Synopsis
Heartless, by Marissa Meyer, is the imagined back story of Lewis Carroll’s character the Queen of Hearts from his novel Alice in Wonderland. The story follows Catherine as a young woman, who falls in love with the King’s new joker only to discover that he has been sent to Hearts for the purpose of stealing her heart.
Act 1
The show begins with Hatta, the Mad Hatter of Wonderland, having a tea party with a young girl named Alice. Alice reminds Hatta of the Queen of Hearts, and Hatta begins to reminisce, telling Alice about how they first came to know the Queen.
Years before, Catherine Pinkerton prepares for one of the King of Heart’s balls by baking lemon tarts. Mary Ann rushes to help Catherine clean up and prepare for a ball before the Marchioness, Catherine’s mother, realizes she is not ready. Catherine is given a large red dress to wear to the ball by her mother (To Be Me).
Catherine arrives at the King’s black and white ball, dressed in red, and is invited by the King to dance. As he steps away from Catherine to try her lemon tarts, the King’s new joker arrives at the ball and entertains the crowd (Impossibilities). After the performance, Catherine meets Peter Peter, a pumpkin farmer turned aristocrat, accompanied by his wife, Lady Peter. Mary Ann informs Catherine that the King plans to propose to her, and then creates a distraction while Catherine flees from the ballroom.
Catherine faints in the royal garden and is woken by Jest, the court joker, who is accompanied by Raven. Jest calls a carriage to take Catherine home (Wondering). Catherine returns home to learn that the Jabberwock, a winged mythical beast, had attacked the ball after she left.
Catherine goes to the palace to play croquet with the aristocracy (Croquet in the Garden). Jest convinces the King that he should court the girl he plans to marry before proposing to her.
That night, Jest appears outside Catherine’s window. He invites her to a tea party at Hatta’s Marvelous Millinery, where Catherine meets Hatta who expects the guests at the party to take turns entertaining them (Hatta’s Marvelous Millinery). The Turtle and Jest both perform, and Catherine insists that she wants to perform as well. The talent she displays is her baking, giving her new friends the rose macarons she had made. The Jabberwock attacks the party, and they flee to the crossroads. The Lion dies to give the others a chance to escape.
Jest walks Catherine home as they discuss her love of baking and the upcoming Rock Turtle Cove festival. Jest tells her about his life as a rook for the White Queen in the land of Chess. Mary Ann comes in just as Catherine climbs in her bedroom window, and tells Mary Ann about the tea party. Meanwhile, Jest returns to the hat shop, and Hatta and Raven chastise him for starting to fall in love with Cath. Jest insists he isn’t in love (No Way).
The King courts Catherine by sending her gifts and bad poetry, relying on Jest to help him compose the sappy love writing (The Letter).
Catherine and Jest escape the bustle of the festival. Jest compliments Catherine on her new hat. Catherine asks him about his mission, and he is reluctant to share, but tells her about himself and the war in Chess (Just Jest). They sneak a dance together. Jest asks if he would ever be with her, and she says she would, but she can’t.
Catherine goes to the baking contest. The Turtle eats her pumpkin cake and turns into a Mock Turtle.
Act 2
Catherine asks her parents for permission to use her dowry to open a bakery, but they refuse. Her mother tells her to drop the idea or he will fire Mary Ann (Wondering/Just Jest Reprise).
The King invites Catherine to the theater. The Jabberwock attacks and Catherine pulls the Vorpal Sword from Jest’s magic hat. When the Jabberwock sees the sword, it flies away. Catherine’s ankle is injured during the attack.
Jest takes Catherine to the treacle well to be healed (Sister Song Part 1). He tells her about the Sisters who live in the treacle well, of the war in Chess, and of his mission to steal her heart and end the war. Jest tells her that things have changed since he met her and they pledge their hearts to one another (Foolish). When Catherine arrives home the King is at her house and her parents are furious. They all believe Jest kidnapped her. The King tries to arrest Jest, but he escapes.
Jest, Hatta, Raven, and Catherine go to the treacle well, and the sisters open the well for them (Sister Song Part 2). The sisters share a prophecy, showing a picture in which Catherine is the Queen of Hearts, Hatta has gone mad, Raven is in his executioner form holding a bloody ax, and Jest has been beheaded. The Sisters tell the group they can avoid this fate by not going through any doors.
They enter the maze and walk for a long time (Through the Looking Glass). Eventually they end up back in the Crossroads, which is full of doors. Catherine hears Mary Ann calling for help, and goes through a door to save her, followed by Hatta, Raven, and Jest.
Mary Ann tells Catherine that the Jabberwock is Peter’s wife. Peter knocks Catherine down and Jest comes to her rescue. Peter blames Hatta for bringing the pumpkin seeds that changed his wife. Catherine kills the Jabberwock and Peter kills Jest in revenge (Break). The Sisters come to her and offer her a chance to get vengeance on Peter in exchange for her heart. Catherine agrees.
On the day of the wedding, Catherine goes to visit Hatta. She finds Hatta has gone completely mad, and they explain the story of the magic pumpkin seeds and their inevitable fate (Mad Yet).
On the day of the wedding, the Sisters retrieve their prize and deliver Peter in Exchange for Cath’s heart. Catherine convicts Peter for the murder of Jest. Raven transforms into the executioner and Catherine calls for Peter’s beheading (Heartless/Finale).