Chu Chin Chow

Musical retelling of the "Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves" Arabian Nights tale. Ali Baba discovers the treasure cave of robber-baron Abu Hasan, and tells his greedy brother, Kasim Baba, who is posing as a Chinese merchant and entertaining Hasan, where the cache is hidden. Zahrat, acting as a spy for Hasan, is blamed when the robber is almost caught, and Kasim is killed. Zahrat then decides to join Ali and his son, Nor-al-din, who is in love with the slave-girl, Marjanah. During a party, she kills the disguised Hasan, and his men are boiled in oil. —Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net> The well-known merchant Kasim is preparing to give a lavish banquet for the wealthy Chu Chin Chow, who is on his way from China. But the slave girl Zahrat sends a secret message about this to the bandit chief Abu Hasan, and Hasan and his gang of thieves rob and kill Chu Chin Chow while he is still traveling. Meanwhile, Kasim's brother Ali Baba discovers Hasan's secret cave, and helps himself to some of the thieves' treasure. While Hasan impersonates Chu Chin Chow at Kasim's court, Kasim persuades his brother to tell him where his sudden wealth came from. Even as the greedy Kasim slips out to see what he can find at Hasan's cave, Hasan is plotting further violence and thievery. —Snow Leopard