The Emperor's New Fudge

Synopsis

A school playground and sweet shop store room. Boxes of candies, chemistry sets, and the entrepreneurial dreams of three young boys.

James, Charlie, and Frederick, three schoolboy entrepreneurs, face a crisis in their sweet-selling business. With unsold inventory piling up and customers dwindling, they desperately need a new strategy. Inspired by a book of fairy tales, James concocts a brilliant (if morally dubious) marketing ploy: convince everyone that their unpalatable sweets taste delicious only to intelligent people.

This clever twist on “The Emperor’s New Clothes” unfolds with youthful energy and humour. As the boys spread their fib, we see its effect in a hilarious scene where competitive mothers boast about how much their children love the sweets – each claim more outlandish than the last. Ferrar’s play is a charming exploration of peer pressure, parental expectations, and the power of suggestion, all told through the lens of childhood mischief and imagination.