Ali Baba or The Forty Thieves

Ali Baba or The Forty Thieves is the title of many plays and pantomimes over the years.

The original text

Ali Baba or The Forty Thieves is one of the most famous stories from the numerous versions we have of the One Thousand and One Nights. The character and the story have been the source for numerous books, plays, pantomimes, films and other media, especially for children.

Famous international stage versions of the story include 40 Thieves (a pantomime performed at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh in 1886), Ali-Baba (an opéra comique, with music by Charles Lecocq, 1887) and the pantomime/musical Chu Chin Chow (1916). And of course there have been numerous films (see "Ali Baba" in Wikipedia [1] for example.).

South African stage productions

The story has been performed under a range of titles - below a chronological list.

1878: Performed by Disney Roebuck as Ali Baba and The Forty Thieves, or The Fairy Brilliantina and Harlequin and the Magic Donkey (Taddei and Bottesini), in the Theatre Royal, Cape Town on January. Apparently it was a local adaptation under management of Mr Vane, scenery by Mr Cooper. Performed as a pantomime in December, 1877 and January 1878 at the Theatre Royal, Cape Town to huge success. An interesting "local" facet is that the curtain opened on a scene in the kraal of the Xhosa king, Kreli, with the chief and his warriors taunting "Sir Castle Brere" and his British Flag.

1944: Presented by the pupils of the Ashley Street Primary School in Cape Town's City Hall, 1944, decor by Sydney McKie. Carl van der Rheede as Ali Baba, Edna Young as his wife, Eric Titus as the Forest Enchanter.

Another pantomime version by De Wet Laubscher.**