black swan is a 2010 american psychological thriller film about a ballet dancer directed by darren aronofsky and starring natalie portman , vincent cassel , and mila kunis .

after the 83rd academy awards , in which portman won the oscar for best actress for her role in the film as a ballerina , controversy arose over how much credit for the dancing in the film was being given to her and how much to her " dance double " , american ballet theatre soloist sarah lane .

in a march 3 , 2011 blog post ( written prior to the dvd release ) for dance magazine , its editor-in-chief wendy perron asked why a visual effects video clip showing lane 's face being replaced by portman 's was once available online but later removed from the internet prior to the oscars .

she also speculated as to whether portman 's omission of lane 's name during her acceptance speech was a case of " forgetfulness in the heat of the moment ?

or was this omission , and the deletion from the video , planned by the studio 's publicity machine ? " it was also noted that lane is credited as " lady in the lane " and as " stunts " rather than as portman 's double in the theatrical release of the film .

this led to a number of responses regarding portman .

aronofsky and fox searchlight released a joint statement that argued : " we were fortunate to have sarah there to cover the more complicated dance sequences and we have nothing but praise for the hard work she did .

however , natalie herself did most of the dancing featured in the final film . "

benjamin millepied and kunis also argued in defense of portman 's dancing .

lane responded through an essay published in the wall street journal ( portman declined through a representative to write one as well ) and an interview on 20/20 that her interest lies primarily in defense of ballet as an art form that can not be mastered in a year .

the dvd of black swan was released on march 29 , 2011 and includes the featurette with sarah lane .

