"Rats! The Pied Piper Musical" has audiences of all ages singing and dancing along with performing rats, scheming gypsies, bumbling politicians, Little Miss Muffet and of course, the Pied Piper himself. ProArts is known for its family friendly fractured fairy tales, featuring familiar storylines packed with puns and cultural references to keep the adults in the audience laughing right along with the kids.
In this quirky Pied Piper story spinoff, the town of Hamelin is plagued by singing, dancing rats. The beleaguered town council teams up with a conniving gypsy duo to rid the town of the noisy infestation. Luckily for Hamelin, Little Miss Muffet and Peter the Piper have a fail-proof plan of their own.
The show may be a little less polished than past ProArts productions, but the fun characters, revamped old tunes and twists and turns make it a delight to watch anyway.
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ProArts photo
Bill Schnitzer (from left) is Mayor Muffet, Laura Bloom Farber is Faddle and Paul Janes-Brown is Fiddle in ProArts’ “Rats! The Pied Piper Musical.”
Leif Peterson is great as the kind-hearted rogue Peter the Piper. His sensible sweetheart Little Miss Muffet is solidly played by Chaney Cramer.
Bill Schnitzer is a hoot as the airheaded Mayor Muffet. His councilmen sidekicks, Mr. Fiddle (Paul Janes-Brown) and Mr. Faddle (Laura Bloom Farber) are a lot of fun too, especially Janes-Brown, who gives Mr. Fiddle a ridiculous lisp.
Jett Batoon gives a funny, melodramatic performance as the greedy fortuneteller Madame Marie. R.K. Harper completes the circus act as the magician The Great Donny.
The singing, dancing rodent trio Mooney (Lisa Teichner), Gooney (Barbara Sedano) and Bob (Kristi Scott) steal the show with their lively vocals and fun dance moves.
"Rats!" features original book, music and lyrics by Jonathan Lehman and Kim Vetterli. The production team includes director Jonathan Lehman, producers Lehman and Doug Kendrick, musical director Marti Kluth, scenic designer Caro Walker, costume designer Kathleen Schulz and lighting designer Bonnie Prucha.
"Rats!" is an hour of musical fun the whole family will love.
* "Rats! The Pied Piper Musical" shows 7:30 p.m. Fridays, 4 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays and 1 and 4 p.m. Sundays through May 8 at the ProArts Playhouse in Kihei. Reserved chair seating is $15 and floor seating for keiki is $10. For tickets and information, call 463-6520.
This weekend
"High School Musical, Jr.": King Kekaulike Drama Club presents Disney's "High School Musical, Jr." by David Simpatico. The show features all the characters from the movie, Chad, Gabriella, Ryan, Sharpay, Ms. Darbus, Coach Bolton, and all the other Wildcats, and such musical favorites as "We're All in This Together," "Getcha Head in the Game," "Bop to the Top," "Stick to the Status Quo" and all the other toe-tapping melodies. "High School Musical, Jr." hits the stage at 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through May 7, with Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. this weekend and May 8 at the King Kekaulike Auditorium.
* Tickets are $8 for adults and $4 for students 17 and under. Tickets are available at the door 45 minutes before showtime.
"Martina: Lost and Found": The Advanced Acting Performance Troupe of Maui Academy of Performing Arts (MAPA) presents the Maui premiere of the powerful play "Martina: Lost and Found," an unflinching drama about navigating the complex and tumultuous teenage years. Written by R.N. Sandburg and directed by Sally Sefton Johnston, the play follows the story of a young teen named Martina who slams the door to her room, yells that she wants everybody to get out of her life, and suddenly discovers that her "wish" is granted. Martina's waking nightmare journey brings her face-to-face with people who live on the street, a gang of raucous crows, a mythic makeover witch and other monstrous figures grown large out of her everyday life. "Martina: Lost and Found" is a fantastical, realistic whirlwind about confronting fears and making important choices to set a course of growth and responsibility.
* "Martina: Lost and Found" takes the stage this weekend only at 7:30 p.m Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Steppingstone Playhouse. Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for seniors and students, available from the MAPA box office, 244-8760, ext. 228, or the customer service kiosk in Queen Ka'ahumanu Center.
