Nick Bain
screenwriter, playwright, producer
Ali Baba
Here is a script sample from last year's sellout pantomime, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.
Enjoy!
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
Production note for ATG: This is the opening of the adaptation of Ali Baba that was staged at Tara Arts in November 2009. The script was extensively workshopped by the Arts Beat youth company using Commedia dell Arte techniques and changed and developed as the students applied the principles of mask and heightened movement to develop their individual characters. I actually used the same script as the basis for a fully fledged pantomime running up in
Cast List
Ali A quiet spoken young man of limited
ambition.
Narrator A fiendish trader and salesman
Kasim The moderately evil brother of Ali
Kasia Kasim's evil wife
Ranji The disembodied ghost of Ali and Kasim's
father
Morgiana A beautiful slave girl
Mustafa An old tailor
Hussein The leader of the Forty Thieves
Babesh Second in command of the Forty Thieves
Nigel Third in Command of the Forty Thieves
Staging
There are only two locations.
The desert outside the magic cave.
The bed chamber of Kasim and Kasia
ALI BABBA AND THE FORTY THIEVES
A Youth Adaptation
Lights up on
blowing. A man enters, his face is covered against
the sand and the wind.
NARRATOR
Now where was I. Yes. Welcome,
welcome to all. Welcome to
a thousand suns, several hundred
pointy and poisonous things and
at least one confused tourist
wondering where his wallet has
gone.
He looks out at the audience, then pats his pocket.
NARRATOR (CONT'D)
Allow me to introduce myself. I
am the Narrator, the Maji, the
storyteller if you will... I am
also a trader of fine items.
The narrator walks up to the audience, he opens his
robe to reveal contraband items.
NARRATOR (CONT'D)
Cigarettes? How about a bottle
of finest Cannas? Or kittens, I
have kittens in several flavours!
The audience shift uncomfortably.
NARRATOR (CONT'D)
No? Ah well... you cannot blame
an honest trader for trying.
In fact, I suspect that you are
wondering what a man such as
myself is doing out here in the
desert in the dead of night? Were you
wondering that?
The audience shift uncomfortably.
NARRATOR (CONT'D)
I knew it! Well, let me tell
you. I am here, because around
that corner is about to come the
hero of our tale, though I must
warn you not to expect too much!
From offstage we hear the sound of cheerful whistling.
NARRATOR (CONT'D)
That will be him now.
Ali enters carrying firewood.
NARRATOR (CONT'D)
Good evening, Ali.
ALI
Salam Mr Narrator.
.
NARRATOR
You seem very cheerful tonight.
ALI
Well, funny you should mention
that. As it happens, I've just
lost my father. He died suddenly
of natural causes in an
alleyway... with no witnesses,
and a knife protruding from his
kidneys.
NARRATOR
Do you suspect foul play, Ali?
ALI
To be honest, I think it is a
distinct possibility. If only I
had a suspect. Unfortunately,
the only man within three miles
was my dear brother Kasim.
NARRATOR
Is that the same Kasim who has
assumed your father's fortune and
left you penniless to scrape a
living off firewood?
ALI
The very same.
NARRATOR
Well then, I must admit Ali, that
I struggle to understand how you
can be so cheerful in such a time
of crisis.
ALI
Well, mustn't grumble I suppose.
NARRATOR
(to audience)
Like I said. He is the hero of
our story, but he needs a bit of
work. Fortunately, fate has
something in mind for our friend
Ali.
ALI
I'm not sure I like the sound of
that.
NARRATOR
Come, let me explain it in song.
Watch and learn, young Ali.
The music starts up
NARRATOR (CONT'D)
Life is fine, yes life is grand
when you come from a place with
an ocean of sand. Where the
sultan is rich and the merchant
is poor...
ALI
And the traders smell like camel
manure.
NARRATOR
Hmph!
ALI
Oh, sorry… In the next verse we
should mention that its hot.
NARRATOR
It is rather isn't it…
Where the sun makes you feel like
it's cooking your brain.
ALI
Where the men are out to cheat
you...
NARRATOR
And the women are insane. Where
the swords are sharp and the
tempers frayed...
ALI
And the desert gerbils dance you
a nice serenade.
ALI
Wow, this is an expressive country.
NARRATOR (CONT'D)
Shhhhsh! Listen, young Ali. I think I
hear the sound of men upon the
road, and by their voices I would
guess that they mean to do you
harm.
ALI
You can tell that from their
voices.
OS we hear the sound of sinister laughter.
ALI (CONT'D)
Ok. Point taken. What do I do?
NARRATOR
Hide behind that rock.
ALI
What rock?
A rock is brought on from side-stage.
ALI
Oh, that rock. Thanks!
Ali goes and hides behind the rock
NARRATOR
I really worry about that boy...
But that cannot concern me now.
For those are certainly the kind
of men who would rob an honest
trader of his wares.
The Narrator comes up stage as the Forty Thieves enter
carrying sacks.
NARRATOR (CONT'D)
So if I see any honest traders,
I'll be sure to tell them.
HUSSEIN
No, you misunderstand me. I
wasn't making a criticism as
such, it was more an observation
that's all.
They stop and look around.
NIGEL
But I did everything you told me.
I went into the Bazzar, I said
clearly and concisely 'This is a
robbery, hand over all your
valuables, we don't want any
heroes.'
HUSSEIN
And what did you say after that?
Nigel looks embarrassed.
HUSSEIN (CONT'D)
Babesh. Please remind Nigel what
he said after that?
BABESH
He said, 'Your money or your
life!'
NIGEL
I'd always wanted to say it.
Forgive me, I merely got a little
carried away.
HUSSEIN
Well, don't let it happen again.
NIGEL
I won't.
The thieves notice the narrator.
HUSSEIN
Who goes there?
NARRATOR
It is I, the narrator. To whom
do I speak?
HUSSEIN
I am Hussein. Leader of the
Forty Thieves, the most feared
gang in all of Araby.
The narrator begins counting thieves
NARRATOR
Um...
HUSSEIN
Yes, I am aware there's only
three of us.
NARRATOR
Where is the rest of the gang?
HUSSEIN
Well, at the moment, it's just
us. We had to let a few guys go
because of the recession. Karen
is on maternity leave until
April, Muctadar is on Sabbatical,
the Scimitar brothers have swine
flu... Bojan was actually chewed
to death by a camel... All this
has left us a bit...
understaffed, but we are still
the most feared gang of vagabonds
in all of
NARRATOR
So I see…
The narrator sighs.
NARRATOR
This is going to be a long evening…