Sinbad the Sailor ; Or, Harlequin Tinbad the Tailor, the Wicked Ogre and the Good Fairy single work   musical theatre   pantomime   fantasy  
Alternative title: Sinbad the Sailor, or, The Sweet Princess and the Wicked Ogre
Issue Details: First known date: 1893... 1893 Sinbad the Sailor ; Or, Harlequin Tinbad the Tailor, the Wicked Ogre and the Good Fairy
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

The story opens in the seaport of Busterorah, where the hand of Princess Suchasweetcreetur, the Caliph's only daughter, is demanded in marriage by an envoy of the Wicked Ogre. The Caliph, who is in financial straits, is about to comply with the Ogre's desires when Sinbad and his sailors arrive, thereby providing the Caliph with possible way out. Sinbad agrees to sail to the Diamond Valley in search of enough precious stones to pay off the Ogre and in turn marry the Princess himself. Before he leave, however, Ogre abducts the Princess and her handmaiden, Zobeide, and has a spell cast on the legs of Sinbad and his men which sees then rooted to the floor. Sinbad removes the spell with the aid of a talisman and in the second act sails for the Diamond Valley where he encounters the Tailor and becomes involved in all sorts of adventures.

The third act takes place in the Sultan of Tomatoes, in whose charge the Princess has been placed by the Ogre. When Sinbad arrives there he is arrested by the Sultan, thus allowing the Ogre to retake Princess awaya without a fight. The Sultan, however, has been smitten by her charms and realising her fate decides to release Sinbad so that he can rescue her. Sinbad tracks the Ogre down and with the aid of the fairies defeats him. The Princess is then restored into the arms of her faithful Sinbad.

[Source: Australian Variety Theatre Archive]

Adaptations

Sinbad the Sailor; Or, The Sweet Princess and the Wicked Ogre Sinbad the Sailor, or, The Sweet Princess, the Demon Ogre and the Fairy Silver Star Percy St John , Delohery Craydon and Holland , Wilson and St John , 1898 single work musical theatre burlesque fantasy humour

A burlesque version of Percy St John's earlier pantomime Sinbad the Sailor (1893), the story was likely a loose adaptation of the classic Arabian tale, as re-told in Richard F. Burton's The Book of One Thousand and One Nights.

Although various changes to the Sinbad burlesque were made by St John between its 1898 Sydney production and the 1899 Queensland tour, these were likely made largely in relation to the music and comedy business. The Brisbane Courier records in 1899, for example, that St John's Sinbad had been first staged in Brisbane some six years previously (the original pantomime version), but that since then it 'had been revised and brought up to date both in dialogue and music' (11 February 1899, p.7). According to advertising in the Sydney Morning Herald the 1898 version was played out over seven scenes: scene one, the Port of Bustarorah; scene two, the Vestibule of the Palace; scene three, the Port of Bustarorah (including Grand Lantern March); scene four, the Vestibule of the Palace; scene five, the Tropical Island (including Serpentine Dance and Primrose Ballet); scene six, the Palace; and scene seven, the Gardens of the Palace. The production ended with a vocal finale and tableaux of Australia.

The 1899 Brisbane revival is reported to have been staged with 'many very pretty costumes, pretty dancing, good local hits and fresh song' (Brisbane Courier 13 February 1899, p.3). One of the songs incorporated into that production was 'Sons of Britannia' (sung by Arthur Crane).

Notes

  • The various adaptations of Sinbad the Sailor attributed to Percy St John were likely based on the narrative of the 1893 pantomime. It is, however, just as likely that the comic business and the songs would have differed to a large extent. A Brisbane Courier theatre critic notes in this respect that Sinbad the Sailor in 1899 had 'been revised and brought up to date both in dialogue and music' since last staged in Brisbane some six years previously (11 February 1899, p.7).

