Dark musical comedy spoof of office politics with 33 songs. $55 for text and sheet music.
I. Act one - Introduction - Song-Rat theme
A. Scene - Sacrificial Scene/funeral Synopsis of Sacrificial /Funeral Scene This is a parody of a satanic sacrificial scene. It takes place in a surreal landscape, showing dark outlines of a dump, with flickering lights indicating a burning landfill somewhere in the background. As the curtain comes up, smoke from the dump melts away revealing a group of rats animatedly dancing and singing. Wisps of smoke curl up around the rats bodies occasionally.
The rats are throwing a surprise going away party. The Administrator rat, Per Hippo Crit, is leading the show. The rats are dressed at first in street clothes but they transform later into black red-lined hooded robes, with little glowing beady eyes showing from under the hoods.
The scene starts out with the rat chorus singing a fast cheerful song (rats). This song describes the character of the rat society and individual rats. Pink-eyed rats' names are prefaced by Per; Blue-eyed rats names are prefaced by the word Ber.
Otherwise, every rat is (theoretically) physically equal and indistinguishable, at least as perceived by the rats themselves. They refer to themselves with the word "it" rather than by gender-specific pronouns.
The chorus later switches to a minor key, singing a slow, somber song (mystery) as they gather in a circle. The sacrificial rat, Ber Scaper Goat, thinks that they are having a going-away party. It wonders who the mystery guest is who is going away. As the party progresses, one rat after another, pretending to be friendly, stabs a knife into Ber Scaper Goat's back.
Finally, Scaper Goat dies, muttering imprecations. The rats become more animated and dance faster and faster. After the climax, Ber Scaper Goat's carcass is tossed into the trash heap.
1. Song - Rats 2. Song - Mystery which changes into Night Voice (Change words) 3. Song - Who took the fun out of funerals?
