The Magic Basket

The Magic Basket is a musical play written in 1940 for children by Australian composer Alfred Wheeler. The score includes dialogue and fourteen tunes. Action occurs on a single magical moon-scape set. There are twelve speaking parts and additional chorus.

Synopsis
The plot involves a group of children whisked to a magical land in the moon, where they help the Sandman to recover his bag of sleep-dust from the Goblin. The children are transported in a basket, hence the title.

Musical Numbers

 * Oh isn't it fun to live in the moon?
 * Whatever can we do
 * I sweep the sky
 * My basket brave and I
 * Derry derry down Oh!
 * Galloping, galloping up in the sky
 * The sandman
 * Tippetty tippetty toe
 * Goblins bold are we
 * If you will be a meddlesome Matty
 * The deed is done
 * Bong! goes the gong
 * One song before we part
 * Lullaby

Performances

 * 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