La production originale débute au Grand Opera de Chicago en juin 1903, produite par Hamlin et mise en scène par Mitchell, et fait des tournées dans plusieurs villes de la côte Est avant d’ouvrir ses portes à New York en octobre 1903. Cette création a été suivie par une belle tournée et de revivals. La pièce était si populaire qu’elle a suscité la création d'autres "contes de fées" dans la décennie qui a suivi.
Alan et sa sœur, Jane, fuient leur terrible oncle Barnaby et rencontre une variété de personnages imaginés par Mother Goose, dont Contrary Mary et Tom-Tom the Piper’s Son. Ils survivent à un naufrage et voyagent vers des terres lointaines, y compris le célèbre 'Toyland' où ils rencontrent un fabricant de jouets et admirent un spectacle de Noël.
1903 version
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 ship-wrecked 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 Barn-aby 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.
1970s version
A new version, first produced in 1975 by the Light Opera of Manhattan with the support of the Victor Herbert Foundation, is more sentimental than the original. Two unhappy children, Jane and Alan, run away from home. Their parents, who are always putting work and discipline be-fore fun, are too busy for them, so the young siblings set out for a place where they will be understood. The children believe that Toyland, a magical land of spirited toys, will deliver them from their hardships. When they arrive, the kindly Toymaker welcomes them with open arms. He warns them not to become too caught up in the fantasy, but soon the toys of Toyland draw them in with their singing and dancing.
The busy parents must find a way to bring the young runaways back home. They send a private eye to search for their children, but this detective sees an opportunity for personal gain in his trip to Toyland; he forces Jane and Alan to help him steal the Toymaker's plans for a new marching toy soldier. When the parents arrive in Toyland via hot air balloon, they too fall under the spell of the mystical land. Arguments break out, toys are wounded, and Jane and Alan get lost and frightened in the dark woods outside of Toyland. As the parents and toys search for the children, the characters and audience alike discover the true meaning of Christmas.
After a three-month tryout beginning on June 17, 1903 at the Grand Opera House in Chicago, followed by a tour to several East Coast cities, the original New York production opened on October 13, 1903 at the Majestic Theatre at Columbus Circle in Manhattan (where The Wizard of Oz had played) and closed after 192 performances on March 19, 1904. It was produced by Fred R. Hamlin and directed by Julian Mitchell. Large audiences were drawn to the musical by the spectacular settings and opulent sets (e.g., the Floral Palace of the Moth Queen, the Garden of Contrary Mary) of Toyland. The sets were designed by John H. Young and Homer Emens, with costumes designed by Caroline Siedle. In September 1904, two tours went on the road. The first-class one played a three-week return engagement beginning on January 2, 1905 at the Majestic, and then continuing its tour, kept the scenic effects and much of the original cast, making stops in major cities for extended periods of time. The second-class tour with a reduced cast and orchestra was streamlined for short stays on the road.
The operetta has been staged nine times at The Muny, beginning in 1920.
A Broadway revival opened on December 23, 1929 at Jolson's 59th Street Theatre, closing on January 11, 1930. It was directed by Milton Aborn. Another Broadway revival opened on December 20, 1930 at the Imperial Theatre, closing in January 1931. It was directed by Aborn and choreographed by Virginie Mauret.
A new book and lyrics for the show were written for the off-Broadway Light Opera of Manhattan (LOOM) in 1975 by Alice Hammerstein Mathias (the daughter of Oscar Hammerstein II) and the company's director-producer William Mount-Burke. LOOM played this operetta as a Christmas show for six to eight weeks each year thereafter for 13 seasons with considerable success, and this version of the book and lyrics has since been used by various companies, including Troupe America and others. The ensemble becomes a mechanical militia of toys for the "March of the Toys", and children from the audience are brought up to help "wind-up" the toy dancers.
In 2003, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the operetta, Hampton, Virginia–based Rainbow Puppet Productions created a touring puppet version of the show entitled "Toyland!" The new script was adapted by David Messick Jr. Prerecorded puppet voices were created, featuring Mickey Rooney as the Master Toymaker and his wife Jan Rooney as Mother Goose. The program has toured annually since that time. In this version, Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep, and her evil Uncle Barnaby is to blame. She travels through the Spider Forest to seek help from the kind Master Toymaker.
