The Magic Basket

cover art

The Magic Basket is a musical written in 1940 for children by Australian composer Alfred Wheeler. ^[1] 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 the Goblin. The children are transported in a basket.

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

Productions

• 1940 Lauriston Girls' School, Melbourne (premiere) ^[2]
• 1940 Wyalong, New South Wales ^[3]
• 1940 Mount Barker, South Australia ^[4]
• 1943 Cloncurry, Queensland ^[5]
• 1943 Adelaide, South Australia ^[6]
• 1944 Benalla, Victoria ^[7]
• 1945 Port Pirie, South Australia ^[8]
• 1945 Newcastle, New South Wales ^[9]
• 1946 Adelaide ^[10]
• 1946 Newcastle, New South Wales ^[11]
• 1946 North Lismore, New South Wales ^[12]
• 1946 Newcastle, New South Wales ^[13]
• 1947 Broken Hill ^[14]
• 1947 Wagga Wagga, New South Wales ^[15]
• 1947 Lismore, New South Wales ^[16]
• 1947 Shepparton, Victoria ^[17]
• 1947 Grafton, New South Wales ^[18]
• 1948 Mackay ^[19]
• 1949 Wyalong, New South Wales ^[20]
• 1949 Southport, Queensland ^[21]
• 1949 Scone, New South Wales ^[22]
• 1950 Nanson, Western Australia ^[23]
• 1950 Hay, New South Wales ^[24]
• 1950 Maddington, Western Australia ^[25]
• 1951 Launceston, Tasmania ^[26]
• 1951 Sunshine, Victoria ^[27]
• 1951 Burnie, Tasmania ^[28]
• 1952 Maryborough, Queensland ^[29]
• 1952 Braidwood, New South Wales ^[30]
• 1952 Adelaide, South Australia ^[31]
• 1952 Grafton, New South Wales ^[32]
• 1953 Southbrook, Queensland ^[33]
• 1954 Kygole, New South Wales ^[34]
• 1954 Broken Hill, South Australia ^[35]
• 1954 Townsville, Queensland ^[36]
• 1954 Lithgow, New South Wales ^[37]
• 1955 Parramatta District Primary Schools, starring Bob Winley as Mr Moonshine and Elaine Marriott as The Queen
• 1957 Penrith, New South Wales ^[38]

References

1. "AusStage".
2. "Untitled". 24 July 1940. p. 12 – via Trove.
3. "DISTRICT SCHOOL CONCERT". 5 December 1940. p. 1 – via Trove.
4. "SUMMERTOWN". 12 December 1940. p. 3 – via Trove.
5. "Grand Concert". Cloncurry Advocate. 26 November 1943.
6. "Rosary School Annual Concert". Southern Cross. 3 September 1943.
7. "Benalla". Advocate. 22 November 1944.
8. "Warnertown Children Present ThreeAct Play". Recorder. 17 December 1945.
9. "Concert at N. Lambton for Children's Homes". Newcastle Sun. 15 December 1945.
10. "St. Aloysius College Annual Concert". Advertiser. 5 October 1946.
11. "Brevities". Newcastle Sun. 25 March 1946.
12. "Operetta Night at North Lismore School". Northern Star. 15 November 1946.
13. "Brevities". Newcastle Sun. 25 March 1946.
14. ""The Magic Basket"". 6 October 1947. p. 6 – via Trove.
15. "Bright Concert at St. Andrew's". Daily Advertiser. 11 October 1947.
16. "NTH. Lismore School Operetta". Northern Star. 11 November 1946.
17. "Lemnos Ss Concert". Shepparton Advertiser. 23 December 1947.
18. "School Concert at Tucabia". Daily Examiner. 29 December 1947.
19. "District News". Daily Mercury. 4 December 1948.
20. "Successful Concert Held at Ungarie". West Wyalong Advocate. 22 December 1949.
21. "St. Hilda's Concert". South Coast Bulletin. 7 December 1949.
22. "Personal". Scone Advocate. 27 April 1949.
23. "Nanson Convent School". Geraldton Guardian. 9 November 1950.
24. "St. Andrew's Sunday School Concert". Riverine Grazier. 10 October 1950.
25. "Maddington News". South Western Advertiser. 24 August 1950.
26. "Happy Party at St. Giles". Examiner. 17 December 1951.
27. "The Magic Basket". Sunshine Advocate. 19 October 1951.
28. "St. Giles' Home Christmas Party". Advocate. 17 December 1951.
29. "Crowd Liked the Children's Efforts". Maryborough Chronicle. 15 October 1952.
30. "School News". Braidwood Dispatch and Mining Journal. 5 December 1952.
31. "News in Brief". Advertiser. 20 May 1952.
32. "Maclean Convent Concert Well Attended". Daily Examiner. 8 December 1952.
33. "Southbrook News". Pittsworth Sentinel. 8 December 1953.
34. "Infants School Staff Are Very Busy". 25 September 1951. p. 7 – via Trove.
35. "Church News". Barrier Daily Truth. 2 October 1954.
36. "St. ANne's SCHOOL SPEECH NIGHT". Townsville Daily Bulletin. 30 November 1954.
37. "Happy Contest by Juveniles". Lithgow Mercury. 4 October 1954.
38. "The Idea of Education Week is Being Well Received by Adults". Nepean Times. 8 August 1957.