THE RED SHOES
A Play in One Act

CHARACTERS

AMAIA – Young orphan, inhabitant of the red shoes.
PRIEST – Priest of the town, doubles as essential ruler
MAGICIAN/GYPSY – Traveling magician who creates the damned shoes and entices Amaia with them.
ANDER – Love of Amaia, who also condemns her once the red shoes are on.
CATALIN – Best friend of Amaia; desperately wants to be her friend, but is forced to condemn her with the rest of the town.
GABRIEL/WOODSMAN – Cuts trees, wood and is the only person who has not condemned Amaia. Is her last hope to remove the shoes.
TOWNSPEOPLE (2) (OPTIONAL) – Act as a sort of harsh conscience to Amaia.

SCENE I
(AMAIA and CATALIN are walking through the town together. It is the day of the town festival.)


CATALIN

Amaia, you have to come to the festival tonight. You can’t sit around all day—you haven’t smiled in so long!


AMAIA

I can’t go, you know that.


CATALIN

Don’t you want to?


AMAIA

It’s not whether I want to or not…They died only a month ago…I can’t go out to dance after only a month.


CATALIN

Your parents would want you to go. Are you just going to sit here forever in mourning?


AMAIA

No, I won’t, but you have to understand—


CATALIN

I’m sorry. I know. It’s just… (CATALIN pauses; she sees AMAIA’S face and reconsiders her words.) Never mind. It’s alright. There’ll be another festival next year, and you can go then. I understand.


AMAIA

I should be going back to the orphanage soon. It’s getting near to dinner.


CATALIN

Alright. I’ll bring you some sweets from the festival tomorrow morning.


AMAIA

Thank you. (EXIT AMAIA)


CATALIN

She’s been so sad lately. She never wears any of her other dresses and she never smiles or dances or sings like she used to. I know she wants to go to the festival, if only I could…But I can’t. It’s no use. Poor thing. (EXIT CATALIN)

SCENE II
(AMAIA is sitting alone outside of the orphanage. She is clearly in sad spirits, over her parents’ lives and her own. AMAIA is on the verge of tears almost.)

(ENTER MAGICIAN, slowly. AMAIA doesn’t notice him, and he looks curiously at her from afar, though with a sly look on his face that indicates a modus operandi.)

MAGICIAN

(Approaching AMAIA) Why are you so sad my dear?


AMAIA

Oh, I…please just leave me alone.


MAGICIAN

Now, now, whatever it is, I may be of service…


AMAIA

No, you aren’t. I’m sorry, but please—I have to go inside now.


MAGICIAN

Wait! I have something that might interest you.


AMAIA

What do you want?


MAGICIAN

It is not what I want, but what you want.


AMAIA

(Frustrated) I don’t understand what you’re getting at.


MAGICIAN

Sorrow will pass, grief and pain will disappear. (AMAIA is mesmerized.) Life will fade away, as soon as you step into these. (He pulls from his cloak a pair of RED SHOES and holds them out to AMAIA. They glow almost eerily, cloaked in liquid sin. AMAIA begins to extend her hand towards them, but very little, and very slowly and hesitantly. Suddenly she snaps out of her reverie and retracts her hand.)



AMAIA

Thank you very much, but I must go now. Goodbye! (She starts to leave.)

MAGICIAN

They could be all yours. You can dance in them like you have never danced before. They were made for you and no one else. If you do not take them, they will never be used.

(AMAIA turns around and looks at the shoes with hunger. MAGICIAN holds them out to her, and she walks towards them hypnotically and truculently. She reaches for them and the MAGICIAN places them in her hand and seals her fingers around them.)

MAGICIAN

(With a disturbing satisfaction) Go now and be as though you haven’t lived until this day.

(LIGHTS FADE OUT)

Scene III

(It is the night of the town festival. TOWNSPEOPLE—including ANDER and CATALIN-are gathered and appear to be enjoying themselves immensely. There is music and dancing and plenty of happy chatter.)

(ENTER AMAIA, resplendent in her beautiful new red shoes, which appear bold, bright, and ever so tempestuous. CATALIN and ANDER immediately see her and wave her over.)

CATALIN

Amaia! You came! You look beautiful…Where did you get those shoes?


AMAIA

I’m so glad I did—it is a lovely night! (To ANDER) Let’s dance!

(AMAIA and ANDER dance, and the rest of the crowd looks on, eyeing AMAIA’S shoes with a combination of curiosity and fear. Many whisper to each other and point to the shoes. CATALIN looks on with worry.)

(ENTER the PRIEST. The music and dancing stop. Everyone looks on.)



PRIEST

(He stops and looks at everyone, and looks at the red shoes. ANDER steps slightly back and CATALIN draws her hand to her mouth in fear and concern.)
(To AMAIA) You are wearing the forbidden color. You must take the shoes off.

(AMAIA looks at her shoes and, still mesmerized by them, back at the PRIEST. She stands there, defiantly, with the shoes still on her feet.)

If you do not take off the shoes, you will have to leave the town. That color is forbidden.

(AMAIA does nothing.)

Then you are condemned. (To the TOWNSPEOPLE.) She wears the color of sin! She has been taken by the devil, and no one shall go near her. Our town will not be tainted by sin and gypsy magic. If she appeals to you, turn her away. She is no girl, she is a demon, and demons have no place in a pious community. Her sins will not corrupt us! (EXIT)

(The TOWNSPEOPLE look on expectantly at AMAIA. She looks at ANDER, but he looks down. She looks at CATALIN, who looks at her with sad eyes and wants to reach to her, but cannot. Slowly, AMAIA dances out of town ((offstage)) and the TOWNSPEOPLE are solemn and silent. CATALIN cries.)