Acte I
Prologue - Alan, Jane, Uncle Barnaby, Gonzorgo and Roderigo
Don't Cry, Bo-Peep (Never Mind, Bo-Peep, We Will Find Your Sheep) – Bo-Peep, Tom-Tom and Widow Piper's Children
Floretta – Alan and Chorus
Mary Mary – Chorus
Barney O'Flynn – Contrary Mary and Chorus
I Can't Do the Sum – Jane and Widow Piper's Children
Go to Sleep, Slumber Deep – Alan, Jane and Wood Spirits
Birth Of The Butterfly - Orchestra
Acte II
Christmas Fair Waltz: Hail to Christmas – Chorus
The Legend of the Castle – Gertrude and Chorus
Song of the Poet (introducing "Rock-a-bye Baby") – Alan and Chorus
March of the Toys – Ensemble
Military Ball – Ensemble
In The Toymakers Workshop – Male Chorus
Toyland – Tom-Tom and Male Chorus
My Rag Doll Girl (Eccentric Dance) – Grumio and Jill
Finale Act II - Master Toymaker, Alan, Uncle Barnaby and
Acte III
Hang March - Orchestra
An Old-Fashioned Rose – Tom-Tom
Before and After – Alan and Contrary Mary
Jane – Jane, Grumio, Gonzorgo and Chorus
Maybe the Moon Will Help You Out – Bo-Peep
Cut Numbers (Chicago, 1903)
With Downcast Eye – Tom-Tom and Chorus
The Men – Contrary Mary
The Healthfood Man – Gonzorgo and Roderigo
If I Were a Man Like That – Gonzorgo, Roderigo, Widow Piper
Mignonette – Tom-Tom
Additional numbers composed 1904–1905
Beatrice Barefacts – Contrary Mary and Inspector Marmaduke
He Won't Be Happy Till He Gets It – Jane, Grumio, Gonzorgo and Chorus
Our Castle in Spain – Tom-Tom
Don't Be a Villain – Gonzorgo and Roderigo
Alan, nephew of Barnaby
Jane, his sister
Uncle Barnaby, a rich miser in love with Contrary Mary
The Widow Piper, a widow with 14 children
Tom Tom, her eldest son
Contrary Mary, her eldest daughter
Little Bo-Peep, who is a careless shepherdess
Peter, who has a passion for pumpkin pie
Tommy Tucker, who sings for his supper and everything else
Sallie Waters, who wants to get married
Jack and Jill, Little Miss Muffet, Curly Locks, Red Riding Hood, Bobby Shaftoe, Simple Simon and Boy Blue
Hilda, the Widow Piper's maid
The Master Toymaker, who designs toys of the world
Grumio, apprentice to the Master Toymaker
Gonzorgo and Roderigo, Barnaby's hired ruffians
Inspector Marmaduke, of the Toyland Police
The Spirit of the Pine and the Spirit of the Oak
Gertrude, a peasant
The Moth Queen, the Giant Spider and the Brown Bear
Dandies, Flower Girls, French Dolls, Punches, Dutch Dolls, Toy Soldiers, Trumpeters, Drummers, Widows
Aucun dossier informatif complémentaire concernant Babes in Toyland
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Version 1
Babes in Toyland (1903-10-Majestic Theatre-Broadway)
Type de série: OriginalThéâtre: Majestic Theatre (Broadway - Etats-Unis) Durée : 5 mois 1 semaine Nombre : 192 représentationsPremière Preview : 13 October 1903
Première: 13 October 1903
Dernière: 19 March 1904Mise en scène : Chorégraphie : Producteur : Star(s) : Avec: Mabel Barrison, Irene Cromwell, Nellie Daly, Hattie Delaro, George W. Denham, Grace Field, Virginia Foltz, Susie Kelleher, Bertha Krieghoff, Doris Mitchell, May Naudain, William Norris, Amy Ricard, Elizabeth Roth, Nella Webb, Mary Welsh, Bessie Wynn
Version 2
