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The original story of “The Pied Piper of Hamelin” is believed to be a legend that originated in Germany. While the exact author is unknown, the tale has been passed down through oral tradition and later recorded in various forms by different writers. The earliest written accounts can be traced back to the 16th century, with the Brothers Grimm including a version of the story in their collection of fairy tales. Over the years, the story has been retold and adapted by numerous authors, making it a beloved and enduring tale in folklore.

THE PIPER’S MELODY: A TALE OF HAMELIN

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the enchanting tale of “The Pied Piper of Hamelin.” Set in the quaint town of Hamelin, this captivating play will transport you to a time of mystery and adventure. Join us as we witness the extraordinary events that unfold when a peculiar man arrives, promising to rid the town of its rat infestation. But as the story unfolds, we discover that there is much more to this extraordinary man than meets the eye. Brace yourselves for a journey filled with music, magic, and unexpected twists. Without further ado, let the tale of “The Pied Piper of Hamelin” begin!

CHARACTERS:

NARRATOR

ERICH

ERWIN

CROWD

WOMAN 1

MAN 1

MAN 2

MAYOR

ADVISOR 1

ADVISOR 2

ADVISOR 3

CAPTAIN

TREASURER

OLD MAN

PIED PIPER

SECRETARY

MAN 1

WOMAN 2

MAN 2

CHILD

LITTLE GIRL

CAPTAIN

SOLDIERS

CHILDREN

WOMAN 3

WOMAN 4

MAID

SCRIPT:

NARRATOR: A long time ago in a city called Hamelin in Germany, something strange happened one morning.

ERICH: Good morning, Erwin.

ERWIN: How are you today, Erich?  Where are you going?

ERICH: I’m going to buy a mousetrap.  Lately, there are a lot of rats in my house.

ERWIN: You’re right, my house is also full of them.  Something is happening, because we never had rats in this town before.  They are not only in the houses, you can see them everywhere, in the streets, in the town square, in the market!

ERICH: The government should do something before this turns into a real plague.

NARRATOR: And this happened for several weeks.  During this time the rats multiplied until there were thousands of them.  Rats could be seen everywhere, in barns, stores, warehouses, restaurants, bakeries, and even the church.  One day the whole town got together in front of the city hall to ask the mayor to do something about it.

CROWD: We want you to do something!  We want those rats out of this town!  Even the cats run away from them!

WOMAN 1: My son was bitten by a terrible rat while he was sleeping!

MAN 1: Rats ate all the grain in my store!

MAN 2: Those rats will bring us Black Death to this town.

CROWD: If the mayor can’t deal with this problem, let’s take him out!

NARRATOR: When the Mayor heard all the complaints he called for a meeting with his advisors.

MAYOR: We have to do something.  Give me ideas.

ADVISOR 1: Let’s buy more mousetraps, that will solve the problem.

ADVISOR 2: It won’t work!  There are no mousetraps in the city.

ADVISOR 3: Those rats are smart!  They know how mousetraps work.

MAYOR: Think of something!  People out there are furious!

CAPTAIN: Let’s offer a reward.  Let’s offer gold coins to the person who can get rid of all the rats.

TREASURER: It’s a good idea!  Let’s offer two-hundred gold coins to anyone who can make the rats disappear.

MAYOR: Good idea!

ADVISOR 1: Good idea!

ADVISOR 2: Not only it’s a good idea, but it’s also an excellent idea!

ADVISOR 3: It’s not only a good idea and an excellent idea, but it’s also a great idea!

MAYOR: Do you all agree?

ADVISORS 1, 2, 3, CAPTAIN, TREASURER: Yes, let’s do it!

MAYOR: I will go out of the balcony and let them know our decision.

NARRATOR: The mayor went to the balcony and said.

MAYOR: Dear citizens.  I have decided to offer a reward of two-hundred gold coins to the person who can get rid of all the rats in town.

CROWD: Yes! Yes!  Our problems will be over! We want those rats away from here!

MAYOR: I will place posters all over town offering a reward.

NARRATOR: Next day the city was full of posters offering the two-hundred gold coins to the person who could get rid of the rats.  At that moment a tall and thin man entered the city.

OLD MAN: Young man, young man, help me.  I am very tired, help me get to that bench in the square.

PIED PIPER: Take my hand, I will take you.  I am not in a hurry.

