THE PIED PIPER. Story, Music and Lyrics By Henrietta Atkin. Performance Rights

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1 THE PIED PIPER Story, Music and Lyrics By Henrietta Atkin Performance Rights To copy this text is an infringement of the federal copyright law as is to perform this play without royalty payment. All rights are controlled by Eldridge Publishing Co., Inc. Call the publisher for further scripts and licensing information. On all programs and advertising the author s name must appear as well as this notice: Produced by special arrangement with Eldridge Publishing Co. PUBLISHED BY ELDRIDGE PUBLISHING COMPANY by Eldridge Publishing Company Download your complete script from Eldridge Publishing

2 2 CAST OF CHARACTERS (in order of appearance) A GANG OF RATS: Any number. (Some double as snakes.) HANS: Brother of Hilde, about 12. HILDE: Sister to Hans, about 11, has a limp. PIED PIPER: Man with a magical flute. CHILDREN OF HAMLIN: Any number. FRIAR: Citizen of Hamlin. SCHOOLTEACHER: Another. BAKER S WIFE: Another. TOWNSPERSON #1: Another. TOWNSPERSON #2: Another. EXTRAS: Hamlin citizens, children. MANNY, the WOODSMAN: Older brother of Hans/Hilde, 20 s, helps save the children. MAYOR OF HAMLIN: Tries to cheat the Piper. COUNSELOR HASELSCHNITÉ: Adviser to Mayor. COUNSELOR VON FROOP: Adviser to Mayor. GERDA: Mayor s daughter, helps save the children. LITTLE MOUSE: Tries to warn the other Rats. DJINN OF BAGHDAD: Evil, powerful force. (Last scene only.) SONGS ACT I 1. Rats (The Townspeople.) 2. The Vipers of Baghdad (The Pied Piper.) 3. Stop, Look, Listen (Gerda, Little Mouse.) 4. Cheese Heaven (Rats.) ACT II 1. Children s Music (Incidental.) 2. The Oldest Story (Hilde.) 3. You ve Got Me (Manny, Gerda.) 4. Follow Your Special Dream (All.)

3 3 SYNOPSIS ACT I - Sc. 1: Hilde and Hans are attacked by a band of rats in the woods, but are saved by magical music that makes the rats go away. The children meet a merchant who has a pipe, but he denies knowing anything about the music. They offer to escort him to their hometown of Hamlin. Sc. 2: The citizens of Hamlin complain about the trials they must endure in a town infested with rats. Sc. 3: Manny the Woodsman tells the people of Hamlin they shouldn t have to endure the rats. The Mayor of Hamlin, his counselors, and his daughter, Gerda, come into town. A proclamation is read offering 1,000 guilders to the person who can rid Hamlin of the rats. Gerda and Manny start to get a crush on each other. The Mayor, suspicious of Manny, sends a spy to listen to his conversation with the merchant. A spy rat (the Little Mouse) also listens in. Manny discovers that the merchant is really the Pied Piper. Sc. 4: The Mayor sends his counselor to steal the Pied Piper s pipe. Gerda deplores her father s actions and sneaks off to warn Manny. Sc. 5: The Piper explains that he is being chased by an evil genie and hence must be secretive about his magic pipe-playing. Manny suggests that the Piper rid the town of Hamlin of the plague of rats and win the 1,000 guilders to bribe the evil genie. Sc. 6: The Little Mouse tries to warn the rats of the danger of the Pied Piper, but they don t believe him. Gerda has the rats attack the counselor so that he does not reach Manny s cottage. She warns Manny of the danger he has narrowly escaped. They promise to meet again. Sc. 7: The competition for the 1,000 guilders begins. The Pied Piper pipes the rats out of Hamlin, except for the Little Mouse who has earmuffs. There s general jubilation. ACT II - Sc. 1: The Piper demands his money from the Mayor who refuses to give it to him. Even the townspeople mock the Piper. He plays a tune that enchants the children, including Hilde and Hans.

