King+Midas

Magnificent and Mighty Midas

media type="file" key="midas6.mp3" The Radio Play



 SCENE 1 [MOUNT OLYMPUS]

1. NARRATOR: One day on Mount Olympus the goddess, Athena, went to show her fellow goddess what she just created.

2. ATHENA: Hera! Aphrodite! Guess what I made?

3. APHRODITE: Uh-Oh.

4. ATHENA: I made this double flute out of the Medusa’s bones! Watch me play it!

__5. SOUND: A FLUTE PLAYING THE MORNING SONG.__

6. APHRODITE: HA! Look at your cheeks they are very puffy!

__7. SOUND: A FLUTE SOFTLY IN THE BACKGROUND.__

8. HERA: (LAUGHS) That is probably the funniest thing I have ever seen!

__9. SOUND: FLUTE STOPS.__

10. ATHENA: I hate this flute and will throw it down to earth and curse it so that who ever finds it will endure a terrible fate.

__11. SOUND: THUD.__

12. ATHENA: Oh darn that flute!



SCENE 2 [WOODS]

1. NARRATOR: The flute that Athena threw down was found by a satyr, a half man half goat, named Marsyas.

__2. SOUND: GALLOPING FROM MARSYAS.__

3. MARSYAS: Oh what might this thing be?

4. NARRATOR: A near by tree nymph was watching the whole scene from her branches.

5. NYMPH 1: Oh. Isn’t that the flute that Athena cursed?

__6. MUSIC: A FEW NOTES FROM A FLUTE GOING UP THE SCALE PLAYING DO RE MI.__

7. MARSYAS: This instrument plays well, dear friend. I am very good at this instrument. It looks like we have a big future ahead of us double flute thingy. Come on, let us leave these messy woods and go somewhere fit for us!

__8. SOUND: GALLOPING THEN FADES AFTER THREE SECONDS.__

9. NARRATOR: And Marsyas left the woods and went on to play his double flute.

SCENE 3 [THE COUNTRYSIDE]

__1. MUSIC: FLUTE PLAYING.__

2. MARSYAS: I am an amazing flute player; so good the gods couldn’t even play as well as me. They stand no chance against me. I am a god in human form!

3. APOLLO: Well I beg to differ! You might be in glory now but once you see how good I am you will suffer.

4. MARSYAS: I bet I could have a competition with you.

5. APOLLO: You and I shall have our competition, but we will need judges.

6. NARRATOR: Apollo and Marsyas asked the nine muses if they would be judges. Then they asked King Midas to be the head judge.

7. 9 MUSES: We will be judges! WE can see who truly can play their instruments.

8. MARSYAS: Apollo I must insist that my good friend King Midas will be one of the judges.

9. APOLLO: Hmm…a stupid king judging a contest and a little satyr comparing himself to me, I think I am going to die laughing.

10. NARRATOR: So the competition began with Apollo playing. After Marsyas would play his flute.

__11. MUSIC: HARP/LYRE STARTS TO PLAY.__

__12. MUSIC: HARP/LYRE ENDS.__

__13. MUSIC: FLUTE STARTS.__

__14. MUSIC: FLUTE ENDS.__

15. 9 MUSES: (ALL ECHOING AFTER EACH OTHER) Apollo! Apollo! Apollo!

16. KING: Because I am the head judge I overrule all of you! And I choose Marsyas.

SCENE 4

1. APOLLO: (SHOCKED VOICE) WHAT?

2. MARSYAS: (SING-SONG VOICE/ MOCKING VOICE) Ha! You’re a loser!

3. KING: Congratulations, Marsyas.

4. APOLLO: (ENRAGED) WAIT! I challenge you to another round. But this time you must turn your double-flute upside down and I shall flip my lyre upside down.

5. MARSYAS: (ARROGANT VOICE) I beat you once. You think I can’t beat you again?

6. APOLLO: If you are so confident, would you be willing to bet your hide?

7. MARSYAS: Of course. Start and I will play after.

__8. SOUND: HARP/LYRE STARTS TO PLAY.__

__9. SOUND: HARP/LYRE STOPS.__

10. NARRATOR: When Apollo played his music was just as beautiful as before. But when it was Marsyas’ turn he could not make a noise out of his flute.

__11. SOUND: BLOWING.__

SCENE 5

__1. SOUND: LIGHT FOOTSTEPS.__

2. APOLLO: (PROUDLY, LIGHT VOICE) You have lost the contest Marsyas. You must be true to your word and you must give me your hide.

3. NARRATOR: And so, Apollo took Marsyas’ hide.

__4. SOUND: PAIN AND AGONY FADING TO SILENCE.__

5. APOLLO: (HAPPY AND RELIEVED VOICE) Marsyas’s hide will make an excellent drum and a great victory prize. (PAUSE) King Midas, as I look at you I see a stupid king with poor judgment. This competition proved my point; you based your decision on friendship rather than talent.

6. KING: (RELAXED, SNOBBY, AND AROGENT VOICE) I do not understand what is wrong. In the end you were the winner, you even have a satyr drum to prove it.

7. APOLLO: (FURIOUS AND LOUD VOICE) After I had to play my lyre upside down!?! Do you honestly think that for me to be the best musician in the universe I have to impress you! A man who wished to have the golden touch and then turn his daughter into gold! I am, and will forever be, the god of light and music and one of the twelve great Olympians.

8. KING: (SNOBBY VOICE) I know you are all of those things and you will always be but don’t you think that I should be the one upset for you taking away the hide of one of my friends?

__9. SOUND: CRACKLING OF FIRE.__

10. APOLLO: King Midas, for your poor judgment, you will be punished!

__11. MUSIC: SCARY ORGAN MUSIC.__

SCENE 6

1. KING: Punish me, but I am a king? Victory must’ve gone to your head, oh great Apollo.

2. APOLLO: (BOOMING VOICE) How dare you mock me! You obviously have no taste in music.

3. KING: (CALM AND KNOW-IT-ALL LIKE VOICE) Are you thinking that since I am not the god of music I have no taste in it?

__4. SOUND: A ROAR OF THUNDER.__

5. APOLLO: Yes I am thinking that King Midas. And you know what else I am thinking.

6. KING: No, I do not have a clue.

7. APOLLO: I’m thinking that since you have the musical taste of a donkey you will have the ears of one too!

__8. SOUND: LIGHTNING.__

9. KING: Oh no! I have the ears of a donkey

__10. SOUND: A DONKEY.__

SCENE 7

1. NARRATOR: Only the Royal Barber knew about the king’s ears. But the king made him promise not to say anything.

__2. SOUND: CUTTING AND SNIPPING.__

3. BARBER: I can’t take it anymore! I have to say it!

4. NARRATOR: So royal barber dug a hole and got into it.

5. BARBER: (WHISPERED) The king has donkey ears!

6. NARRATOR: The near-by reeds heard what the royal barber had said and spread it around the world. __7. SOUND: WHISPERING WINDS.__

8. REEDS: (QUIETLY) The king has donkey ears!

__9. SOUND: WHISPERING WINDS.__

10. REEDS: (QUIETLY) Did you hear? The king has donkey ears!

__11. SOUND: WHISPERING WINDS.__

12. REEDS: (QUIETLY) King Midas has donkey ears!

__13. SOUND: WHISPERING WINDS.__

14. NARRATOR: King Midas was so embarrassed; the entire world was laughing at him.

__15. SOUND: ROARS OF LAUGHTER.__

SCENE 8

1. NARRATOR: And so, King Midas fled to the wood to hide his donkey ears. The people crowned a new, smarter man as their king.