Babes in Toyland - 1903

After the runaway success of The Wizard of Oz, a new show was required to try and match its illustrious predecessor. Babes in Toyland took its place at the Majestic Theatre and was billed as “the successor to The Wizard of Oz”; not a sequel, but an extravaganza in the same vein and hopefully an even greater hit.

Indeed, everything about the show feels like an attempt to outdo the previous production. The show was a success, perhaps not on quite the scale of The Wizard, and over the years it’s been revised and revived until today it’s a more familiar property than the 1903 stage version of The Wizard of Oz; this was surpassed by the 1939 MGM film adaptation of the book.

 

The protagonists of Babes in Toyland are Jane & Alan, a pair of orphans living with their Uncle Barnaby. Caroline Siedle's designs for the primary costumes of the pair use exaggerated details which help to mask the fact that these "children" were being played by adult actors. Alan was played by William Norris, and Jane was played by Mabel Barrison.

Both costumes are quite striking, with the striped and checkered patterns of the russet and beige fabric; The horizontal stripes on Jane’s dress were changed to vertical, but otherwise the finished costumes were quite faithful to Siedle’s original design. A note on the back of the drawing for Jane reads "old style striped goods to be selected", referring to the choice of material for the costumes.

Jane did lose her long braids at some point after the show opened in Chicago; by the time it played in New York, she had a softer hairstyle. In Siedle’s drawings the characters carry wooden pails, making me wonder whether the pair were originally going to be named Jack & Jill!

A December 1903 article in the New York Daily Tribune talks about the success of adult actors in childlike roles:

 

“I just act kiddish” said Mabel Barrison, who plays the leading part of Jane, when she was asked how she acted the part of a child. “It’s hard to explain. I suppose my dress makes me look a trifle young, with its high waist and its wide flounce. Then you want to toe in a bit, put your finger in your mouth once in a while, and drawl your words a little. A woman needs a round face for the child part more than a man. She doesn’t want to be too stout either. But stoutness does not make so big a difference if you move around lively. No, I don’t get any letters from children. Alan and the other boys get all the letters.  Ain’t it a pity?” 

Several fan letters written from little girls to the "children" on the stage were included. The author points out that the "little girls" onstage don't tend to get letters, but the boys - regardless of being played by men or women - do.