NARRATOR: And they walked together to the square. And they sat together on the first bench they found.

OLD MAN: Thank you, young man.  You are not from this town?  I don’t remember seeing you in this town.

PIED PIPER: No, I am a musician.  I play my music to whoever wants to listen to it for just a few coins.

OLD MAN: What kind of musical instrument do you play?

PIED PIPER: I play the flute… but what is going on?  There are a lot of rats in this town.  I have never seen so many rats together!

OLD MAN: That’s right my young friend.   Do you see that poster over there?  It’s about a reward the city is offering to the person who can get rid forever of the rats.

PIED PIPER: Let me read it.

NARRATOR: The pied piper read the poster and as soon as he finished reading it, he went back to the old man.

PIED PIPER: My friend, can you tell me where the city hall is?

OLD MAN: Go straight, there you will see a big white building.  That’s the city hall.  Why do you want to go there?

PIED PIPER: Because I will get rid of the rats. The reward will be mine.  Good-bye.

NARRATOR: And the Pied Piper went to the city hall.  As soon as he arrived at the city hall he asked to see the Mayor.

PIED PIPER: Good day, I would like to talk to the mayor.

SECRETARY: The mayor is very busy right now.

PIED PIPER: I must talk to the mayor.  It’s urgent.

SECRETARY: What can you do for the mayor?  You are a poor musician.

PIED PIPER: I can get rid of all the rats.

SECRETARY: Are you sure you can get rid of those ugly rats?

PIED PIPER: Yes.  All of them!

SECRETARY: Then sit down, let me see if the mayor is available.

NARRATOR: Two minutes later the mayor shouted.

MAYOR: Let him come in!

NARRATOR: As soon as the Pied Piper was inside the office, the mayor said.

MAYOR: Is it true that you can get rid of all the rats?

PIED PIPER: Yes, mayor.  I can get rid of each one of them.

MAYOR: Are you sure they will never come back?

PIED PIPER: Yes, I have an idea.  They will never come back.

MAYOR: When will that be?  When will get you rid of them?

PIED PIPER: Right now!  I just to make sure that the reward you are offering is true.

MAYOR: It is true!

PIED PIPER: Could you give me half of the reward right now?  Then, when the job is finished you can give me the rest of the money.

MAYOR: What? Do you think I’m crazy?

SECRETARY: Yes, do you think we are fools?

MAYOR: If I give you one coin right now, I am sure you will go away. I will give you all the coins when the rats are out of here, and when we are sure that they will never come back.

PIED PIPER: If those are the conditions, I agree.  I’ll start working.

NARRATOR: As soon as the pied piper was out of the mayor’s office, he started to walk toward the square.  He stood in the middle of the square and started playing his flute.  It was a piece of soft and nice music, people even wanted to dance.

WOMAN 1: Where did he come from?  His music is so lovely.

NARRATOR: People gathered around the pied piper. The mayor and his secretary were watching from the city hall.

MAYOR: Something is happening.  Look!   Secretary, did you see that?  Rats are running toward the square!

SECRETARY: It’s true!  They are thousands of rats coming out from every house.

MAN 1: Let’s get out of here!  There are thousands of rats!! And more and more are coming this way!

NARRATOR: And people got inside their houses.  And only the pied piper remained in the square playing his lovely music.

PIED PIPER: This is working!  Rats like my music.  I will keep on playing!

MAYOR: That’s incredible!  Every time there are more rats in the square!  Poor man, they will eat him up!

PIED PIPER: Now is the time to start walking.

NARRATOR: And the pied piper started walking to the great river that ran across the city.  He was always playing his music. Rats seem to be enchanted by the music, and they followed quietly the musician.  He walked for more than half an hour until he got to the edge of the Weser River.

PIED PIPER: I hope the water is not too cold.  I have to take off my shoes. I don’t want them to be wet.

NARRATOR: While the Pied Piper was taking off his shoes, he stopped playing the flute.  At that moment the rats started running toward the city once again.  The enchantment was over.

PIED PIPER: I hope the water is not too cold, and the stream not too hard.

NARRATOR: The pied piper swam to the middle of the river.  The water stream was too hard, and he was about to fall.

PIED PIPER: I have to hurry up! The water is too cold, and the stream too hard.  I have to play my music again.

NARRATOR: As soon as he played his music again, rats came back, and got inside the river.