Seabury Hall "Dance Showcase": Seabury's annual dance concert combines all levels of dance and ballet classes, climaxing with a celebration of the American Musical. The concert also reprises David Ward's "Homage to Agnes" a Western suite set to the music of Yo Yo Ma and Edgar Meyer; an excitingly rhythmic African fusion piece set to the music of Angelique Kidjo, Ward's award-winning "Silver Spoon," featuring a solo by Miles Kelsey reminiscent of Gene Kelly that features a suite of songs from Leonard Bernstein's "On the Town"; "America's Shadow," a piece about the homeless, performed by the whole Seabury Hall Dance Ensemble, to the music of Woody Guthrie and Tom Waits; and more. With more than 75 performers, this is another exciting, dynamic concert of high-energy dances and thoughtful choreography. "Dance Showcase" often sells out so make your reservations early!
* "Dance Showcase" takes the stage at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday at the Seabury Hall Performance Studio. Tickets are $11 for adults, $9 for seniors and $5 for students. For information and reservations, call 573-1257.
"Hapai": When a couple announces that they stay hapai, planning a baby shower for them brings out everyone's true colors and the generations-old secret to motherhood. "Hapai" is a hilarious local comedy written by local playwright Keali'iwahine Hokoana and performed by great Maui talent. Ticket sales will benefit two nonprofit organizations, "Talking Stories" and "Neighborhood Place of Wailuku." Ticket price includes dessert and drinks.
* "Hapai" shows 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 7, and 3 p.m. Sunday, May 8, at Maui Theatre in Lahaina. Tickets are $20. For tickets call 249-2421.
On The Road With Aloha Shorts: Maui No Ka 'Oi: Hawaii Public Radio marks the launch of its new station, KIPM 89.7 FM, on Maui with a live taping of "Aloha Shorts" at 2:45 p.m. Sunday at the Historic Iao Theater in Wailuku. The broadcast will be at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
"Aloha Shorts" is a locally produced radio program of writings from Bamboo Ridge Press performed by Hawaii's actors. It tapes before a live audience on the first Sunday of every month- this taping marks its Neighbor Island debut.
Sunday's taping will feature Michael McPherson's "Toda Drug," read by Kathy Collins; "Maui" by Kula poet and teacher Brandy Nalani McDougall, read by Marvelee Soon Tahauri; McDougall's "The Upcountry Drought," read by Cassandra Wormser; McDougall's "Waiting for the Sunrise at Haleakala," read by Noukahau'oli Revilla, who also reads Dana Naone Hall's "Looking for Signs"; "No Mo' Fish on Maui" by Barry Masuda of Kula, read by Kalapana Kollars; an excerpt from Milton Murayama's pidgin novel "All I Asking for Is My Body," a depiction of life in a sugar plantation camp in the 1930s and '40s, read by Joel William Agnew, Pat Masumoto, Collins, Kollars, Devon Nekoba and Aito Simpson Steele; "Da Mayor of Lahaina" by Lee Tonouchi, read by Nekoba; and the first chapter from Steven Goldsberry's novel "Maui the Demigod," read by Steele. Favorite Maui musical artists Gail Swanson and George Kahumoku, Jr will add solo sets.
* Tickets are $15 and $10 for HPR members and students. For tickets, call 955-8821 or visit www.hawaiipublicradio.org.
Coming up
MAPA's Spring Extravaganza and MOVES: Maui Academy of Performing Arts (MAPA) presents its Spring Extravaganza with a "Jazz, Tap & Hip Hop Revue," featuring dancers of all ages strutting their stuff in jazz, tap, contemporary and hip-hop, and the ballet "Sleeping Beauty," set to a stunning score by Tchaikovsky and featuring over two hundred MAPA ballerinas ages 3 to adult. In "MOVES," MAPA's highly trained dance company presents an extraordinary evening of original choreography in the style of MAPA's "Pieces" dance concerts.
* "Jazz, Tap & Hip Hop Revue" hits the stage at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 21, at Castle Theater in the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. "MOVES" shows at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 21, at the same venue. "Sleeping Beauty" follows at 3 p.m. Sunday, also in Castle Theater. Tickets for "Jazz, Tap and Hip Hop Revue" and "Sleeping Beauty" are $12. Tickets for "MOVES" are $15 for adults and $12 for kids 12 and younger. For tickets, call the MACC box office at 242-7469 or visit www.mauiarts.org.
