Sweetly, hand over heart] It was a gift from my dear mother. [Turning suddenly and hissing] Find it or I will feed you to the jaguars starting with my bumbling servant, Pepe! It s his

fault I missed my mark. Now, out of my sight, all of you! 8 [Men exit quickly and hurriedly] 9 FELIPE: [Stomping foot and whining] I want my golden arrow back! 10 RANITA: [Sitting on top of well, holding the golden arrow] Do you mean this golden arrow? 11 FELIPE: [Joyously] My golden arrow! You found it! You [Stops cold, disgusted] you re a frog! 12 RANITA: You were expecting a Mayan princess, perhaps? 13 FELIPE: [Rolls eyes] Well, I wasn t expecting a talking frog! 14 RANITA: [Sighs] I m under a spell. I don t like to talk about it. 15 FELIPE: [Pauses to think] That s not my problem. Hand over the arrow! 16 RANITA: [Plink! Drops the arrow back down the well] Oops! Looks like it s your problem now. 17 FELIPE: N-n-nooo! [Threateningly] What have you done you foolish frog? 18 RANITA: If I am so foolish, how come I am the one with the arrow while you are the one standing there talking to a rana? 19 FELIPE: I would squish you right now [Sniffs] but you are only a frog. 20 RANITA: [Warningly] You want that golden arrow? 21 FELIPE: [Suspicious] In exchange for what? 22 RANITA: A promise. 23 FELIPE: [Relieved] Oh, is that all?

24 RANITA: A promise is a very serious thing. 25 FELIPE: [Coughing] Yes, yes of course go on. 26 RANITA: If I rescue your golden arrow, you must promise to let me eat from your plato, sleep in your cama, and give me a beso when the sun comes up. 27 FELIPE: [Staring in disbelief] Eat from my plate? Sleep in my bed? Kiss you? [Pretends to gag] That s disgusting! 28 RANITA: No promise, no golden arrow. 29 FELIPE: [Crossing his fingers behind his back] I promise. 30 [RANITA fetches the arrow. FELIPE snatches the arrow, bows, and runs off.] 31 RANITA: Espera! Wait! I can t hop that fast! [Hangs her head and begins to cry] He s gone. Now I ll never break this evil spell. 32 [Enter VIEJA SABIA, leaning on two canes.] 33 VIEJA SABIA: It doesn t feel very good, does it? 34 RANITA: [Blows nose] Please, no lectures today, old woman. 35 VIEJA SABIA: My name is Vieja Sabia. 36 RANITA: Sorry, wise old woman. [Sadly] You ve already turned me into a frog. Isn t that enough? 37 VIEJA SABIA: You wouldn t be a frog if you hadn t refused to give me a drink from this well, so long ago. 38 RANITA: I was a selfish child then. I have paid for that, haven t I? I have learned what it is like to be alone and forgotten. 39 VIEJA SABIA: Perhaps you have

40 RANITA: [Excited] Then you will turn me into a girl again? 41 VIEJA SABIA: No. But I will take you as far as the Viceroy s hunting lodge. You must make the leap on your own from there. 42 [Exit VIEJA SABIA and RANITA. Curtains close.] SCENE 2 43 [Curtains open. In a hunting lodge with VICEROY, VICEROY S WIFE, noblemen and women, all seated at long banquet table. SERVANTS scurry in and out with bowls of food.] 44 SERVANT 1: [Placing bowl of soup before Viceroy] Sopa, Señor? 45 VICEROY: [Exasperated] Sí, sí. Where is Felipe? 46 VICEROY S WIFE: [Wistfully] Dear boy. He is probably feeding the birds. 47 SERVANT 2: [Aside to SERVANT 1] To the cat probably. 48 SERVANT 1: [Muffled laughter] 49 [Enter FELIPE] 50 FELIPE: I m famished! What a day I ve had today. First, I lost my golden arrow 51 [Shouting from the kitchen can be heard] 52 FELIPE: [Louder] then I met this ridiculous, demanding 53 [Enter RANITA, running from the kitchen chased by COOK and SERVANTS] 54 FELIPE: [Slack-jawed] frog. 55 COOK: You hop back here! [To SERVANT 1] Stop her right now! 56 SERVANT 1: [Tries to catch frog] Aaayyy! She s a slippery one!

