I haven’t seen these in a very long time, but the main thing I remember is that they featured an actor named “Will B. Able” in prominent roles (one of–New Yorks?–Prince Street Players). Jim Eiler and Jeanne Bargy made musicals of “Pinocchio,” Aladdin," “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” and “Jack and the Beanstalk” in the mid 1960s. I don’t remember “Pinocchio” at all, and I have only the vaguest recollection of “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” but I saw the other two numerous times. I also remember that Mr. Able, who played the Giant in their version of “Beanstalk,” and two genies “Aladdin” wore some kind of prosthetic “head” enhancement as the Giant, so that it was shaped sorta like an upside-down flask, but with a rounded top. The reason that he played two genies in “Aladdin,” is that he played the “Genie of the Lamp” and the “Genie of the Ring.”
Some sample dialogue/songs from the two that I remember:
Aladdin
(Genie singing)
(as they’re about to fly away)
Up, up, up, up hiiiiiigh.
We will fly. We will fly thru the sky-y-y.
(Fatima, the dancing doll, who speaks in nasal monosyllables)
I am dan-cing doll of fame.
And Fa-ti-mah is my name.
Take this ring I give to you.
For it con-tains a ge-nie, too.
(Aladdin’s antagonist, about to poison “the woman”)
Teeeeeea time.
Teeeeeea time.
It’s-time-to-poison-she time.
(“The woman,”–friend of Aladdin?–who is on to him)
Teeeeeea time.
Teeeeeea time.
He’s-trying-to-poison-me time.
======================
Jack and the Beanstalk
(Giant singing)
A-fee fi fo fum
I smell the blood of an Englishman
A-fum fo fi fee
Oh where, oh where can he be?
Is he over there?
Is he over here?
Something tells me he is. . . very near.
(The Giant’s Golden Harp singing)
With a plink-a-plink and a plunk-a-plunk
With a plink-plink and a plunk-plunk
I’ll pla-ay a go-olden so-ong for you
Plink-a plunk-a plink-a plunk-a
Plink-a plunk-a plink-a plink
I never play flat
I never play sharp
Then angels in heaven
Have no finer haaaaaaarp. . .
(The Giant’s Golden Goose singing)
Oh, them golden eggs.
Oh, them golden eggs.
You can’t break 'em
Even if you drop 'em on the floor
The Golden Harp would warn when someone threatened the Golden Goose. The Goose would honk. The Golden Harp–a person painted gold, and carrying a harp–would then play “plink plink.” Which would cause the Giant’s housekeeper to come out and say, “Who is it?”
OK, now, does anyone else remember these gems–and the other ones that I didn’t recall?