Or so the story goes.

The original tale of “The Pied Piper of Hamelin” is a caustic, cautionary account of what happens when the values of honesty and integrity are supplanted by greed and avarice. In that rendering of the Grimm’s’ fairy tale, in 1284 a duped piper leads the children of Hamelin away, never to be heard from again.

The StageHANDS production, while remaining true to the narrative’s moral fiber, is cut of finer cloth.

“In this story, the mayor is taught the lesson of honesty,” said Melton, sounding every bit the Oaks Road Elementary School drama teacher she is. “The piper freezes the kids into statues. After, he unfreezes them and everyone’s happy in Hamelin.”

As is Melton in New Bern — the teacher is making her directing debut for StageHANDS, the children’s production arm of New Bern Civic Theater.

A seasoned performer — the Wilmington native studied at the Broadway Dance Center in New York City and The Second City in Chicago — Melton knew the production would have its challenges. Not only would the actors, all children and ranging in ages from 8 to 18, have to learn lines and song and dance routines for the musical, they would have to learn or reanimate sign language skills that are the hallmark of StageHANDS’ productions. Additionally, 14 total performances including several on the road at local schools and one at the Eastern North Carolina School for the Deaf, necessitated two full casts — or a total of more than 50 child performers.

Still, the director knew she wouldn’t have to squeak by on her own.

“The kids get to work with a lot of talented adults who do it for the love of theater and children,” Melton said during a recent Saturday rehearsal at NBCT’s downtown New Bern stage.

One of those talented adults is choreographer Roxann Belrose, a dance teacher at Oaks Road participating in her third StageHANDS production.

“One of the biggest challenges is choreographing the numbers so it’s interesting to watch but doesn’t take away from the sign language,” Belrose said.

When the troupe appears at the school for the deaf, that challenge is intensified.

“There the key is to get the story and be entertained at the same time,” Belrose said. “I try to make the movements match the sign language. The big challenge for the cast members is adjusting their blocking so they can be seen full on.”

StageHANDS veteran actor Stephen Perry, 15, knows how difficult that can be. Having appeared previously at the Eastern North Carolina School for the Deaf with the group, the current production’s Pied Piper said dialogue that includes hand gestures meant for direct communication is limiting.

“With sign language you can’t act as much as you’d like to,” Perry said.

But there are compensations in such performances, he said.

“It was a great experience to do it with them,” said Perry about past productions at the Wilson school. “I learned new signs. In my future times, it will help me in college and getting places.”

Sign director Archie Rivenbark, himself hearing impaired, appreciates the effort the young troubadours make.

“It opens up the community,” Rivenbark said. “It’s so important to the deaf community.”

Opening up the community extends beyond the stage for the children’s troupe. After performing at Eastern North Carolina School for the Deaf, the cast has lunch and interacts with the students — offering insights into the world of the deaf.

Other insights will be offered to general audiences during each of six public performances and a host of screenings to Craven County school children.

“It’s a character-driven play,” Melton said. “Schools like it because they are trying to instill the values of respect, honesty. Good moral values.”

But, like any fairy tale, those moral value lessons will be laced with merriment — and an anachronism or two.

“This production is magical because it’s set in the time period of the story, but there are modernistic elements thrown in to make it campy and fun,” Melton said.

Belrose equates the production differently.

“Having kids this talented, it’s like taking a favorite cartoon and bringing it to life on-stage,” she said.

Tom Mayer can be reached at 635-5662 or tmayer@freedomenc.com.

If you are going

What: RATS!

When: 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday, and March 10 to 11 and 2 p.m. Sunday and March 12

Where: New Bern Civic Theatre, 414 Pollock St.

Cost: Advance tickets are $10 adults, $5 students; at the door are $12 adults and $7 students

Contacts: 633-0567

By Tom Mayer
http://www.newbernsj.com/SiteProcessor.cfm?Template=/GlobalTemplates/Details.cfm&StoryID=26547