The Crab Prince is a little-known story from Venice
that has many similarities to the better-known Frog
Prince. Like that story, it makes use of two themes common to
many folktales: transformation of humans into animals (a tradition
dating back at least to the Odyssey, in which
Circe transforms men into swine) and the power of love to overcome
evil -- i.e., break a curse. This includes Sleeping
Beauty, among others.
We come to you from Sacramento, California, after wrapping up
two very busy weeks in our old stomping grounds of the San
Francisco Bay Area and just beyond, doing shows and workshops at
schools and libraries every day.
We continue our account of our recent trip to Europe, with some
details of Pompeii, an ancient city devastated by a volcano in the
year 79; Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance; and Venice,
the waterbound city where our story originated.
We're getting ready to head to Washington and Idaho for the
final performances of our current production, and then we'll head
to Reno to finish getting our new production together. Looking
forward to bringing our new stories to a venue near you.
Happy Listening,
Dennis (Fisherman, King, Beggar, Crab Prince) and Kimberly
(Narrator, Griselda, Fairy Princess)