Ali Baba And The Bongo Bandits

The curtain rises on the bustling bazaar of Old Baghdad, where we are greeted by mysterious trader and narrator, Alakazam. He sets the scene and begins to tell his tale as he introduces the rousing opening number, "Baghdad Bazaar". Three wealthy sheiks arrive with jewels as birthday gifts for Sultan Pepper and are introduced to the traders of the bazaar, but chaos ensues when bandits steal their precious gifts from under their wealthy noses. The palace guards announce the arrival of the Sultan's trusted Vizier, Mustapha Widdle, accompanied by his mischievous monkey, Booboo. The citizens voice their concerns about the ruthless robbers, but the self-important Vizier ignores their complaints. Instead he invites them to the Sultan's birthday banquet, then instructs chief guard Achoo to clear the streets in preparation for the arrival of Sultan Pepper himself. The Sultan enters, followed by his over-protected daughter, Princess Satsuma who, accompanied by her handmaidens, is visiting the bazaar to choose a gift for her father. Spotting a chance for some freedom, she secretly swaps places with a handmaiden to escape the over-bearing clutches of her royal father and explore the bazaar as she sings "For The Very First Time".

With the help of the traders, a rather convenient book and a false beard, she evades the gormless guards and sets off in search of the perfect present. We meet Flossy Baba, whose carpet business has seen better times, and she is soon joined by her son Ali and his crazy camel Humphrey. It soon becomes clear that Humphrey has an insatiable appetite and a tendency to eat everything he sees, with rather alarming results! Princess Satsuma arrives incognito and meets the unsuspecting Babas, thrilling Flossy with an order for a carpet as a gift for her father. The chorus enter and sing a reprise of "Baghdad Bazaar" bringing the scene to a joyful end.

Alakazam takes us across the dusty desert to the Back Of Beyond, where two comical criminals, Dusty and Sandy Sandals, are hoping to join the Bongo Bandits. They discover the Secret Cave Of Wonders, but when they ring the doorbell and there is no reply, they search for another way in. Balthazar Bongo and his bumbling bandits arrive with an assorted collection of booty from the bazaar, but when they utter the magical words "Open Sesame", the boulder rolls aside to reveal Dusty and Sandy grinning at them from within the cave. Following a comical interview, Dusty and Sandy join the bandits and Bongo reveals his plan to raid the royal palace as they sing "Bongo Bandits".

In the royal palace, whilst Sultan Pepper polishes his Royal Ruby, his Vizier, Mustapha Widdle, secretly plots to steal the ruby, release the Genie he believes it conceals and become the Sultan himself. Achoo and his guards inform the Sultan of the mayhem the Bongo Bandits are causing in the city and, fearing the worst, the Sultan instructs them to lock his ruby in the deepest vault. The sheiks arrive to offer their new birthday gifts, but their replacement presents leave Sultan Pepper disappointed and frustrated. Matters turn from bad to worse when the Sultan discovers his daughter has gone missing and the Royal Ruby has been stolen by the Bongo Bandits. In the ensuing confusion, the Vizier and his monkey are left alone with Balthazar Bongo, and we learn that the bandits are under the control of the evil Vizier himself.

Meanwhile at the Back Of Beyond, Ali Baba and Humphrey escort the Princess and her new carpet through the dusty desert dunes. Humphrey is not much help, but Ali and the Princess express their fondness for him and all sing "Humphrey". On hearing approaching voices and fearing they belong to palace guards, the Princess reveals her true identity to Ali and they quickly take cover and hide. Dusty and Sandy enter ahead of their gang and after a considerable confusion they manage to open the cave, stash their loot, close the cave and hurry away. Ali and the Princess reappear in shock, and open the cave themselves to discover the Sultan's treasure and the Royal Ruby. Whilst the Princess retrieves more loot, Ali throws the ruby to a hungry Humphrey who proceeds to swallow it whole! The palace guards arrive and, spotting Ali with a bag of royal treasure, promptly arrest him and drag him and his camel back to the palace. The bandits return to see the Princess bringing out more treasure from the cave. She unwittingly reveals that Ali has the ruby and Bongo punishes her by sealing her forever in the cave.

Back at the Bazaar, Dusty and Sandy hunt for Ali and the Royal Ruby, but on hearing that Ali has been arrested they assume the Vizier must have already retrieved the illusive gem. They unintentionally let slip their true role in the mischief and the vengeful mob of citizens and traders angrily chase them into the desert. Flossy arrives, distraught by her son's false accusation of royal robbery, but with the help of another convenient book and a bottle of ketchup she discovers she has become mistress to an all-powerful genie. The Genie Of The Ketchup introduces himself and tells his spectacular story, singing "Genius Genie". When the Vizier arrives and puts Ali on trial before the whole city, the Genie uses his magical powers to freeze the scene, allowing Ali to escape certain doom after a little fun at the Vizier's expense! In a flash, the Genie whisks Ali and Flossy to the Back Of Beyond where Ali utters the magical words and opens the Cave Of Wonders to prove his innocence, only to discover the imprisoned Princess who reveals the Vizier's evil plans. They realise they must return to the palace to warn the Sultan, recover the camel and Royal Ruby and stop the Vizier. With a sprinkle of magic the Genie turns the Princess's present into a flying carpet and they climb aboard and soar into the moonlight as all sing "Up, Up And Away!".

Meanwhile, the palace is in turmoil. The handmaidens comfort a sulking Sultan who is missing his precious daughter and ruby. Dusty and Sandy secretly meet the Vizier who explains his cunning plan and entrusts them with sleeping powder to knock out the guards and silver pieces to reward the bandits. Bongo enters with his bandits cleverly concealed within oil jars, giving them codewords to stay hidden or reveal themselves. They hide as the Genie, Princess, Flossy and Ali arrive, Flossy a little worse for wear following their carpet ride. Before leaving, their chatter contains codewords that cause comical confusion for the bottled-up bandits who don't know whether they're coming or going! When the guards spot the jars, Bongo quells their suspicion, informing them that he is a wealthy oil baron and that the jars are gifts for the Sultan. Following further codeword confusion, the guards accompany Bongo to the birthday banquet, leaving chief guard Achoo to keep watch. Dusty and Sandy enter and, true to form, get the plan mixed up, giving silver pieces to Achoo and sleeping powder to the bandits. When Bongo discovers their foolish error, his anger is curtailed by Ali, Flossy and the Princess who confront him fez to fez. The Genie demonstrates his awesome power, totally terrifying the tricky trio who run for their lives, our brave heroes hot on their heels!

At the birthday banquet, Sultan Pepper reluctantly reveals his problems to the gathered guests as Ali, the Princess and Flossy burst in to reveal the Vizier's evil plan. The Vizier calls in vain for Bongo and the bandits and the guards place him under arrest. When the Sultan's thoughts turn to his ruby, Humphrey arrives on cue in an unfortunate rush of wind, and Ali has the unfortunate task of retrieving the missing gem from a recently filled and steaming bucket. Seizing his opportunity, the Vizier grabs and rapidly rubs the Royal Ruby hoping to summon a genie, but Flossy quickly reveals the truth as she rubs her magical bottle and produces the Genie Of The Ketchup. The Vizier refuses to relinquish the Royal Ruby, but is deftly defeated by a quick-witted Ali with the aid of Booboo's golden gong. After a grateful Sultan rewards his daughter, Ali and Flossy for their heroic feat, a final verse from Alakazam and friends provides a poetic postscript to the tale and a rousing reprise of "Bongo Bandits" provides the show's energetic finale!