''Chris and the Wonderful Lamp'' is a stage work in three acts with music by

John Philip Sousa John Philip Sousa ( , ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic music, Romantic era known primarily for American military March (music), marches. He is known as "The March King" or th ...

and both book and lyrics by Glen MacDonough that is based on the 1895 children's novel of the same name by Albert Stearns.Dietz, p. 1 Both the stage work and the novel are a reimagining of the

Aladdin Aladdin ( ; , , ATU 561, 'Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with '' One Thousand and One Nights'' (often known in English as ''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of the original ...

folktale within an American context; with the premise of the story being the purchase of Aladdin's lamp by an American boy, Chris Wagstaff, in an antique shop in

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

. Chris's wishes with the lamp lead to adventures in New York City, San Francisco, on a ship at sea, and ultimately the fictional kingdom of Etheria where Chris awakens and meets Aladdin who has been in an enchanted sleep for centuries.

History

Described as an "extravaganza" and not an opera or musical by its creators, ''Chris and the Wonderful Lamp'' contains elements of both

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

and musical burlesque and resides in a place in-between these two theatre genres. As such, the work has been variously labeled as an

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...

and a

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

by scholars. The musical premiered at the Hyperion Theatre in

New Haven New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...

on October 23, 1899; and then toured to New York City among other cities. The work become the first musical to have its Broadway premiere in the 20th century; opening on

New Year's Day In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Day is the first day of the calendar year, January 1, 1 January. Most solar calendars, such as the Gregorian and Julian calendars, begin the year regularly at or near the December solstice, northern winter ...

1900 at Hammerstein's Victoria Theatre. The original production of ''Chris and the Wonderful Lamp'' was directed by Ben Teal and produced by B.D. Stevens and Klaw and Erlanger. The costumes were designed by F. Richard Anderson, and the sets were designed by Gates and Morange, Homer Emens, and Ernest Gros. The original cast was led by Jerome Sykes as The Genie, Edna Wallace Hopper as Chris Wagstaff, and Emilie Beaupre as Aladdin.

References

Citations

Bibliography

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External links

* English-language operettas 1899 operas 1899 musicals Broadway musicals Compositions by John Philip Sousa Musicals set in Connecticut Musicals set in San Francisco Musicals set in New York City Musicals set on ships Works based on Aladdin {{John Philip Sousa