black swan dance double controversy

sarah lane was natalie portman ' s dance double for
black swan .
it seems natalie portman ' s black swan dance double still has her feathers ruffled .
the big
black swan controversy
- what you need t . . .
the big
black swan controversy
- what you need to know . . .
[ xxxii ] adam markovitz , “black swan director darren aronofsky defends natalie portman in body - double controversy” , entertainment weekly , 28 march 2011 .
doesn ' t sound like this controversy is going to get resolved anytime soon , especially since portman acknowledged the black swan camera crew in her oscar acceptance speech—but not her dance double .
read more on kimberly ' s black swan assignment here . read debra levine ' s review of black swan on hufpo here .
ballerinas having a throw - down catfight ? looks like , controversy or not ,
black swan
got it right after all .
he has seen countless productions of swan lake .
the original script had this idea of being haunted by a double — and swan lake is about a double , a white swan and a black swan — so the connections started to come alive .
natalie portman is staying mum about her black swan dance double ' s claims that she only did a small portion of the dancing in her oscar - winning performance .
that’s a lot of popular appeal for a film about a ballerina preparing to dance the dual role of odette ( the white swan ) and odile ( the black swan ) in “swan lake . ”
janica smith says odile , the black swan , comes more naturally to her .
sarah lane was making a name for herself in the ballet world long before she played the dance double for natalie portman ' s troubled character in
black swan .
the
flashdance
dance double controversy didn ' t affect sales at the box office back in the day , and the feud with lane over
black swan
will likely boost sales of the dvd , which , conveniently , comes out on tuesday .
when asked about the black swan dance double controversy , natalie portman dodged the question , saying ,
i had a chance to make something beautiful with this film and i don ' t want to give in to the gossip .
[ e ! ]
“i just want to be perfect . ” | black swan ( 2010 ) – fictionmachine
[ xvii ] darren aronofsky , “directing black swan” , american cinematographer , december 2010 .
abt dancer sarah lane served as a
dance double
for natalie portman in the film .
blackout . . . some have accused studio fox searchlight of downplaying the role of natalie portman ' s dance double in black swan . photograph : c . foxsearch / everett / rex features
really ? when i looked her up on imdb she is credited as natalie ' s dance double .
on the set : ' black swan ' s ' natalie portman , darren . . .
american ballet theatre soloist sarah lane sits down with dance channel tvapos ; s stuart brazell for an intimate conversation about her career , dance background and of course . . . black swan .
its plot revolves around a production of tchaikovsky ' s swan lake ballet by a prestigious new york city company . the production requires a ballerina to play both the innocent white swan and the sensual black swan . black swan received five oscar nominations , including one for best picture .
do you think portman danced most of her scenes in “black swan” ? share your thoughts below .
@ quincette ( 45 ) , thanks for posting the link to that black swan vfx reel .
phot : natalie portman as embattled ballerina nina in
black swan .
credit : fox searchlight
natalie portman ' s character loses her grip on reality in black swan . photo by niko tavernise .
when i tell non - dance people that i write about dance and especially ballet , their first question is usually to ask what i think of ' black swan ' . the short answer is that i believe
aronofsky had also seen numerous productions of
swan lake
and he connected the duality of the white swan and the black swan to the script . when researching for the production of black swan , aronofsky found ballet to be
a very insular world
whose dancers were
not impressed by movies
.
the nasty post - oscar battle between natalie portman and her dancing double , sarah lane , over who did what on the
black swan
dance floor is a flashback to the 1983 dance blockbuster
flashdance ,
which was panned by critics but a box office smash .
sarah lane , american ballet theatre star and dance double to natalie portman in
black swan ,
has again gone public with her accusations that she did most of the dancing for the part that won portman an oscar .
natalie ' s portrayal of the black swan was the single most talked about performance in film this year .
[ vi ] david gritten , “black swan : natalie portman interview” , the telegraph , 17 january 2011 .
loder , kurt ( december 2 , 2010 ) black swan , reason ; accessed december 22 , 2015 .
okay , maybe not big or fat , but the dance community is certainly unhappy with portman , as the latest issue of dance magazine contains allegations from portman ' s dancing double on
black swan
that portman didn ' t actually do the legwork in her oscar winning performance .
sacramento state ' s sacramento / black art of dance will celebrate its silver anniversary with a performance this week .
but the one thing she ' s remained tight - lipped about is the controversy around her
black swan
dancing double , sarah lane , who said last month that she did the work that won portman a best - actress oscar for her starring role in the film .
[ ix ] christina radish , “mila kunis interview black swan” , collider , 24 november 2010 . ( urltoken )
[ x ] susan wloszczyna , “black swan stars step deftly into roles” , usa today , 22 july 2010 .
[ xxvi ] amy kaufman , “black swan director ruffles actresses’ feathers” , los angeles times , 28 november 2010 .
it seems ballerina sarah lane isn ' t ready to drop her feud with the black swan filmmakers just yet .
the ballerina who stepped in for natalie portman in black swan to be the double for moves the actress could not do has said the star performed only a minuscule amount of footwork .
soon , they will be freed from the rigors of moviemaking . this is the final week for filming dance scenes in the psychological thriller black swan , opening later this year .
the confidence students learn through dance can be transferred to many other fields . photo by damon plant , courtesy stem from dance
@ eve – “you guys are generalizing when you say everybody who believed black swan’s cgi lie is an idiot . ”
