Chris and the Wonderful Lamp is a stage work in three acts with music by John Philip Sousa 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 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. 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.Dietz, p. 2
History Described as an "extravaganza" and not an opera or musical by its creators, Chris and the Wonderful Lamp contains elements of both opera and musical burlesque and resides in a place in-between these two theatre genres. As such, the work has been variously labeled as an operettaBlumenfeld|, p. 69 and a musical by scholars. The musical premiered at the Hyperion Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut on October 23, 1899; and then toured to New York City among other cities. The work became the first musical to have its Broadway premiere in the 20th century; opening on New Year's Day 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.
Reviews From a review in the Pittsburg Press, the Broadway production had "all the swing and ginger the Sousa contrives to compress into his marches." The march from the show "The Man Behind the Gun" received an encore, and the press concluded that it was "well worth the price, if only the scenic effects are considered." https://books.google.com/books?id=zv8aAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA19&dq=Chris+and+the+Wonderful+Lamp&article_id=3498,903533&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjW4Lb63eSWAxVfoisGHXigNpkQ6AF6BAgMEAM#v=onepage&q=Chris%20and%20the%20Wonderful%20Lamp&f=false Revival performances Chris and the Wonderful Lamp was revived by the Comic Opera Guild of Ann Arbor, Michigan in 2011https://comicoperaguild.org/history/ and again by the Victorian Lyric Opera Company in 2017.https://www.vloc.org/chris-and-the-wonderful-lamp-2017.html
Roles +Role1899 Premiere Cast2011 Comic Opera Guild Cast2017 Victorian Lyric Opera CastThe Genie, the original Slave of the LampJerome SykesBrandon GrimesG. Stephen StokesChris Wagstaff, a “boy about town”Edna Wallace Hopper Emily GoodwinCarla RountreeScotty Jones, boy-of-all-work at Miss Prisms' AcademeyJohn PageTom SkylisJames CarpenterLovemoney, a New England money-lender and The Grand VizierRandolph CurryTom SkylisBlair EigMr. Pettingill and Al Kiezar, chief of the Secret Police of EtheriaHerbert CarterFrank BrinkerRand HuntzingerSelwell, the AuctioneerChas. H. DrewPatricia PetietEd ViladeFanny Wiggins, star pupil at Miss Prisms’ AcademyIrene StewertKatherine KujalaLawren HillMiss Prisms, principal of the AcademyMabella BakerBarbara ScanlonDenise YoungAladdin, Prince of EtheriaEmilie BeaupreKeith Austin BrownTed KerrickCaptain of the GaurdsFrank ToddFrank BrinkerKatie Clancy, maid of all the work at the academy Amine, talking doll in EtheriaNellie LynchSarah FaixEmma Jensen Queen of DreamsMay NortonAngela Torres-KutkuhnChorus: Pupils of Prisms' Academy and talking dolls of Etheria, guards, slaves, and dancers
References Citations
Bibliography
External links