    The relationship between the Sinbad pantomimes and the similarly titled pantomime-inspired burlesques staged by St John is less clear, however. The burlesques were produced as a second-half entertainment for his variety programmes in the late 1890s and early 1900s, as opposed to taking up the whole of the show (as the pantomimes did). Another of his pantomimes to be staged as a burlesque was Cinderella. The burlesques were, most likely, simply abridged, localised, and updated versions of the pantomimes. Supporting this claim is the fact that the 1901 Sinbad burlesque is sub-titled 'The Sweet Princess, the Demon Ogre and the Fairy Silver Star', which is not dissimilar to the titles of the 1894, 1898 and 1899 productions.


Production Details

  • 1893 Gaiety Theatre (Bris); 27 December 1893 - 13 January, 26 January 1894

    • Director Percy St John; Scenic Art Claude H. Whaite.
    • Cast incl. Priscilla Verne (Sinbad), Florrie St Clair (Princess Suchasweetcreetur), Ettie Williams (Zobeide), J.S. Parlatto (The Duenna), George A. Jones (Tinbad the Tailor), Amy Rowe (Submarina), Frank York (The Demon Ogre), Bel Ponsonby (Hafiz), Ada Lempriere (Hunyadi), Jake Friedman (Sultan of Tomatoes), Emma Markham (Jackall Courier), Connor Brothers (Envoy), Connor Bros, Mons. Provo; Harlequinade - J. S. Parlatto (Harlequin), Ada Lempriere (Columbine), George Rockton (Policeman), Jake Friedman (Pantaloon), John Tudor (Clown).
    • Other characters incl. Guards, Amazons, Pashas, Ladies in Waiting, Bigheads, Swelled Heads, Members of the Legislative Assembly, Aboriginals.
    • A second edition was presented from 6 January 1894.
    • The second act was also staged as part of a grand complimentary benefit for Percy St John on 31 January 1894.

    1894: Queensland regional tour, ca January-February.

    • Director/Producer Percy St John; Scenic Art Claude H. Whaite; Stage Manager George A. Jones; Troupe Percy St John/Gaiety Theatre Company.
    • Cast incl. Priscilla Verne (Sinbad), T. C. Callaghan (The Caliph), Florrie St Clair (Princess Suchasweetcreetur), Ettie Williams (Zobeide), J. S. Parlatto (The Duenna), Amy Rowe (Submarina), George Rockton (Demon Ogre), Miss B. Ponsonby, Ada Lempriere, Jake Friedman, Emma Markham, Connor Brothers, George A. Jones, Mons. Provo, J. Tudor (Harlequin Clown).
    • Itinerary incl. Theatre Royal, Charters Towers (Sinbad, 12-15, 19 Feb. / Cinder-Ellen, 16-18 ). The company is also recorded as having played Townsville (22-23 Feb.) and Rockhampton (27 Feb. - 3 Mar.).

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

First known date: 1893
VIEW PUBLICATION DETAILS FOR ALL VERSIONS ()

Related Works

Sinbad the Sailor; Or, The Sweet Princess and the Wicked Ogre Sinbad the Sailor, or, The Sweet Princess, the Demon Ogre and the Fairy Silver Star Percy St John , Delohery Craydon and Holland , Wilson and St John , 1898 single work musical theatre burlesque fantasy humour

A burlesque version of Percy St John's earlier pantomime Sinbad the Sailor (1893), the story was likely a loose adaptation of the classic Arabian tale, as re-told in Richard F. Burton's The Book of One Thousand and One Nights.

Although various changes to the Sinbad burlesque were made by St John between its 1898 Sydney production and the 1899 Queensland tour, these were likely made largely in relation to the music and comedy business. The Brisbane Courier records in 1899, for example, that St John's Sinbad had been first staged in Brisbane some six years previously (the original pantomime version), but that since then it 'had been revised and brought up to date both in dialogue and music' (11 February 1899, p.7). According to advertising in the Sydney Morning Herald the 1898 version was played out over seven scenes: scene one, the Port of Bustarorah; scene two, the Vestibule of the Palace; scene three, the Port of Bustarorah (including Grand Lantern March); scene four, the Vestibule of the Palace; scene five, the Tropical Island (including Serpentine Dance and Primrose Ballet); scene six, the Palace; and scene seven, the Gardens of the Palace. The production ended with a vocal finale and tableaux of Australia.

