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TIN PAN ALI A Musical in 2 Acts: Music by David Nield, book and lyrics by Jeremy James Taylor It's the familiar story of Ali Baba, the Arabian peasant whose discovery of a magic cave containing a trove of stolen riches leads to wealth and relentless pursuit by a band of forty thieves, except now the setting is Prohibition-era Chicago, our hero is a street sweeper, and the thieves are a bunch of inept gangsters – a tuneful, charming, inspired adaptation of an old chestnut. SYNOPSIS Princess Scheherazade is telling the one thousand and first tale to the Sultan - the story of Ali Baba, set in 1930's Chicago. Ali Baba, a street-sweeper, sees some gangsters dump a haul of jewels in a warehouse manned by Sesame. Ali steals the loot and takes it home to his girlfriend, Morgiana. The thieves discover Kassim, Ali Baba's brother, grabbing his share, and, led by Carooni, they search for Ali Baba, disguising themselves as street-sweepers. Just as they think they have caught him, they are outwitted by Morgiana. The ending is happy for everyone as Carooni is unmasked as Oscar, Ali Baba's father, and is reunited with his mother Fatimoma. Combining a witty script with a brilliant score, this show was highly acclaimed in its London and Edinburgh performances. STORY ACT ONE We begin in a scene right out of Arabian Nights. The Sultan snores and The Executioner anxiously waits as Princess Scheherazade finishes her thousandth tale. The Executioner is ready to do his job on the Princess but the Sultan tells him he must wait until she has run out of stories. The Princess then launches into the tale of Ali Baba. The action has now switched to the streets of Prohibition era Chicago. Ali Baba, a street sweeper, sings to himself as he works. The street then comes alive with all the usual vendors and characters who join Ali in their daily toil. Charlie Risenshine reads in the paper that the dreaded Haroun Al Carooni and his Spottie Bowtie Brigade, the Chicagorillas, have pulled off two more big robberies stealing $70,000 worth of goods including the famous diamond, the Stonefeller Rock. Carooni's guard Sesame enters and takes his post outside the warehouse. He clearly is not part of the regular crowd. Someone runs in and warns that some Spottie Bowties have been seen on their way. Everyone but Ali flees and hides. Two teams of gangsters appear and are trying to outdo each other. Prince informs the guys that Carooni is due any minute and sure enough, right on time, he arrives. Carooni makes a grand entrance with his girl, Doll, showing who is "the boss." All of his men join him dancing and singing his praise. ("Start the Action") The two teams show off their spoils and move in to get Sesame to open the warehouse and give them access to the hidden cave. Sesame does as he is instructed revealing a hidden staircase and the cave where all the treasure is hidden. Ali Baba witnesses this all and moves in to "befriend" Sesame. He tells Sesame he would share the wealth if he would let him into the cave. Ali stands at the entrance and debates the pros and cons of going in. He decides that sharing a little wealth would bring great happiness to many people. The scene then fades back to The Sultan and The Princess who continues her tale. The action now takes us to the chaos of Fatimoma's kitchen where she is preparing dinner for Grandma,

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