Victor Herbert’s captivating classic begins with the tinkle of a music box, and slowly one by one the characters come to life on stage. Alan, Mary, Widow Piper, Jack, Jill and Barnaby tell the story through dance in the amusing opening sequence.

The story begins in Widow Piper’s garden, where Barnaby has arrived to collect Widow Piper’s mortgage payments. The payments have been late, and when Mrs. Piper tells Barnaby that she cannot pay on time again this month, he makes a deal with her. Barnaby tells Widow Piper that he’ll gladly forgive the payment if her daughter, Mary agrees to marry him!

Mary doesn’t want to marry Barnaby. She is horrified by the idea of marrying someone twice her age. Jack and Jill, two children from another part of the storybook forest, enter. They agree that Mary is too young to marry the villainous Barnaby.

Alan, Barnaby’s nephew and Mary’s true love, enters and encounters Jack and Jill. Jack and Jill are just about to leave to finish Jack’s homework, but before they leave they ask Alan for some advice in mathematics. Mary returns and sees Alan. She tries to hide her depression about her seemingly inevitable marriage to Barnaby. She finally lets her emotions show and explains the whole situation to him.

In a flash of brilliance, Jack remembers and reminds Alan that he will be eighteen next week, and on his eighteenth birthday he will be able to collect a large inheritance. Alan gladly agrees to use his inheritance to pay the Widow’s mortgage. There’s just one problem: Alan won’t be eighteen until next week, and Barnaby wants to know Mary’s answer today!

Mary is despondent. She tells Alan that there is no way out. She is almost resolved to her fate when Alan, Jack, Jill and the Widow Piper convince Mary that anything is possible if you really believe that it can happen.

After the song, Jack devises a plan that is almost foolproof. He tells Mary to agree to marry Barnaby. Jack is convinced that when she agrees, Barnaby will give the deed to the Piper house back to the Widow. Then, he tells Alan to “kidnap” Mary and take her to Toyland. Jack tells them to hide there until Alan turns eighteen and collects his inheritance. Then Mary and Alan can return from Toyland, pay Barnaby and get married to each other.

When Barnaby returns, Mary agrees to marry him. Barnaby is carefully making plans for a spectacular wedding when Alan grabs Mary and runs away. Jack’s foolproof plan is working beautifully until Jack proves to be the biggest fool of all and accidentally tells Barnaby that Mary and Alan have run away to Toyland!

A spine-tingling chase through the dark woods follows. Once in the woods, Jack and Jill meet and decide to split up and look for Mary and Alan. Jack is scared, but Jill reminds him that the scariest things in the dark woods are in his head.

Jill has a plan of her own. She finds a ghost costume to scare Jack. When she scares him silly, she is convinced that her costume will frighten Barnaby so much that he will abandon his attempt to find Mary and Alan and return to Piperville.

Jill’s plan fails miserably. Barnaby immediately recognizes that the “ghost” is really Jill in disguise. Barnaby tells her that he knew her by her shoes, and besides there are no such things as ghosts!

Barnaby rushes off to find Mary, and Jack and Jill double back to a clearing in the woods where they meet up with Alan, Mary and Mrs. Piper. Once again Jack tries to convince everyone that anything is possible if you put your mind to the task. Jill tells Jack that with that philosophy, he can probably even finish his homework!

Suddenly the lights change, and we reach Toyland. A magical land filled with wonderful toys, delicious treats and the magical Goody GumDrop Tree! The Widow remembers that anyone who eats a gum drop from the Goody GumDrop Tree will have their disposition sweetened for the rest of his or her life. The Widow, Jack and Jill leave to make arrangements for the Widow’s plan to fool Barnaby into eating one of the Goody GumDrops. Alone in Toyland, Alan promises not to allow Barnaby to marry Mary and takes her to a secret hiding place in Toyland.

When Jack, Jill and the Widow return to the Toyland Plaza with Barnaby, The widow has disguised herself as Dr. Cure-All. Dr. Cure-All convinces Barnaby that he has come down with sugie-oogie-itis and tells him the only cure is a gumdrop from the tree. Barnaby is familiar with the tree and refuses the treatment. But when Dr. Cure-All tries to convince Barnaby that a gumdrop from the tree is the only cure for sugie-oogie-itis her wig falls off and reveals her true identity as the widow.

Barnaby starts to leave to find Mary, but before he does, Jack and Jill grab him and tickle him. When he opens his mouth to laugh, the Widow drops in the gum drop and magically Barnaby is transformed into a “brand new man”.

With Barnaby’s change in disposition he agrees that Alan, not himself, should marry Mary. He returns the deed to the Piper’s house, and everything works out fine.

Filled with unforgettable songs and sparkling talent, Babes in Toyland brims with humor and heart. Cross the border with us…you’ll always be happy there!