PIED PIPER: It’s working!  The water stream is too hard.  It’s taking away the rats and they are drowning!  I will keep on playing until there’s none of them alive.

NARRATOR: Some minutes went by and there were no rats on the edge of the river.  All of them were in the water where they drowned.

PIED PIPER: I will keep on playing my music, just to be sure that there are no more rats.

NARRATOR: The pied piper got out of the water.  He put on his shoes and went back to the city hall and to the mayor’s office.

PIED PIPER: I want to see the mayor.  I have finished my job; all the rats are dead.

SECRETARY: Sit down, let me tell him that you are here.

NARRATOR: As soon as the secretary was inside the mayor’s office, he said.

SECRETARY: The pied piper is here; he wants to talk to you.

MAYOR: Let him in.

NARRATOR: The secretary went back to the pied piper and said.

SECRETARY: You can come in; he’s waiting for you.

NARRATOR: As soon as the pied piper was inside the mayor’s office, he said.

MAYOR: Sit down.

PIED PIPER: I can’t sit down; I am in a hurry.  I just came to get my two-hundred gold coins.

MAYOR:  I don’t have the gold coins here with me.  I have to talk to the treasurer, he has them.

PIED PIPER: When can I come for my money?

NARRATOR: While the Mayor and the Pied Piper were talking in the office, the people from Hamelin were gathered around the square.

WOMAN 2: Hail to the mayor!

MAN 2: Yes, he is wonderful!

CHILD: We don’t have any more rats!

NARRATOR: Meanwhile at the Mayor’s Office.

MAYOR: What is happening outside?  I’ll go to the balcony to see what is wrong.

NARRATOR: The mayor, the secretary, and the pied piper went to the balcony.

CROWD: Thank you, mayor!

MAYOR: Thank you, but the honor is not mine.  This young man, the pied piper was the one who got rid of the rats.

CROWD: Hail to the pied piper!

MAYOR: We will do a great party tonight to celebrate there are no more rats in this town.

NARRATOR: Then, they went inside again.

MAYOR: Secretary, tell the treasurer and my advisors to come here.  And you, go and get everything ready for tonight’s party.

PIED PIPER: But, mayor, what about my payment?

MAYOR: Don’t worry, tonight after the party you will receive your reward. Meanwhile, rest for a while and enjoy the party tonight.

NARRATOR: The pied piper left, and minutes later the advisors and the treasurer arrived at the mayor’s office.

MAYOR: Come in and take a seat.

TREASURER: What is wrong?  What is the emergency?

ADVISOR 1: I was about to get ready for the party.

ADVISOR 2: I was taking a nap.

ADVISOR 3: I was drinking a hot chocolate cup.

MAYOR: Did some of you notice that there are no more rats in town?

TREASURER: That’s right, there are none.  I haven’t seen any.

ADVISORS 1,2,3: Yes, there are none.

MAYOR: The pied piper wants his reward. I told him that tonight he will receive his gold coins.

ADVISOR 1: But he didn’t do anything.

ADVISOR 2: He got rid of all the rats in less than two hours.

ADVISOR 3: We shouldn’t pay him two hundred gold coins for just a two-hour job.

TREASURER: It’s true.  Besides, he just walked and played his flute.  Two hundred gold coins are a lot of money for such little effort.  I will only pay him a gold coin.

ADVISOR 1: He doesn’t deserve a gold coin.

ADVISOR 2: He doesn’t deserve a silver coin.

ADVISOR 3: Maybe just a steel coin.

MAYOR: But I gave him my word.  We have to pay him tonight.

TREASURER: Very well, if you want to give him two-hundred gold coins, you will have to give him your own money.  Because I have decided not to give him any.

MAYOR: No, not from my own money.

ADVISOR 1: The party is enough for him.

ADVISOR 2: The food and music will be enough for him.

ADVISOR 3: The town’s gratitude is enough for him.

MAYOR: Are you sure this is what you want to do?

ADVISOR 1,2,3: Yes, we are sure!  We will do just that.

MAYOR: Very well, when the party is over, we will tell him about our decision.

NARRATOR: And everybody left the city hall.  That night the party was celebrated in honor of the Pied Piper.  There was music, clowns, and food, and everybody was dancing.

LITTLE GIRL: Thank you, Mr. pied piper, I couldn’t sleep at night because I was afraid of being bitten by the rats.

