Pied Piper, The - By Ruth Kenward and Nick Perrin
Product Description:
In one of the few versions of the Pied Piper to feature a happy ending, we have a first rate end of year show for juniors. This production is full of humour and colourful characters and with a very straightforward plot. The script is fast-moving and engaging but also explores important universal themes in passing. The music is particularly strong and detailed directions make the show simple to produce and perform. A read-aloud story version is included in the data section of the CD, to help introduce the plot and characters to the children.
Rats have taken over Hamelin, led by bossy Big Cheese! Grumpy street cleaner Mr Brümhandel fights a losing battle to keep the town clean while the people of Hamelin are too lazy to take responsibility for their own mess and dirt. Meanwhile, the Mayor and his incompetent sidekicks are more interested in lining their pockets than doing their jobs.
In this context we meet Peter, who has a limp and struggles to keep up with the other children. Left behind in a game of chase, Peter happens to meet the magical Pied Piper, who changes everything by enchanting the rats and leading them out of town, much to everyone's delight.
The Piper returns to collect the agreed fee but the Mayor has to admit that the treasury is empty! To teach the people of Hamelin a lesson, the Pied Piper enchants all the children and leads them off into a mountain where they are all trapped - apart from Peter, who can't keep up with the others, as usual.
Peter returns to Hamelin and tells the horrified citizens what happened. All hope seems lost until Peter takes the initiative by suggesting everybody pool their resources to pay the Piper. When the Pied Piper returns, in a surprising twist he declares that the only payment he required from the citizens was a change of heart. Now everyone has learned their lesson, the children can come home - led by Peter, who has proved himself to be the true leader of Hamelin!
It's full of humour and colourful characters - grumpy Mr. Broomhandle, incompetent Mayor, King Rat and the Pied Piper - and has a very straightforward plot. The music is as good as ever and the detailed directions make the show simple to direct and great fun to perform. There’s extra printable resources and a read-aloud story on the enhanced CD, along with full vocal demos and instrumental backing tracks, so you can familiarise your children with the plot and the characters before casting and rehearsing. This show really comes to you ‘on a plate’! Age guide 8-12 years. 11 songs, 1 dance.
The Director's Pack contains everything you need to stage a successful show including the Director's Book with director's overview, cast list, synopsis, notes, script, score, lyrics, helpful staging suggestions and performance licence application form. The included Enhanced CD contains full vocal demonstrations of the songs for the children to learn and separate instrumental backing tracks for performance use (no pianist required), along with printable files of the pupil script and lyric sheets (which allows you to print off as many copies as you require).
Approximate Duration: 55 minutes
9) Hamelin’s A Rat Free Zone
