A many years ago (when I was young and charming) I saw the Disney version of Babes in Toyland. I liked it; what wasn’t to like? It had Annette in it, and the soldier guy from Zorro, not to mention the Scarecrow and Mary Poppins’s lighter-than-air uncle. Over the years, though, I never gave the piece another thought. If anyone had asked me to hum a tune from Babes in Toyland, I could have managed “The March of the Wooden Soldiers” or the refrain from “Toyland.” I had no idea that Babes had been a smash hit, with versions touring the world.

Then I was engaged to sing a series of winter holiday concerts, and one of my pieces was “Toyland,” including the verses. I discovered then what a little gem that song is. Some years later, I lucked into a disintegrating vocal score from 1903, and a little while later, finally got my hands on a script.

What I found is a show like no other I have seen: imagine for a moment that vaudeville and melodrama had a baby together, and Scott Joplin and Gilbert and Sullivan were the godparents. It’s a sort of Laurel and Hardy meet Dudley Do-Right, only without the horse. The script is full of quotations from, references to, and parallels with the Savoy Operas of Gilbert and Sullivan. It is sprightly, and peppered with fabulously awful jokes. There’s a dastardly villain, a vulnerable widow and her spunky children. There are two handsome heroes, and two sweet young things. There is even a pants role, a woman playing a boy’s part, straight out of British pantomimes!

And then there is the score, stuffed full with an array of ballads, ensembles, and set pieces. The music calls to mind in turn Strauss, Sousa, Verdi, Tchaikovsky, Tin Pan Alley, Scott Joplin’s songs and cake walks, British music hall, and (you guessed it) Sullivan. Pretty much every tune in the score is the sort that plays over and over in your brain. To misquote director Leta Hall, when you work on this show you have the “All Toyland, all the time radio station in your head.”

So now it’s your turn to discover this inspired bit of fluff, Victor Herbert’s musical bon-bon. We are delighted to revive Babes as a holiday tradition, we have had a lot of fun preparing it, and we are delighted you have chosen to share it with us.

Two personal notes: I wish to thank all of you who have brought toys for Toy for Tots and Bright Beginnings. This is a such a happy show; it’s good to be able to spread some of that happiness beyond the theater. And secondly, I would like to dedicate my own participation in this production to A.G. Murphy (1930-2007), Washington Savoyard performer, children’s chess teacher, and student, mentor, and friend to me.

Enjoy the show!