Pied Piper, The

Yet again, what a pleasure to work with so many wonderful local organizations in order to be part of the brilliant new tradition that is the Memphis Children’s Theatre Festival. I loved working with my cast and crew, which was made up of a wonderful mixture of familiar collaborators and several newcomers who are now among the very youngest in Chatterbox’s vast repertoire of voice performers.

The story of the Pied Piper seemed like a perfect fit for this year’s festival. As I worked on my adaptation, I began to see clearly that — unlike many other morality tales of its era, told by the Brothers Grimm and others — the lesson of this cautionary tale is given from the perspective of the young, and aimed directly at adults, rather than the other way around. Which really sold me on it for this particular event. Just look at its message: Don’t be greedy, take people seriously, don’t patronize, and keep your promises. And, of course, remember what is important in life: For parents, what is money compared to the love of their children? It was my hope to stay true to the wonder, the darkness, and the lessons of the original story, while also implanting some fun and the notion that we all learn from our mistakes.

With its inherent inclusion of strong characters, potential for beautiful music (created and performed wonderfully by Jeanne Simmons), and audience participation among the kids in the crowd, I knew the story would make a great live show! And who can resist the opportunity to create hordes of ravenous rats in a piece of audio theater? Not I.

Enjoy!

—Marques W. Brown