Babes in Toyland (1905-01-Majestic Theatre-Broadway)
Type de série: RevivalThéâtre: Majestic Theatre (Broadway - Etats-Unis) Durée : 2 semaines Nombre : 21 représentationsPremière Preview : 02 January 1905
Première: 02 January 1905
Dernière: 21 January 1905Mise en scène : Chorégraphie : Producteur : Star(s) : Avec: Mabel Barrison, Katherine Bell, Arline Boley, Jean Carnegie, Irene Cromwell, May De Sousa, Ida Doerge, Virginia Foltz, Bertha Krieghoff, Ignacio Martinetti, Elsie Mertens, Katherine Murray, Nellie O'Neil, John F. Ward, Mary Welsh, Bessie Wynn
Version 3
Babes in Toyland (1929-12-Jolson's 59th Street Theatre-Broadway)
Type de série: RevivalThéâtre: New Century Theatre (Broadway - Etats-Unis) Durée : 2 semaines Nombre : 32 représentationsPremière Preview : 23 December 1929
Première: 23 December 1929
Dernière: 11 January 1930Mise en scène : Milton Aborn • Chorégraphie : Producteur : Star(s) : Avec: William Balfour (Uncle Barnaby), Frances Baviello (Simple Simon), Evelyn Brown (Tommy Tucker), Margaret Byers (Bo-Peep), Betty ByronDonald Catlin (2nd Dandy), Rupert Darrell (Roderigo), Louis Diamond (Santa Claus), Dene Dickens (Boy Blue, A Fairy), Helen Etheridge (Miss Muffett), Martha Gale (Curly Locks), Frank Gallagher (Alan), Eleanor Gilmore (Sallie Waters), Wee Griffin (Jill), Chester Herman (Grumio), Leotabel Lane (Contrary Mary), Barry Lupino (Gonzorgo, Bobby Shaftoe, The Baby Bear), Ethel Lynne (Little Red Riding Hood), W.J. McCarthy (Inspector Marmaduke), Frances Moore (Frances), Mona Moray (Hilda), Helen Rae (Peter), Dean Raymond (The Master Toymaker), Bernie Sager (The Brown Bear), Adele Savoye (Adele), Joseph Schrode (The Giant Spider), Marcella Swanson (Tom Tom), Mary Thurman (Jack), Jayne Waterous (The Widow Piper), Frank Yanelli (1st Dandy, Max)
Version 4
Babes in Toyland (1930-12-Imperial Theatre-Broadway)
Type de série: RevivalThéâtre: Imperial Theatre (Broadway - Etats-Unis) Durée : 1 semaine Nombre : 33 représentationsPremière Preview : 20 December 1930
Première: 20 December 1930
Dernière: 01 January 1931Mise en scène : Chorégraphie : Producteur : Star(s) : Avec: William Balfour (Uncle Barnaby), Charles Barnes (Alan), Frances Baviello (Simple Simon), Edward Bird (Santa Claus), Margaret ByersBetty Byron (Jane), Jack Cameron (Gonzorgo), Robert Darrell (Roderigo), Dene Dickens (A Fairy), Betty Flanigen (Betty), Ruth Gillette (Tom Tom), Eleanor Gilmore (Sallie Waters), Betty Hayden (Jack), Dorothy Kane (Contrary Mary), Harry Knabenshue (The Brown Bear), Joseph Knight (Grumio), Florence Little (Peter), Lydia Lucke (Tommy Tucker), Ethel Lynne (Jill), Bert Matthews (Inspector Marmaduke), Dorothy May (Curly Locks), Frances Moore (Frances), Lillian Morris (Miss Muffett), Bernie Sager (The Giant Spider), Leslie Stowe (The Master Toymaker), Mabel Thompson (Bobby Shaftoe), Gertrude Waldon (Little Red Riding Hood), Jayne Waterous (The Widow Piper), Billie Williams (Boy Blue), Mary Wilson (Hilda), Frank Yanelli (1st Dandy, Max), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (), (),
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