The 1899 Brisbane revival is reported to have been staged with 'many very pretty costumes, pretty dancing, good local hits and fresh song' (Brisbane Courier 13 February 1899, p.3). One of the songs incorporated into that production was 'Sons of Britannia' (sung by Arthur Crane).
VIEW ALL RELATED WORKS (1)

Works about this Work

Gaiety Pantomime Company : 'Sinbad the Sailor' 1894 single work review
— Appears in: The Morning Bulletin , 28 February vol. 47 no. 9432 1894; (p. 5)
— Review of Sinbad the Sailor ; Or, Harlequin Tinbad the Tailor, the Wicked Ogre and the Good Fairy Percy St John , 1893 single work musical theatre
Amusements : The Gaiety Theatre 1894 single work review
— Appears in: The Queenslander , 13 January 1894; (p. 53)
— Review of Sinbad the Sailor ; Or, Harlequin Tinbad the Tailor, the Wicked Ogre and the Good Fairy Percy St John , 1893 single work musical theatre
Amusements: The Gaiety Theatre 1894 single work review
— Appears in: Brisbane Courier , 8 January 1894; (p. 6)
— Review of Sinbad the Sailor ; Or, Harlequin Tinbad the Tailor, the Wicked Ogre and the Good Fairy Percy St John , 1893 single work musical theatre
Gaiety Theatre : 'Sinbad the Sailor' 1893 single work review
— Appears in: The Queenslander , 30 December 1893; (p. 1258)
— Review of Sinbad the Sailor ; Or, Harlequin Tinbad the Tailor, the Wicked Ogre and the Good Fairy Percy St John , 1893 single work musical theatre
Christmas Holidays : The Pantomime 1893 single work review
— Appears in: Brisbane Courier , 23 December 1893; (p. 5)
— Review of Sinbad the Sailor ; Or, Harlequin Tinbad the Tailor, the Wicked Ogre and the Good Fairy Percy St John , 1893 single work musical theatre
Amusements: The Gaiety Theatre 1894 single work review
— Appears in: Brisbane Courier , 8 January 1894; (p. 6)
— Review of Sinbad the Sailor ; Or, Harlequin Tinbad the Tailor, the Wicked Ogre and the Good Fairy Percy St John , 1893 single work musical theatre
Amusements : The Gaiety Theatre 1894 single work review
— Appears in: The Queenslander , 13 January 1894; (p. 53)
— Review of Sinbad the Sailor ; Or, Harlequin Tinbad the Tailor, the Wicked Ogre and the Good Fairy Percy St John , 1893 single work musical theatre
Christmas Holidays : The Pantomime 1893 single work review
— Appears in: Brisbane Courier , 23 December 1893; (p. 5)
— Review of Sinbad the Sailor ; Or, Harlequin Tinbad the Tailor, the Wicked Ogre and the Good Fairy Percy St John , 1893 single work musical theatre
Gaiety Pantomime Company : 'Sinbad the Sailor' 1894 single work review
— Appears in: The Morning Bulletin , 28 February vol. 47 no. 9432 1894; (p. 5)
— Review of Sinbad the Sailor ; Or, Harlequin Tinbad the Tailor, the Wicked Ogre and the Good Fairy Percy St John , 1893 single work musical theatre
Gaiety Theatre : 'Sinbad the Sailor' 1893 single work review
— Appears in: The Queenslander , 30 December 1893; (p. 1258)
— Review of Sinbad the Sailor ; Or, Harlequin Tinbad the Tailor, the Wicked Ogre and the Good Fairy Percy St John , 1893 single work musical theatre
VIEW ALL WORKS ABOUT (5)

PeriodicalNewspaper Details

Note:
This entry has been sourced from research undertaken by Dr Clay Djubal into Australian-written popular music theatre (ca. 1850-1930). See also the Australian Variety Theatre Archive
Last amended 24 Nov 2014 11:00:07
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