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  Book & lyrics by David Wood and Dave & Toni Arthur. Music by Dave & Toni Arthur. THE PIED PIPER was commissioned by Orchard Theatre and Plymouth Theatre Royal, and first produced by Orchard Theatre at the Octagon Theatre, Yeovil in 1988; the production then toured the West of England, including a Christmas season at the Drum, Plymouth Theatre Royal. Since then the play has been performed by amateur companies and schools.
Their parents, though, are not so delighted and soon put a stop to the energetic dancing, telling the children and the busker that music has been banned on this street for hundreds of years. The children ask why. In reply, the townsfolk act out the story of the Pied Piper, playing their medieval counterparts and involving the children and the busker as the Piper. But when the tale is told, the Piper once again enchants the children with his music, and the horrified townsfolk suddenly realise that he has come back to claim his fee, refused to him all those years ago. All ends happily, however, for it seems that, consumed by guilt, the medieval townsfolk put aside the thousand gilders, just in case the Piper should ever return. The Piper accepts his fee, and frees Hamelin from his curse at long last. The play was written for a cast of eight plus twenty children. “A magical musical show with lots more than a touch of mystery, a spice of terror and lots of happy tunes to send the audience home happy … children love it.” “This interpretation of Browning’s famous poem has the joy of invention as, with wit, song and dance, the haunting strains of the pipe adopt a hypnotic quality.” “Wood has retained the darker undercurrents of the original, which gives the piece more depth and solidity than many ‘Christmas Shows’.”
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THE PIED PIPER is based on the traditional tale made famous by Robert Browning, and uses much of Browning’s poem. This adaptation has the Piper making his first appearance as a modern busker, delighting the children with his music.  |