Full Synopsis

Act One

The Narrator, in full Western gear, enters. He explains that there have been many versions of the fairy tale of Snow White, including a Western version from the gold rush days. He presents Queenie who owns a saloon: The Crystal Palace. She loves money and gold but more than anything, she loves herself. She asks her magic mirror if she is the fairest one in town; she is, because she's the only woman. There are also seven brothers whose last name is Dwarf. They own and run a gold mine in the Sacramento Mountains. Then there is Joe Prince: his father struck it rich, and now Joe owns Prince mines ("Gold in California").

Snow White and her father come West in search of gold ("El Dorado"). Snow's mother died before Snow ever had the chance to meet her, but Mr. White tells her that she looks just like her. She looks at her reflection in the river and finds some gold ("Gold in California – Reprise"). They go to stake their claim and end up in Vulture Gulch, which is where Queenie runs The Crystal Palace. Mr. White announces his fortune, and Queenie swindles him into marrying her so that she can steal all of his property. Soon after, Mr. White dies of a broken heart, leaving Snow White alone with Queenie, who is now her stepmother.

Queenie puts Snow White to work and treats her like a slave. While she is cleaning one day, Joe comes in. He has been out of town, so he is surprised to learn that Queenie has been married and widowed since he left. Joe is the newly appointed Marshal of the territory; he has dropped in on Queenie to tell her to mend her ways. As he walks away, he realizes that he is quite taken with Snow White ("Snow White"). He wishes to save her from Queenie and marry her.

Queenie again asks her mirror who is the fairest. This time, its response is, "Snow White." Queenie cannot have this. She employs Sneaky Sam to come in after the saloon is closed to kidnap Snow White, take her to the mountains and leave her there. Reluctantly, he does as he is ordered. Snow White is frightened and runs through the woods and mountains ("Run, Run, Snow White"). Finally, she finds refuge in a cave, where she collapses from exhaustion.

The next morning, she wanders and finds her way to a cabin, where she discovers seven beds. She crawls into one of them and falls into a deep sleep. She is still there when the Dwarf Brothers return after a long day in the mines ("Comin' Home"). The boys wake her, and she tells them her story. They invite her to stay for dinner, and she insists that she do the cooking.

Meanwhile, Joe has come looking for Snow White, and Queenie lies, telling him that Snow White ran off. He does not believe her and warns that he will find her. He tells her that if he finds out she had anything to do with Snow White disappearing, he will close down her saloon and run her out of town. She consults her mirror again, sure that she is the fairest now. The mirror tells her that Snow White is still the fairest and reveals that Snow White is with the Dwarf brothers. Meanwhile, Snow White and the brothers are getting along so well that they decide that she should stay with them ("Snow White – Reprise"). They all go to bed with peace of mind ("Act I Finale: Goodnight").

Act Two

The Narrator reorients us in the story. Queenie consults her book of magic spells and comes up with a plan to deal with Snow White. The Dwarf brothers head out to work, leaving Snow White alone in the cabin; they warn her not to talk to strangers ("Giddy Up"). Queenie disguises herself as a Spanish Peddler who is selling combs ("Buy a Spanish Comb"). At first, Snow White will not talk with her and she does not recognize that it is Queenie. After some work, Queenie persuades Snow White to wear a magic comb that is laced with sleeping potion. Snow White passes out.

Joe comes by in search of Snow White. Queenie hides her inside and resumes her disguise; Joe does not recognize her. He asks about Snow White, and Queenie sends him away, saying that she has not seen her. The only way to get the comb out of Snow White's hair is for someone to say the magic words, "el gnat nu," which is "untangle," backwards. Queenie is sure that no one will ever think of this antidote. When the brothers get home, they find Snow White passed out in the cabin. After some thinking, they realize that she must be under a spell and figure that they must remove the comb. They correctly pronounce the magic words, and Snow White wakes up. That night, by the fire, she and the Dwarf brothers swap stories. She tells them about Joe, and the Dwarfs tell her a story about good guys and bad guys in the West ("Which Way Did They Go?").

The next day, after asking her mirror, Queenie finds out that Snow White has been saved. She comes up with another plan. This time, she will use a magic apple and show up disguised as a Native American woman. The brothers go off to work but leave Shorty behind to protect Snow White. As planned, Queenie shows up with the apple ("An Apple a Day"). Naturally, Shorty is suspicious, but Queenie is tricky. She has only poisoned half of the apple, so she gets Shorty to taste the side that is not poisoned. He is fine, and Snow White is tricked into eating the poison side. The other brothers come home for lunch and find Snow White under another spell!

They chase after Queenie and finally manage to catch her ("The Chase"). Joe hears all of the commotion and catches up with them. The boys realize that this is the Prince that Snow White told them about. They show him what has happened to Snow White. Queenie insists that this is the only spell that she does not know how to undo. Shorty thinks hard and realizes that Snow White is sick. With his poor spelling, he says that "sick," backwards is "kis;" if someone kisses her, she will wake up. Joe does just that, and she indeed wakes up. He asks Snow White to marry him, and she accepts. They forgive Queenie for what she has done, and The Narrator steps into the story as the Minister and marries them ("The Wedding").