Family Opera: January 2003

The Araboolies of Liberty Street

Music by Ronald Perera; Libretto by Constance Congdon, based on Sam Swope's book. By arrangement with Pear Tree Music Publishers, publisher and copyright owner.

The Story

Liberty Street was once a quiet road lined with look-alike houses and neat lawns. Children could not play, sing, or even laugh because grouchy General and Mrs. Pinch liked it very quiet.

The slightest noise would cause General Pinch to bellow, "I'll call the Army!"

Sometimes he would even threaten to call for the Weirdo Eliminating Tractor Beam!



The Araboolies—and there were many of them—were very different.

They were noisy, fun-loving people who played games, kept strange pets, and slept outside.

They even painted their houses with zigzag lines.





That was too much for the Pinches.

General Pinch called the Army and told them to get rid of the house on Liberty Street that was "different."







Joy, a neighbor on Liberty Street who befriended the Araboolies, was determined to save them.

While everyone else slept, she and her friends decorated all the houses on Liberty Street—except for the Pinches' house.






When the army arrived the next morning, they followed the General's orders and used the tractor beam to zap the people who looked "different"—the Pinches.

"And the terrible Pinches were never seen on Liberty Street again."




Cast: Cynthia Ballentine, Don Phillip Bicoy, Peter Joshua Burroughs, Katherine Hankins, Katherine Osborne, and Elizabeth Spies


Children's Chorus, directed by Judy Richer: Kitty Baker, Erin Gallagher, Carmen Izurieta, Rafaela Izurieta, Ana-Beth Lawler, Muriel MacDonald, Shannon McGovern, Mariah Murphy, Olivia Murphy, and Colleen Walton