The Magic Basket

cover art

The Magic Basket is a musical play written in 1940 for children by Australian composer Alfred Wheeler.^[1] The score includes dialogue and fourteen tunes. Action occurs on a single magical moon-scape set. There are twelve speaking parts and additional chorus.

Synopsis[]

The plot involves a group of children whisked to a magical land in the moon, where they help the Sandman to recover his bag of sleep-dust from the Goblin. The children are transported in a basket, hence the title.

Musical Numbers[]

• Oh isn't it fun to live in the moon?
• Whatever can we do
• I sweep the sky
• My basket brave and I
• Derry derry down Oh!
• Galloping, galloping up in the sky
• The sandman
• Tippetty tippetty toe
• Goblins bold are we
• If you will be a meddlesome Matty
• The deed is done
• Bong! goes the gong
• One song before we part
• Lullaby

Performances[]

• 1940 Lauriston Girls' School, Melbourne (premiere)^[2]
• 1940 Wyalong, New South Wales^[3]
• 1940 Mount Barker, South Australia^[4]
• 1943 Cloncurry, Queensland^[5]
• 1943 Adelaide, South Australia^[6]
• 1944 Benalla, Victoria^[7]
• 1945 Port Pirie, South Australia^[8]
• 1945 Newcastle, New South Wales^[9]
• 1946 Adelaide^[10]
• 1946 Newcastle, New South Wales^[11]
• 1946 North Lismore, New South Wales^[12]
• 1946 Newcastle, New South Wales^[13]
• 1947 Broken Hill^[14]
• 1947 Wagga Wagga, New South Wales^[15]
• 1947 Lismore, New South Wales^[16]
• 1947 Shepparton, Victoria^[17]
• 1947 Grafton, New South Wales^[18]
• 1948 Mackay^[19]
• 1949 Wyalong, New South Wales^[20]
• 1949 Southport, Queensland^[21]
• 1949 Scone, New South Wales^[22]
• 1950 Nanson, Western Australia^[23]
• 1950 Hay, New South Wales^[24]
• 1950 Maddington, Western Australia^[25]
• 1951 Launceston, Tasmania^[26]
• 1951 Sunshine, Victoria^[27]
• 1951 Burnie, Tasmania^[28]
• 1952 Maryborough, Queensland^[29]
• 1952 Braidwood, New South Wales^[30]
• 1952 Adelaide, South Australia^[31]
• 1952 Grafton, New South Wales^[32]
• 1953 Southbrook, Queensland^[33]
• 1954 Kygole, New South Wales^[34]
• 1954 Broken Hill, South Australia^[35]
• 1954 Townsville, Queensland^[36]
• 1954 Lithgow, New South Wales^[37]
• 1955 Parramatta Primary School, starring Bob Winley as Mr Moonshine
• 1957 Penrith, New South Wales^[38]

References[]