The Magic Basket

The Magic Basket is a musical for children written in 1940 by Australian composer Alfred Wheeler, with the book and lyrics written by Bronnie Taylor. The musical was originally published by Australian music publisher Allan & Co. Pty. Ltd. The story involves a group of children whisked to a magical land on the Moon, where they help the Sandman to recover his bag of sleep-dust from Goblins. The children are transported in a magic basket by Mrs Mustard, the Old Woman who Sweeps the Sky.

Characters

• The King of the Moon
• The Queen of the Moon
• Lord High Chancellor
• The Sandman
• Mr Moonshine
• Mrs Mustard
• Face-ache, the leader of the Goblins
• Twinkle, the leader of the Moonbeams
• Children
• Goblins
• Moonbeams, ladies-in-waiting to the Queen
• Newsboy

Musical numbers

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

Productions

• 1940 Lauriston Girls' School, Melbourne (premiere)
• 1940 Wyalong, New South Wales
• 1940 Mount Barker, South Australia
• 1943 Cloncurry, Queensland
• 1943 Adelaide, South Australia
• 1944 Benalla, Victoria
• 1945 Port Pirie, South Australia
• 1945 Newcastle, New South Wales
• 1946 Adelaide
• 1946 Newcastle, New South Wales
• 1946 North Lismore, New South Wales
• 1946 Newcastle, New South Wales
• 1947 Broken Hill
• 1947 Wagga Wagga, New South Wales
• 1947 Lismore, New South Wales
• 1947 Shepparton, Victoria
• 1947 Grafton, New South Wales
• 1948 Mackay
• 1949 Wyalong, New South Wales
• 1949 Southport, Queensland
• 1949 Scone, New South Wales
• 1950 Nanson, Western Australia
• 1950 Hay, New South Wales
• 1950 Maddington, Western Australia
• 1951 Launceston, Tasmania
• 1951 Sunshine, Victoria
• 1951 Burnie, Tasmania
• 1952 Maryborough, Queensland
• 1952 Braidwood, New South Wales
• 1952 Adelaide, South Australia
• 1952 Grafton, New South Wales
• 1953 Southbrook, Queensland
• 1954 Kygole, New South Wales
• 1954 Broken Hill, South Australia
• 1954 Townsville, Queensland
• 1954 Lithgow, New South Wales
• 1955 Parramatta District Primary Schools, starring Bob Winley as Mr Moonshine and Elaine Marriott as The Queen
• 1957 Penrith, New South Wales

References