Pied Piper – Leeds Playhouse

Writer and Composer: Conrad Murray

Directors: Conrad Murray and Ria Parry

This modern, music and beat box-led take on the Pied Piper story brings the tale to life in a very different way, reimagining Hamelin as a town where young people are stuck working in a pie factory under a mayor who has banned music altogether. It’s a simple concept taken on by Beatbox Academy but a fun one, and the show leans heavily into rhythm, rap and beatboxing to tell the story. There are in fact few words spoken without a soundtrack underneath them created by this hugely talented cast.

The show relies entirely on live voices to create all of the sounds in the show, from singing to beatboxing and sound effects, which is impressive to watch. The performers keep the energy high throughout, and the timing between them is tight. While some of the lyrics were a little difficult to catch at times, the overall story is still easy enough to follow.

Each member of the cast is hugely capable, from writer and co-director Conrad Murray who plays Pied Piper (giving very cool Craig David vibes and then some) to the fantastically smooth vocals of Aziza Brown (Crochet), who also showed us she can drop a beat in a beatbox battle too. Absolute star of the show, and apparently only the understudy, was Alex ‘ABH’ Hackett (Tempo) – beatbox extraordinaire, who somehow managed to act and sing as well as keeping each of the songs in time, on key and beautifully paced. The guy is a beatbox genius.

Catriona Malbaski (Robyn) and Celeste Denyer (Solo) both had fantastic voices that very much complemented each other and fit in beautifully alongside Jevoughn Gregg-Fuller (Simmy Snorkin), Brown and Hackett as the Rebel Clefs.

The design of the show works well too. The set, styled like a factory floor, gives the cast plenty of room to move and helps keep things visually interesting. Lighting and costumes add a bit of personality, particularly the rebellious look of the young workers. There are also some clever practical effects along the way, with the “rats” sequences being some of the more memorable moments.

One of the nicest touches is the involvement of young people from the local community, who appear onstage as part of the chorus. It gives the show a welcoming, inclusive feel and clearly means a lot to the participants and they are also very very good! There’s also a bit of audience interaction, which keeps things lively and works well with younger viewers.

That said, the show does feel like it could be a bit tighter. At around eighty minutes it isn’t long, but parts of the story repeat the same ideas without adding much new. The characters’ frustrations with life in Hamelin are clear, but the script doesn’t always dig much deeper into them, and a few of the emotional moments don’t quite land as strongly as they might. A bit more variety in the storytelling would help give it more of a sense of build and release.

Overall though, it’s an enjoyable and inventive production with strong voices and a lot of energy behind it. It might not fully explore all of its ideas, but it’s engaging, creative and clearly connects well with younger audiences.

Reviewed on 14th March 2026. Touring the UK.