black swan is a 2010 psychological thriller directed by darren aronofsky and starring natalie portman , vincent cassel and mila kunis .
in her first television interview , sarah lane , the professional ballerina who was actress natalie portman ' s dance double in
black swan ,
accused filmmakers of lying about how much lane danced in the film , and trying to cover it up .
film buffs – check out the ballet drama “the red shoes” . anyone think that moira shearer did or did not use a body double ? no controversy is necessary regarding the black swan body double dancer . she should take the payment that she was guaranteed per whatever contract she signed , and remain silent . her professional career may be jeopardized by her publicity seeking behavior .
many ballet professionals find “black swan” extreme , even offensive . yet the film offers some truths about their art form , say the two dancers preparing to dance odette - odile here .
natalie portman can ' t catch a break - - or , to hear her body double sarah lane tell it , caught a lot of them during the filming of
black swan .
lane , a soloist with the american ballet theatre and natalie portman ' s dancing double for
black swan ,
has spoken out to let everyone know that she did the tricky stuff .
“black swan” director darren aronofsky issued this statement on the furor today : “here is the reality . i had my editor count shots . there are 139 dance shots in the film . 111 are natalie portman untouched . 28 are her dance double sarah lane . if you do the math that’s 75 % natalie portman . ”
the release of
black swan
in the united kingdom was brought forward from february 11 to january 21 , 2011 .
black swan
went on to gross over $ 106 million in the united states and over $ 329 million worldwide .
[ xviii ] decca aitkenhead , “vincent cassel : black swan theory” , the guardian , 21 january 2011 . ( urltoken )
' twenty - eight are her dance double sarah lane . if you do the math , that ' s 80 percent natalie portman . '
in a written statement , “black swan” director darren aronofsky said , “here is the reality . i had my editor count shots . there are 139 dance shots in the film — 111 are natalie portman untouched . twenty - eight are her dance double sarah lane . if you do the math , that’s 80 percent natalie portman . ”
in a new 20 / 20 interview airing tonight , natalie portman ' s dance double from black swan gives her first tv interview explaining why she thinks the filmmakers need to come clean about the amount of dancing the star actually did for the oscar - winning role .
“there are 139 dance shots in the film , ” he says . “111 are natalie portman untouched . 28 are her dance double sarah lane . if you do the math that’s 80 % natalie portman . ”
[ v ] pamela jahn , “black swan : interview with darren aronofsky” , electric sheep , 16 january 2011 . ( urltoken )
[ xiv ] pamela jahn , “black swan : interview with darren aronofsky” , electric sheep , 16 january 2011 . ( urltoken )
[ xxii ] terry gross , “to become a “black swan” , portman had to go dark” , npr , 30 november 2010 .
natalie portman wedding : ' black swan ' actress marries benjamin millepied
. the huffington post . august 5 , 2012 .
there are others who are more savagely competitive and sensual such as lily ( mila kunis ) , who becomes nina’s understudy . the white swan is odette and the black swan is odile and in this movie , each character is also a symbolic character . nina is the white swan . the sexy new dancer from the west coast , lily ( mila kunis ) , is the black swan .
the lack of double - casting is a superficial way in which “black swan” diverges from reality . more fundamentally , wistrich says , a dancer with nina’s severe emotional immaturity wouldn’t survive in a major ballet company .
one other notable thing : the difference in body types between “the red shoes” and “black swan . ” considering the recent controversy between the “new york times” dance critic and a certain prima ballerina , it’s interesting to see what real ballerinas looked like in the 1940s compared to how one perceives they should look in the 2010s .
as e ! online points out , this is just the latest controversy for portman , who has become a popular target seemingly from the moment she hit the stage to accept her academy award for her role in
black swan
as a ballerina who becomes unhinged after landing the lead role in
swan lake .
wendy perron , editor - in - chief of dance magazine , a choreographer and a dancer , said she knew of lane’s role in “black swan” and wondered why a soloist ballerina whose technical skills were vital to the complicated dance sequences was being cast out of the limelight .
update ( 3 / 26 ) : black swan fimmakers issue statement : “natalie did most of the dancing featured in the film . ”
actor vincent cassel also compared black swan to polanski ' s early works and additionally compared it to david cronenberg ' s early works .
[ iv ] adam batty , “black swan : interview with darren aronofsky” , clothes on film , 17 january 2011 . ( urltoken )
a month after natalie portman took home the oscar for her portrayal of a prima ballerina in darren aronofsky ' s dark thriller
black swan ,
controversy erupted regarding whether she had actually performed the dances in the film . portman ' s ballet body double , sarah lane , claimed that the majority of the dancing was performed by professionals .
in a written statement ,
black swan
director darren aronofsky said ,
here is the reality . i had my editor count shots . there are 139 dance shots in the film - - 111 are natalie portman untouched . twenty - eight are her dance double sarah lane . if you do the math , that ' s 80 percent natalie portman .
ballet dancer benjamin millepied talks about fiance natalie portman , what he learned working on ' black swan ' and what projects are up next .
i dont know why ppl involved in the black swan movie just dont give credit where credit is due to her stand - in dancers .
wendy perron , editor - in - chief of dance magazine , a choreographer and a dancer , said she knew of lane ' s role in
black swan
and wondered why a soloist ballerina whose technical skills were vital to the complicated dance sequences was being cast out of the limelight .
sarah lane says
black swan
producers asked her to keep quiet on her role . watch the full episode from 20 / 20 : urltoken
natalie portman doesn ' t keep the oscar she won for black swan on display because it would be like ' worshiping a false idol . '
