The Magic Well

Here is another delicious mixture of fairyland fantasy and modern social realism as only Herman Ammann could do it. Children love his plays because of the make-believe, and adults love them because of the subtle jabs at human foibles. For those who are young in spirit, Ammann is a master of putting real everyday people with real current problems beneath the fairyland costumes. King Cole is un-merry because he has three daughters of marriageable age—and no prospective sons-in-law to take them off his hands. The king also has the problem of all political leaders: "To never be able to admit you are wrong ... it is a curse." A professional hunter comes to rid the kingdom of a dragon, but the local environmentalist thinks dragons should be protected as an endangered species. There's a well with magic powers and a frog. An Old Hag is troubled with inflation—the price of lizard tongues has gone out of sight! There is humor in the villagers' reactions to all this. The Magic Well can be played by adult actors or by pre-adults of virtually any age. This show is an extremely popular contest play.