PIED PIPER: You are now safe.

LITTLE GIRL: How did you do it?  How did you get them out of this town?

PIED PIPER: I only played lovely music, and they were all gone.

LITTLE GIRL: Thank you, thank you.

NARRATOR: And the little girl left.  All night people gathered around the Pied Piper.  They all thank him for what he did.  Then the mayor said.

MAYOR: Dear Hamelin citizens!  Tonight, we celebrated our hero, the pied piper who got rid of the rats.  Pied Piper, come here with me.

PIED PIPER: Here I am, mayor.

MAYOR: Let’s give our hero an applause!

NARRATOR: And the crowd applauded. After a few minutes, the mayor said.

MAYOR: Dear people, the party is over.  Go home now, rest, and don’t worry anymore.

NARRATOR: The people left the square, and only the Pied Piper, the Treasurer, the Mayor, the three Advisors, and the soldiers stayed there.  The Pied Piper said.

PIED PIPER: Mayor, I appreciate this party, but I have to go now, I only want my reward.

TREASURER: There will not be any reward.  You didn’t do anything!  You just walked and played your music.

ADVISOR 1: The party was enough for you.

ADVISOR 2: In your whole life, you never ate like you did tonight.

ADVISOR 3: You are only a poor musician.

PIED PIER: Mayor, you promise me you would give me my reward when the party was over.

MAYOR: Yes, but we all agreed that what you did was nothing, it was very easy for you.

TREASURER: I advise you to leave without causing any problems.  Get out of this town now!

PIED PIPER: But I can’t leave without my money.  I got rid of the rats, you can’t do this to me!

MAYOR: Sure, we can!  Soldiers, get this poor musician out of this town!

CAPTAIN: Yes Sir.   Soldiers, get this man and take him out of this town!

PIED PIPER: Are you sure that you will not pay me?  Something terrible will happen to you if you don’t pay me!

MAYOR: Quiet!  What can you do?  You are just a poor worthless musician! Soldiers, get him now!

PIED PIPER: My revenge will be terrible!

NARRATOR: Then the soldiers took him out of town.  But when the whole town was in total silence, the pied piper came back to the square.

PIED PIPER: I will play the most wonderful music.

NARRATOR: And he played, and played, but it seemed that no music was coming out from his flute.  Suddenly, the square was full of children of all ages.  Big kids, small kids, and even babies are being carried by their older brothers and sisters.  Then he stopped playing.

PIED PIPER: Dear children.  We will continue our party, only you and me.  Do you like my music?

CHILDREN: Yes!  Keep playing your beautiful music.

PIED PIPER: Then I will keep playing my music, and you will follow me.

NARRATOR: The Pied Piper played his music while walking outside Hamelin.  All the children followed him.  Some hours later, in the morning, every parent noticed that their children were not at home.  When they went out, they knew that overnight every child in town disappeared.  Then they went to the mayor’s house.

WOMAN 3: Mayor, mayor, all our kids have disappeared!  There are no children in town!

NARRATOR: The Mayor opened the door.

MAYOR: What is happening?  Why all this noise?

WOMAN 4: All our kids have disappeared!  My baby has disappeared!

MAYOR: That is not possible.  Maid, go get my children!

NARRATOR: The Maid went to the kid’s bedroom but nobody was there.  Then he told the mayor.

MAID: Mayor, your kids are not at home, and my kids are not home either!

MAYOR: The pied piper did this!  He took revenge on us because we didn’t pay him!  Oh, poor Hamelin!

NARRATOR: The Pied Piper, with his mesmerizing music and unwavering determination, led the rats away from the town, freeing Hamelin from their torment. But as the town rejoiced, a dark turn of events took place when the ungrateful townspeople refused to fulfill their promise of the reward. In an act of justice, the Pied Piper once again used his enchanting melodies, this time leading the children of Hamelin away, leaving behind an empty town and a lesson learned.

“The Pied Piper of Hamelin” serves as a reminder that promises should not be broken and gratitude should never be forgotten. This timeless story captivates us with its magical elements, while also teaching us the importance of honesty, compassion, and the consequences of our actions. As the curtains fall and the melodies fade away, may this tale leave a lasting impression in your hearts, reminding us all to value our commitments and appreciate the goodness that surrounds us.

THE END

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