The Chicken Made of Rags A Musical Play for Children

The Chicken Made of Rags is an old family tale handed down through generations. As children in New York City in the 1930's and 40's, my younger brother, Philip Serrano, and I went to sleep listening to our Uncle Paul's tale of the raggedy Chicken on her way to the big fiesta. Our Uncle Paul heard the story as a child in Cuba at the turn of the twentieth century from his nanny, a former slave. Cuba abolished slavery in 1886, ten years before Uncle Paul was born. Following the story's Afro-Caribbean origins, each generation of my family changed elements of the story adding other cultural layers. The Chicken Made of Rags immigrated across continents and generations landing in this script that we present here. The Chicken Made of Rags is set in San Francisco, California. Influenced by the civil rights movement of the 60's and 70's, I changed the ending so the characters worked together to achieve their own freedom amidst flying feathers. "A ragged, hardworking chicken receives an invitation to an upscale banquet and generously invites her motley flock of feathered friends to join in the festivities. The catch is, they’re not dinner guests—they’re dinner! How the poultry eventually escape the villain chef’s pot is a charming lesson in teamwork, showing that even in the urban jungle, good can triumph over evil. And that’s a nice bit or reassurance for children.” Parent's Magazine.