A pinch of salt

On Wednesday, 2nd June 2010 the White Horse Theatre came to our school like every year. The play for years 5 to 7 was called “A pinch of salt”. It is a play about social classes and real love.
The king Llyr wants to find out which daughter loves him most. His first daughter says: “I love you more than my own life, more than myself.” The king is very amused, then his second daughter claims:” I love you more than all people, all money and all stars in the universe.” He
reacts very cheerfully. At last he asks his youngest and favourite daughter Cordelia. But she says at first, how stupid and silly this competition is. After this she tells him: “I love you as fresh meat loves salt. That is all I can say.” But the king is not pleased with this answer, no, he is very angry and disappointed. So he throws her out. Cordelia is shocked, but it comes to her mind that she needs a job to buy food now. After walking a long time looking for a job she comes to a palace where she enters the kitchen. There she meets Letty, the kitchen maid, who is charging about washing the dishes, because she wants to go for a walk with her boyfriend Clodkin. So Cordelia offers her to do it for her, if she can sleep in the kitchen, but she does not say her real name, she says she is called Pat Flatcap. Letty thinks it is a good idea and goes away. On the next morning the cook Mrs. Sourdough finds this out and is very angry (she is almost always angry) and shouts at them. At the end of theconversation Cordelia gets a job in the kitchen without getting paid, but she can sleep there. Mrs. Sourdough thinks the two maids are very silly. One day Mrs. Sourdough tells the two maids that tomorrow will be a big ball to celebrate the prince‘s birthday. They think this is exciting, but Mrs.Sourdough does not allow them to go there, but if they do their work well, they can go there and have a look. But Cordelia goes to the ball in her glamorous dress and dances with the prince. By doing this Veranstaltungen they fall in love with each other. When the prince asks for her name and where she comes from, she does not give an answer and runs into the kitchen.She changes clothes very quickly and when the prince arrives, she is the maid Pat Flatcap again. Because of loving this mysterious lady the prince gives a ball the next day, hoping that she comes again…and she does. They dance and he proposes to marry her. She accepts the ring, but runs away again. After this the prince looks for her everywhere, but he cannot find her. That makes him feel so sick, that he thinks he has to die. He does not want to eat or do anything. But Mrs. Sourdough tells him that he must eat something, so he agrees to eat a mouthful of soup. Pat Flatcap gives him the soup, but before she does it, she puts the ring into it. Eventually the prince realises that Pat Flatcap is the lady who he loves so much. She explains that she ran away, because she thought that he would not marry a maid. The prince tells her, that this is silly and that he really loves her, no matter what job she has. Then they want to marry and Letty becomes the new cook and Mrs.Sourdough the maid, because she was always too strict and unfair. Cordelia‘s father, who is blind now, comes to the wedding, without knowing that his daughter is the person who is getting married. When Cordelia sees her father she orders the cook not to salt the food. So the food tastes very stale and the king and father of Cordelia comprehends what his daughter meant. He starts to cry, but then Cordelia tells him that she is the bride and that she is there, so they are reconciled. At this moment the prince finds out who Pat Flatcap really is, but he does not care that she lied to him, because he loves her so much.
We think this play was funny and understandable for all classes. Besides this we had the feeling that all classes really enjoyed the performance and had a lot of fun.

Nicole Krichbaum, Nicole Vetter