SCENE IV

(AMAIA has danced out of town and into the FOREST. She is alone, and it is dark, but she dances. At first she is happy to be dancing and indulging in her passion. ((OPTIONAL PORTION: AMAIA dances with several partners and they all fade away until she is alone—one by one she exhausts them.))  Soon she becomes tired and wants to stop and lie down to rest. She tries to, but the shoes will not let her. She is dancing uncontrollably, and reaches for the shoes, trying to take them off. But they will not come off. They only dance. As she desperately tries to figure some way out, the TOWNSPEOPLE appear on either side of the stage as figments of her mind and conscience.)

TOWNSPERSON 1

Don’t go near her—she’s condemned! Damned by the devil!


TOWNSPERSON 2

She is indulging in sin and ruin!


TOWNSPERSON 1

She took the red shoes!
TOWNSPERSON 2

She knew they were sinful, but she put them on!


TOWNSPERSON 1

She refused to take them off!


TOWNSPERSON 2

It is sin! She is sin!

(Both speak at once, starting scolding and escalating into shouting angrily at AMAIA.)

TOWNSPERSON 1

She’ll dance to her grave!


TOWNSPERSON 2

She forsook her life for sin!


TOWNSPERSON 1 and 2

Sinner, she is a sinner! Sinner!

AMAIA

STOP! (The lights on the TOWNSPEOPLE go out and they disappear. AMAIA continues to dance exhaustedly and uncontrollably.) I must go back…Someone will help me. Someone must help me! I must take off the shoes!

SCENE V

(AMAIA enters the town once more. She dances to ANDER, who doesn’t see her enter.)





AMAIA

Ander! Ander you must help me. I didn’t take off the shoes before, but I want to now—I have to now—and they won’t come off! Ander you must help me—(ANDER looks very briefly at AMAIA but soon turns away and leaves. AMAIA had grabbed his hand and he does not thrust it away, but she drops it as he leaves.)

(ENTER CATALIN, looking sad and wearing a black scarf for AMAIA.)

AMAIA

Catalin! Catalin please, you must help me, I can’t take off the shoes! I can’t stop dancing and I’m so tired! Please help me! Ander wouldn’t help me, but I must get them off! Please!


CATALIN

Oh Amaia…Oh I…there isn’t anything…I can’t. Amaia I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry! (EXIT CATALIN)

(AMAIA continues to dance and she is almost dead, absolutely past the point of exhaustion. She is full of despair and has lost all hope, betrayed by her loved ones.)

(ENTER GABRIEL, carrying an axe on his bag and a few pieces of wood. AMAIA turns and sees him and runs to him, gathering an idea from his appearance.)

AMAIA

Oh—you’re Gabriel! The woodsman! Please sir, please help me! My friends have all abandoned me and I need help! Please!

GABRIEL

(Puts down the wood he was carrying.) Are you alright? You look a mess! Anything I can do to help…It was not right of the Priest to have cast you out so—you’re no monster; just a girl!


AMAIA

You will do anything to help?


GABRIEL

Well yes, anything I can possibly do! What do you need?

AMAIA

Cut off my feet! Cut them off so the shoes will be cut off! I can’t bear it anymore!


GABRIEL

Cut off your feet? I can’t…I couldn’t do that!


AMAIA

Please Gabriel! Please—you must! If I don’t get these shoes off I’ll never rest; the shoes won’t come off unless my feet come off too! Please, you must cut them off!


GABRIEL

I…I will. I’ll help you!


AMAIA

Thank you! Thank you so much! (AMAIA throws her arms around GABRIEL. She begins to dance away, but throws herself on the floor and holds her feet down as best she can. The shoes make her twitch violently.)

Just go on and do it—the sooner the better!

(GABRIEL nods. He takes his axe and, with great difficulty, raises it slowly to cut AMAIA’S feet. Music builds in a crescendo. The axe falls, and the lights go out as it does. When they return, GABRIEL is holding the axe, which is clean. AMAIA is on her feet again, dancing.)

AMAIA

What happened!?


GABRIEL

The axe—it wouldn’t cut your feet!


AMAIA

The shoes—I can’t even cut off my feet because of the shoes! That magician must have put some sort of spell on them to make them unbreakable! They’ll never come off!


GABRIEL

I’m so sorry!


AMAIA

No, thank you for your pains…I am a woman damned, and no one can save me now but myself! (AMAIA grabs the axe and raises it to cut her own feet. The lights dim again, and when they turn on, AMAIA discovers—to her horror—that the axe has transformed into a twig. She screams and drops it. Hearing the noise, ANDER and CATALIN enter from opposite sides of the stage and look on anxiously.)

(To GABRIEL) A dagger! Have you a dagger? (GABRIEL pulls out a dagger and AMAIA grabs it, GABRIEL is horrified and upset like the other onlookers.)

(AMAIA takes the dagger and instead of reaching for her feet, she stabs her own heart. She sinks to the floor, a look comprised of a little pain, but mostly respite. She is dead. CATALIN, ANDER and GABRIEL, who had all maintained some distance during her suicide, come closer and kneel down to the dead AMAIA.)

(ENTER MAGICIAN. He looks a little sad, yet still mischievous. He walks towards AMAIA—the others step back fearfully. He kneels down and reaches for the red shoes. They come off deceptively easily. The others are mortified. The lights dim on all but the MAGICIAN. He walks to the center of the stage and holds out the red shoes towards the audience with the same coy look he gave AMAIA just as she reached for them. The spotlight shrinks and fades out.)

END.