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Babes in Toyland in Concert
The perfect show for the holidays, American Musical Productions’ semi-staged concert version of Babes In Toyland will feature a cast of 10 costumed principals and a 10 voice chorus. Victor Herbert’s charming score including the unforgettable “Toyland” and “March of the Toys” will be performed in their original orchestrations by a 20 piece orchestra under the direction of Joseph Rubin.
Unlike the well remembered Disney and Laurel & Hardy films, this production is the original 1903 version that a captured the hearts of adults and children alike. The history of this show will be center stage with newly discovered photographs of the elaborate original production serving as a projected backdrop for the concert.
The music of Babes in Toyland is by Victor Herbert and it may be said at once that nothing more satisfying of its kind has been heard here in many a long day. Mr. Herbert seems to have caught the true spirit of this dainty pantomimic ply and in the lyrics and the incidental melodies has been remarkably successful” - The New York Times
Babes in Toyland is an achievement in the line of light and pleasing entertainment - The New York Times
Synopsis
Orphans Alan and Jane are the wards of their wicked Uncle Barnaby, who wants to steal their inheritance. He arranges with two sailors, Gonzorgo and Roderigo, for them to be shipwrecked and lost at sea, but they are rescued by gypsies and returned to Contrary Mary's garden. Contrary Mary, the eldest daughter of the Widow Piper, believing her beloved Alan is dead, has run away with her brother, Tom-Tom, rather than agree to marry Barnaby. After a second attempt on their lives, Alan and Jane are abandoned in the Forest of No Return. In the Spider's Den, they are protected by the Moth Queen. Old Mother Hubbard's shoe is threatened with foreclosure by Barnaby.
Alan and Jane arrive in Toyland, where they find Contrary Mary and Tom-Tom and seek protection from the Master Toymaker, an evil genius who plots with Barnaby to create toys that kill and maim. The demonically possessed dolls turn on the Toymaker, killing him, and Barnaby uses the information to have Alan sentenced to death. Contrary Mary agrees to marry Barnaby in exchange for Alan's pardon, but after he marries her, Barnaby denounces Alan again. Barnaby dies after drinking a wine glass filled with poison meant for Alan. Tom-Tom reveals that an old law of Toyland permitting marriage between a widow and a condemned man on condition that he supports her may save Alan from the gallows. Alan is now free to marry Contrary Mary.
