Goldie B. Locks and the Three Singing Bears

Goldie B. Locks doesn’t just like bugs – she loves them. When a beautiful butterfly flutters off into the woods, she chases it, forgetting a promise made to her mom to stay close to home. Ending up lost and alone, Goldie B’s story unfolds much like the traditional Goldilocks, but with one important difference.

Whereas the original Goldilocks never actually meets The Three Bears (other than to be discovered and run away), operatic Goldie begins to interact with the Bear family early in the story. Trying to find her way home after eating soup that doesn’t belong to her, Goldie meets Peek, a little bear. Peek confides to Goldie that a sneaky robber snuck into his family’s house that very morning, licked his spoon and ate his soup. Goldie is horrified, for she knows, of course, that she’s the sneaky soup robber. What should she do? Should she risk getting in trouble by telling the truth? Should she be dishonest and hope to avoid being punished?

After a bit of trial and error, Goldie learns that honesty is always the best choice, and as Momma, Papa & Peek take their new friend home to her mother, Goldie resolves to tell the truth always, and whenever troubles make her sad, to share them with a trusted grownup, like a teacher, police officer, mom or dad.

Listen to 4 excerpts from Goldie B. Locks and the Three Singing Bears.

1. The Three Bears Hello, Good Day from J. Offenbach’s La Fille du Tambour Major, "C’est un billet de logement"	listen mp3
2. Goldie’s Song I’m lost and all alone from J. Offenbach’s La Boulangere a des Ecus, "Ce qu’ j’ai, tu le damandes"	listen mp3
3. The Three Bears Oh, Momma’s Soup from J. Offenbach’s Le Financier et le Savetier "Le jue, fievre brulante"	listen mp3
4. Goldie, Peek Duet We will be the best of friends from J. Offenbach’s La Fille du Tambour Major, "Il etait une grand’ princesse"	listen mp3

Royalty
$35.00 per performance

Appropriate grade level
Pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade

Duration
40 minutes

Performers
4 singing actors and an accompanist

Notes from John
With no villain in the story of Goldilocks, just a little girl making bad decisions, I chose to emulate K-5 exuberance by giving each of the story's characters a positively ardent interest. Goldie loves bugs. Peek is committed to his cub scout career. Papa loves his garden, and Momma pursues the culinary arts. I figured that by presenting a cast of enthusiasts I’d be able to brighten the tone of the story, amplify personalities, and more easily establish an important early affinity between Goldie and Peek, the little bear.

Goldie’s friendship with Peek is the door through which she enters the Bear family’s realm. Practically speaking, the interaction makes possible singing and acting opportunities with the Bears that the fairytale Goldilocks doesn’t have. Thematically, their relationship shows friendship as a bond based on honesty and mutual care. Peek explains that becoming best friends requires sharing secrets, and "always, always" telling each other the truth." A double "always" is pretty serious stuff, but they both get it, and when circumstances cause Goldie to tell Peek an untruth she understands her predicament right away. You can’t be enthusiastic for and dishonest with a friend at the same time. It doesn't work. Friendship requires trust.

My hope for children attending Goldie B is that while laughing at her mistakes, they’ll also imagine solutions to her problems. My hope is that like good friends, they’ll want to give her some good friendly advice, and when she finally does tell the truth, and the Bears lovingly forgive her, they’ll understand forgiveness also. Because, after all, that’s what good friends do.