4 4 Sc. 2: Manny is blamed for the kidnapping of the children and is about to be beheaded by the Mayor. Gerda unties him. They promise to meet later that night to run off together. The Mayor is shocked to find that Manny has escaped, but is distracted by the fact that Hilde has returned. She was not able to climb Koppenberg Hill because she is lame. The Mayor and townspeople follow Hilde to where the Pied Piper was last sighted. Sc. 3: Gerda meets Manny and tells him of Hilde s return. They decided to search for the children. Sc. 4: The Mayor arrives at Koppenberg Hill, but is told by the Piper that he cannot have the children back. Just then the Djinn of Baghdad arrives and almost kills the Piper. Manny arrives in time with the money for the Djinn. The children are set free. PROPERTIES LIST ACT I - Sc. 1: String of sausages, cheese in a small picnic basket for Hans and Hilde. A cart or backpack containing silks, jewels; an apple; and a pipe (flute or lute) for Piper. Sc. 2: Handkerchief for Friar. Crumbs in pocket and rolls on a tray for Baker s wife. A chewed-up book for Schoolteacher. Sc. 3: Proclamation scroll for Haselschnit. Sc. 4: Money, basket, and royal robe for Mayor. Telescope, a bow and arrow (with rubber tip), and handkerchief for Haselschnit. Sewing for Gerda. Sc. 5: Food for Hans, Hilde. Sc. 7: 2 giant nets, 2 pieces of cheese, stuffed cats or cat masks, 2 giant rat traps, and coins for Townspeople. A gong for Von Froop. Red ear muffs for Little Mouse. Large copper pipe for Haselschnit. ACT II - Sc. 1: Jump ropes, jacks, etc. for children. Sc. 2: A rope to tie up Manny. Proclamation scroll. Sc. 3: Bag of silver guilders for Gerda. Sc. 4: Scimitar for Djinn. Crystal ball for Piper.

5 5 COSTUMES All wear clothing of the Middle Ages appropriate to their station in life. The only costume change necessary is for the Piper who first is dressed like a common merchant but changes into a bright satin showman type outfit from Act I, Scene 7, until the end of the play. SETS There are four simple set required. They are the forest set including moveable rocks, trees and bushes; Hamlin town square with storefronts on a painted backdrop; Manny s cottage with a simple wooden table and bench; and the Mayor s castle (can be played before curtain) with a throne CS and a small stool and sewing for Gerda. MUSIC A piano tape available. Call HI-STAGE to order.

6 6 ACT I Scene 1 (AT RISE: A forest near Hamlin. Several RATS enter from all entrances on the stage, including the aisles. They meet CS, greet each other with squeals and hand-slapping, then hide behind bushes and trees. HANS and HILDE enter and lay down a picnic basket. The rats approach in order to steal the food. Hans takes the string of sausages and uses it as a whip, driving many of them back. But another group grabs the sausages. Hans and Hilde exit to get help. The rats have a tug-of-war with the sausages and fall squealing with laughter onto the floor. They exit SL aisle, waving the sausages at the audience. A few seconds later, Hans runs in again, looking behind the trees and out to the audience for the rats. He finally sees their retreating backs down the SL aisle.) HANS: (To the retreating RATS.) Give me back my lunch! (Pause, to HIMSELF.) It s no good...they re gone. (Calling behind HIM.) Come on, come on, Hilde. (HILDE rushes in, her limp more evident. It seems as if she has been running a long time as she is panting.) HILDE: I m sorry I fell so far behind, Hans. HANS: It s okay. (HE kneels down and rubs HER ankle.) HILDE: I used to run so much faster before my accident. I hope the doctor in Hannover can make my foot better. HANS: Never mind. Let s see the basket. (HE takes their basket and turns it upside down.) Hey! All the blackberries are gone! HILDE: Yes. A rat jumped into it. HANS: Well, there are a few left. HILDE: (Skipping away DSL.) Let s go and pick some more. HANS: (Grabs HILDE S arm, stopping her.) Maybe not. It s getting dark and Manny said to be home before sundown. HILDE: Some brother he is! He acts more like a father! HANS: Come on.

7 7 (They walk DSR. Suddenly HILDE clutches HANS. They stop.) HILDE: Hans! I m scared. HANS: Why? HILDE: They say that when it gets dark, the rats wait along the banks of the Weser river. And that they pull you in, if you have food. They say the rats can be two-feet long. HANS: That s all nonsense. (The LIGHTS darken. THUNDER rumbles in the distance.) HILDE: Listen. Did you hear that? HANS: It was thunder. It was nothing! HILDE: Look! (SHE points at some RATS who have come back and are hiding behind a tree at SR. They were fighting over a piece of cheese, but when they see the children, they start approaching them.) HANS: Shoo! Go away! (HE nervously clutches the basket as the RATS try to grab it.) HILDE: (To HANS.) Hans! (To the RATS.) Leave us alone! (Suddenly the SOUND of pipe music is heard. [MUSIC CUE 1] The RATS freeze, then dance off the stage, doing a jig. HANS and HILDE are surprised, then scared.) HANS: What was that? (THEY hide behind the trees and peer out through the branches. PIED PIPER, who looks like a merchant, enters from the SR aisle playing a pipe. When finished, he puts it in his cart or backpack which is full of fine silks and jewels.) PIPER: (Looking around nervously.) Hello? Hello? Anyone live around here? (Asks audience.) Did you see anyone? Well, I must be hearing things. (HE stands CS, near the tree where HANS and HILDE are hiding and nonchalantly starts to eat an apple he has pulled from his

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