57 SERVANT 2: Oooeee! She bit me! 58 COOK: Get her Pepe! [PEPE catches RANITA under the table, smiles, and lets her go. A commotion follows as COOK and SERVANTS chase RANITA] 59 VICEROY: Basta! Enough! Who is this creature? 60 FELIPE: [Sneering] She s the nasty little frog who rescued my golden arrow. 61 RANITA: And in return he promised to let me eat from his plato, sleep in his cama, and give me a beso when the sun came up! 62 VICEROY: Did you make this promise? 63 FELIPE: [Sullen] I don t remember. 64 VICEROY S WIFE: [Indignant] Even if he did he is the Viceroy s son! 65 VICEROY: [Grave] Sí, and the Viceroy s son must always keep his promises!. Pepe! Set a place for our guest. 66 FELIPE: But, Father 67 VICEROY S WIFE: Ernesto! 68 VICEROY: [Slams fist on table] Silencio! Silence! 69 [RANITA hops on table. FELIPE is too stunned to speak. VICEROY S WIFE is glaring.] 70 VICEROY: Everyone and I mean everyone eat! 71 [PEPE puts bowl down in front of FELIPE] 72 FELIPE: [Gives a yelp] Pepe! 73 PEPE: [Innocently] Sí?

74 FELIPE: [Disgusted] There is a fly in my soup! 75 PEPE: It s for the frog. 76 VICEROY: Excellent! Eat up Felipe. 77 VICEROY S WIFE: [Revolted] Ugh! 78 [Curtains close] SCENE 3 79 [Curtains open. In FELIPE s bedroom] 80 FELIPE: [On bed] I refuse to sleep next to a frog. Pepe! 81 PEPE: [Enters immediately] Sí, Señor? 82 FELIPE: [Snappish] What took you so long? Hurry tell my father I can t do this. [Desperate] Tell him I ll get warts. 83 [Enter VICEROY] 84 VICEROY: [Annoyed] With any luck, you ll get one on your oathbreaking tongue, boy. 85 FELIPE: [Whining] Father 86 VICEROY: You made a promise, Felipe. [To PEPE] Help him keep his word, eh, Pepe? 87 [Exit VICEROY] 88 FELIPE: [Throws pillow at PEPE, falls on bed and begins to wail] Aaayyy! 89 PEPE: [Blows out candle and sits in chair] Hasta mañana until tomorrow. Sweet dreams Felipe. 90 FELIPE: [Growls] I will dream of roasted frog legs.

91 RANITA: I m telling. 92 FELIPE: Bug breath! 93 RANITA: Big baby! 94 PEPE: [Sighs] It s going to be a long night. 95 [Next morning. RANITA is the first to wake up] 96 RANITA: [Cheerful] Despierta, wake up! It s beso-time! 97 [FELIPE rubs eyes, sees RANITA, and shrieks] 98 FELIPE: [Whimpers, clutching his blanket and talking to himself] It wasn t a bad dream, after all. [Speaking to RANITA] Forget it, frog! I am not kissing you! 99 RANITA: [Stubbornly] You promised. 100 FELIPE: Well, [Smiles slowly] I ve just had a better idea. [Kicks chair to wake his servant] Pepe! 101 PEPE: [Groggy] Señor! 102 FELIPE: You are sworn to obey me in all things, sí? 103 PEPE: [Confused] Sí, Señor. 104 FELIPE: [Smug] Kiss the frog! 105 [PEPE shrugs his shoulders and kisses RANITA s cheek, RANITA is no longer a frog but turns into a beautiful Mayan PRINCESS] 106 FELIPE: [Dazzled] I but who? [Bowing] Allow me to introduce myself, I am 107 PRINCESS: The Spanish Viceroy s rotten son! And I am the Mayan Emperor s lucky daughter.

108 [FELIPE and PEPE fall on their knees] 109 PRINCESS: I have been enchanted for 200 years. 110 FELIPE: [Looks up] You ve been a frog for 200 years? What s so lucky about that? 111 PRINCESS: I ll tell you. As a princess, I could have ended up the wife of a spoiled brat like you. Instead, I found myself a prince [Takes PEPE s hand] a prince of a husband, that is. 112 [PEPE kisses the Princess s hand, while FELIPE has a screaming tantrum. Curtains close] EPILOGUE 113 [Curtains open. FELIPE is in the same clearing in the forest as in SCENE 1.] 114 FELIPE: [Kicks a stone] If they think I m going to their ridiculous wedding ha! May they have a dozen ugly tadpole children! 115 [Enter VIEJA SABIA] 116 VIEJA SABIA: Agua! Water from the well, my son, before I die of thirst. 117 FELIPE: [Snarling] I m no water boy. I m the Viceroy s son! Get your own water, you old cucaracha! 118 VIEJA SABIA: [With gentle concern] Cockroach? It s very rude to speak to your elders that way. Has no one taught you manners? 119 FELIPE: [Puzzled] No. 120 VIEJA SABIA: [Smiling wickedly] Well [Pointing a finger at FELIPE], that is my specialty! 121 [A poof is heard as FELIPE is turned into a frog and hops on top of the well]

122 VIEJA SABIA: [To audience] And now you know how the frog prince ended up in that well. 123 [Exit VIEJA SABIA. Curtains close]