ACT ONE:

We begin our story with a young child, Stella, alone in her bedroom. Unable to sleep she discovers a leather bound book and begins to read. As she reads we are transported into the fairytale world of MIDNIGHT.

Our focus begins on Ella, another young girl of similar age to Stella and explores her early years including the loss of her mother at a young age and a chance meeting with a young noble boy in the markets.

Eventually we meet Ella at 20 who is living with her father and working to continue her mother’s legacy helping those less fortunate than herself. A surprise visit from three strangers quickly turns Ella’s world upside down as she learns her father has married Madame Bellington whilst he has been away on his last trip, and she has arrived early with her two daughters to begin their new lives. Ella and her new step sisters clash as they have very different priorities with the sisters trying to get away with murder in their new house. Ella takes solace in the memory of her mother’s wisdom and rises above the challenge to sing of all the possibilities life can bring (WHY CANT I).

We switch our focus to meet the Prince and his friend Andre who are wiling away the hours in the Prince’s quarters and are confronted by the King who pressures the Prince to get his act together and choose a wife so he can follow in his footsteps as ruler of the masses. Unwilling to commit the Prince opts to head to the woods for some breathing space where he meets a young lady (Ella) who does not recognise him as a noble of the land and confuses him for a kids entertainer.

The Prince quickly learns of Ella’s opinions on how the kingdom is being run and the damage it is causing to the people. As challenging as this is for him to hear the Prince is struck by how engaging and driven this enchanting stranger is and is himself reminded of the dreams he too once had for a better life for the people he is destined to rule. With Ella not telling the Prince her name or anything about her, the Prince tries to find her again by returning to the same spot each day.

Ella meanwhile returns home to discover that her father has been killed whilst away on business and begins to question who she is without her parents to guide her. With Father out of the picture Madame Bellington quickly swoops in to take control of the household.

After weeks of searching for the unknown girl he met in the woods the Prince eventually decides to take a new approach and concedes to the King’s wishes to hold a lavish ball to find him a bride. If he invites all the maidens in the land then surely she will come?

ACT TWO:

The town crier announces that the palace will be holding a ball to find the Prince a bride and all the kingdom begins to prepare to be the best dressed for this grand event. Everyone that is except Ella who has been tricked by her Step mother and locked in the attic. She quickly learns that she is not alone up there as her life long companion, Teddy bear Mr Abernathy, begins to talk and berates her for sitting around and not getting ready for the ball. Ella is persuaded to attend so that she can try and convince the Prince that he needs to change the way the royal family is behaving.

As the ball begins Ella is kept from entering due to the poor way she is dressed and retreats back to her home where she is met by Mr Abernathy and a strange lady Ms Madrina who inspires Ella to play the game and ‘dress to impress’ in order to get her way to the Prince. With renewed vigour Ella heads back to the ball where she quickly connects with the Prince. As the two begin to understand that they want the same things, the King and the Emperor are planning the Prince’s marriage to the Emperor’s daughter as part of a long standing arrangement forced upon the King.

When the Prince learns of his Fathers plans he realises that if he doesn’t marry the Princess of Veronia then their entire Kingdom will be annexed and fall under the rule of the evil Emperor. Unsure of how to proceed the Prince chooses to belittle Ella in an effort to make her run far from here to safety. As the King announces that the Prince and Princess will be wed, we see Ella back in the attic with Mr Abernathy trying to understand what has just happened.

As time passes we see the Prince who has begun to question his choice of methods in trying to save his kingdom by alienating and being cruel to Ella. Desperate to let her know the truth he devises a cunning plan to find her and sets his men searching all the land for the girl who fits the shoe that Ella dropped at the ball. As this plan delivers a myriad of women who fit the shoe the Prince realises just how ridiculous a plan it was and instead follows his heart back to the river in the woods where they first met. Here he finds Ella and explains everything that he has done. Upon hearing his story Ella realises that the Emperors devastating plan has one unexpected flaw and swiftly moves into action with the Prince to set things right.

They travel across the kingdom and confront the Emperor with the King and Princess of Veronia in tow. Ella outlines how the Emperor has wrongly assumed leadership as in his kingdom the throne passes through the female blood line and the rightful ruler is his daughter the Princess of Veronia. The Princess makes quick work of setting things right and dissolving her engagement to the Prince as she loves another, leaving the Prince and Ella free to find happiness with one another.