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Babes in Toyland is an operetta composed by Victor Herbert with a libretto by Glen MacDonough (1870–1924), which wove together various characters from Mother Goose nursery rhymes into a Christmas-themed musical extravaganza. Following the extraordinary success of their stage musical ''The Wizard of Oz'', which was produced in New York beginning in January 1903, producer Fred R. Hamlin and director Julian P. Mitchell hoped to create more family musicals.〔Bloom and Vlastnik, p. 29〕 MacDonough had helped Mitchell with revisions to the ''Oz'' libretto by L. Frank Baum. Mitchell and MacDonough persuaded Victor Herbert to join the production. ''Babes in Toyland'' features some of Herbert's most famous songs – among them "Toyland", "March of the Toys", "Go To Sleep, Slumber Deep", and "I Can't Do the Sum". The theme song "Toyland", and the most famous instrumental piece from the operetta, "March of the Toys", occasionally show up on Christmas compilations. The original production opened at the Chicago Grand Opera house in June 1903, produced by Hamlin and directed by Mitchell, and toured to several East Coast cities before opening in New York in October 1903 and ran for 192 performances. This was followed by many successful tours and revivals. The piece was so popular that it spawned other "fairy-tale" shows over the next decade.〔Bloom and Vlastnik, p. 255〕 ==Productions== 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 P. 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.〔 In September 1904, two tours went on the road. The first-class one played a 3-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. 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 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.〔("Alice Hammerstein Mathias" ). Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, accessed May 10, 2011〕〔(Article on the history of LOOM )〕〔(''Babes in Toyland'' Study Guide ). TBA Theatre, Anchorage, Alaska〕 LOOM played this operetta as a Christmas show for six to eight weeks each year thereafter for 13 seasons with considerable success, and the rewritten book and lyrics has since been used by other companies, including Troupe America. 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.〔Crutchfield, Will. (LOOM's ''Babes in Toyland'' at Playhouse 91 ). ''The New York Times'', December 17, 1987, accessed March 6, 2011〕 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.〔Shapiro, Craig. ("Puppets in ''Toyland''" ). ''The Virginian-Pilot'', November 27, 2010, accessed March 6, 2011〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Babes in Toyland (operetta)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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