Dornröschen / The Sleeping Beauty

Storyline

Prologue: At the court
After waiting for a child for a long time, King Heinrich’s wife, Queen Katharina, has given birth to a baby, who is to be named Aurora. To celebrate her baptism, the royal couple has invited (almost) all the fairies of their kingdom to bestow the most precious gifts on the girl. However, their blessings are rudely interrupted by an unexpected guest – the fairy Carabosse. Enraged at having been excluded from the festivities, she casts a devastating curse on Aurora: »On her 16th birthday, the princess shall prick herself on a spindle and die!« Fortunately, the Lilac Fairy, who has not blessed Aurora yet, manages to mitigate this fatal curse by turning it into a long and deep period of sleep. This spell is to include the entire court and can only be broken by the sincere love for Aurora by a prince.

Act 1: In the courtyard garden–about 16 years later
The court is pompously celebrating Aurora’s 16th birthday in the palace garden, and numerous guests have come. Although King Henry has banned all spinning tools from his kingdom, the evil fairy gains access to the royal garden party in disguise – and manages to sneak a spindle among the crowd… Thus, the unavoidable happens: Aurora stabs herself on the spindle, followed by Carabosse revealing herself. Nevertheless, the Lilac Fairy’s promise is stronger: when the court party sets off in a great procession to lay Aurora out, the second part of the spell is also fulfilled as all the people gradually fall into a deep slumber. The castle grounds are soon overgrown by a dense rose hedge, whose sharp thorns are not to let anyone enter the castle in the coming decades...

Act 2: In the charmed forest–99 years later
By now, everyone knows the legend of the Sleeping Beauty in a forest, including Florimund, a prince from a neighbouring kingdom. One day, while out hunting, he comes unsuspectingly close to the enchanted castle. As Carabosse fears he might thwart her plans, she appears to him as a seductive huntress to distract and trap him. When he falls asleep at night, exhausted, the Lilac Fairy sends him into Aurora’s dreams where he finds her surrounded by nymphs. This vision encourages the prince and renews his hope of finding his beloved, so that he continues his search – secretly guided by Aurora’s godmother.

On his journey to find his destined princess, Florimund has to pass several trials and overcome malevolent obstacles until he reaches his goal – precisely 100 years after the fairies’ spells had come into effect. Spurred on by his love for Aurora, the prince weakens Carabosse’s magic powers and is able to step through the thorn hedge. In the end, Florimund fulfils the Lilac Fairy’s promise by awakening the Sleeping Beauty with a kiss, after which they mutually declare their eternal love for each other. This sincere affection finally causes the mitigated curse to be broken as the evil fairy loses her magic power. 

Act 3: At court
Princess Aurora and Prince Florimund have married and swear eternal allegiance to their now united kingdoms. Heinrich and Katharina bless the couple. The Lilac Fairy, and further special guests of honour, are invited to pay homage to the young lovers.