BABES IN TOYLAND

The version of Victor Herbert's operetta we will be presenting features book
 and lyrics by R. Eugene Jackson, based on Glen MacDonough's original play, 
adapted and arranged by Carl Alette, and published by I.E. Clark Publications 
in Schulenberg, TX.  www.ieclark.com

ABOUT THE PLAY

Critics loved Victor Herbert's music when BABES IN TOYLAND was first produced in New York  in 1903. But they were rather cool to the book with its confusing storyline full of puns which children would not understand.
    The beautiful, memorable music and the Mother Goose characters have made BABES IN TOYLAND a perennial theatre favorite. But few if any of the several adaptations were an improvement on the original plot. That's why we asked Gene Jackson, one of America 's most popular authors of plays for children's theatre, to rework the story and to update and clarify the lyrics for today's children.  Jackson eliminated some of the extraneous and confusing minor characters while strengthening the major characters into three-dimensional roles that become a joy for actors and audiences alike. "We maintained the basic original story while rewriting the dialog completely," Jackson said.
   A 1959 Walt Disney movie ased on the operetta starred Ray Bolger as the evil Barnaby, Tommy Sands and Annette Funicello as Alan and Mistress Mary, and Ed Wynn as the Master Toymaker.

The play begins with Mother Goose characters—as many or as few as the director wants to use—all astir over the rivalry between handsome young Alan and his miserly, mean-hearted Uncle Barnaby for the love of Mistress Mary Quite Contrary. The latest news is that Alan has disappeared. Uncle Barnaby enters the scene to announce that Alan has drowned. Two ruffians, Gonzorgo and Roderigo, confirm the tragedy; they were on the boat when it sank.
    Barnaby is ecstatic. Now no one stands in the way of his courtship of Mary, and—even more important—he will inherit his nephew's for­tune. It's not hard to guess that Barnaby arranged Alan's "accident" through the two evil but clownish hit men. So inept are Roderigo and Gonzorgo that Alan turns up unharmed-the boat "sank" in two feet of water. But Barnaby is determined to get his way.
     To avoid his evil clutches, Alan and Mary try to escape to Toyland. But the dangerous Spider's Forest lies in the way, and the Spider nearly has Mary trapped in the web when Alan rescues her. They get to Toyland, but even there they are not safe, for Barnaby and his two thugs have followed them. The villains find a machine recently invented by the Master Toymaker which will bring dolls to life. By switching the wires, Barnaby believes the machine will turn the dolls into killer robots. In colorful costumes and to the stirring music of "The March of the Toys," the dolls attack . . . whom? Barnaby and his henchmen—or Alan and Mary? The action and suspense continue right up to the exciting climax.
    Jackson has given the characters three-dimensional personalities. Mary is often contrary; but she can be loving and gentle, too. Barnaby's heart is full of avarice and disdain for humanity, but he truly loves Mary. And so on through the dramatis personae.

Playing time: 75 minutes

HOME