to recap the story , prince seigfried is walking in the forest and meets odette , who has been turned into the white swan by an evil sorcerer . they dance to tchaikovsky’s divine score , and he vows eternal love . the next night , the sorcerer appears at the castle with odette’s double , the black swan , odile . in a glittering dance famous for its 32 consecutive fouetté turns , odile captivates the prince and makes him break his vow .
sprouting feathers , nina ' s arms start to become black wings as she finally loses herself and is transformed into a black swan . at the end of the act , she receives a standing ovation from the audience .
nina auditions for the part , performing flawlessly as the white swan , but she is unable to emulate the characteristics of the black swan . upset , she approaches thomas and asks him to reconsider her as the lead role . thomas forcibly kisses nina which causes a change of character & bites him , convincing him that she has the ferocity to play the black swan .
here is the reality ,
aronofsky said in a statement put out by fox searchlight , the studio behind
black swan .
i had my editor count shots . there are 139 dance shots in the film - - 111 are natalie portman untouched , 28 are her dance - double sarah lane . if you do the math , that ' s 80 percent natalie portman .
perron wrote her opinion in a blog that was soon picked up in the national media , and “black swan” filmmakers moved swiftly to defend their star .
when aronofsky proposed a detailed outline of black swan to universal pictures , the studio decided to fast - track development of the project in january 2007 .
in “the new yorker , ” joan acocella describes ballet movies as a genre and finds that “black swan” is a variation of “the red shoes . ”
thanks to reader jeff ( who i noticed is also mentioned in perron’s blog , linked to above ) for pointing me to the controversy .
in a way , the authenticity with which black swan highlights this particular dimension of ballet draws attention to what aronofsky left out : the thrill of moving , the joy of creating art with your body , the high of a great performance . black swan is a brilliant snapshot of ballet’s dark side . but , although we all know the vicious black swan is the sexier role , it’s too bad moviegoers will miss out on seeing the beauty of the white .
[ viii ] katey rich , “interview : darren aronofsky on music , scares and gender in black swan” , cinemablend , 2 december 2010 . ( urltoken )
[ xv ] katey rich , “interview : darren aronofsky on music , scares and gender in black swan” , cinemablend , 2 december 2010 . ( urltoken )
the whole dance world , natalie and her dance shot counting director all pretended or believed she became the dance for this role . they had young ballerinas in training believing portman learned the dance in her off time between gigs . i saw them online constantly , so that is true . the lie sold tickets and stole awards .
the black swan controversy keeps on spinning . in an interview with abc’s 20 / 20 that aired friday , sarah lane — the dance double who has contended portman did “5 percent” of the full - body dancing in the film — said that the filmmakers who have come to portman’s defense are “completely lying . ” director darren aronofsky said in a statement last month that , of the 139 dance shots in the film , 111 are of portman “untouched , ” while 28 are of lane : “if you do the math , that’s 80 percent natalie portman . ”
portman has kept quiet since the war of words began last week , but she was very candid about using a dance double for the complicated routines in interviews before the oscars .
sarah lane , who served as natalie portman’s dance double in the ballet drama “black swan , ” says she “definitely” wasn’t given the credit she feels she deserves for her work on the movie . portman’s performance won the oscar for best actress at the academy awards earlier this year ; she didn’t thank lane from the stage . now , with a debate about her contributions to the film brewing on the web , lane is speaking out . the dvd of “black swan” is due out this tuesday .
critics and fans cheered as natalie portman danced her way to a best actress win in the movie “black swan” at this year’s academy awards . now wendy perron , editor in chief of dance magazine , is questioning whether enough credit has been given to sarah lane , who performed some of the actress’ dance moves in the movie .
it seems ballerina sarah lane just isn ' t ready to drop the black swan controversy yet . she is speaking out again about the fact that she did most of the dancing in black swan and producers told her to keep quiet about it . black swan director darren aronofsky has come to actress natalie portman ' s defense refuting the claims that portman only did about 5 percent of the dancing in her oscar - winning role . now , lane is speaking out in an interview with abc news ' 20 / 20 , claiming that she was featured in most of the film ' s full body shots . however , black swan editor andy weisblum tells 20 / 20 that lane is exaggerating what she did in the film . check out the clip below : sarah lane on 20 / 20
perron wrote her opinion in a blog that was soon picked up in the national media , and
black swan
filmmakers moved swiftly to defend their star .
[ xii ] peter knegt , “darren aronofsky , natalie portman and winona ryder on the making of black swan” , indiewire , 21 august 2014 . ( urltoken )
in the days that followed , others associated with the film have rushed to defend portman , who won her first academy award for her performance in “black swan . ” on saturday , “black swan”‘s distributor fox searchlight released a statement in which they praised lane’s double work but asserted that “natalie herself did most of the dancing featured in the final film . ” and just yesterday , director darren aronofsky released his own statement :
in other words , forget what he said earlier , he’s not going to stake his professional dance reputation on performing publicly with her . he knows the truth . but he’s willing to say what he needs to to protect his black swan connections .
the consistent contempt and double standards the mainstream media shows vs . anything remotely connected to the right…
jennifer beals dance double , marine jahan , told
entertainment tonight
that producers hid her involvement because
they didn ' t want to break the magic of the film .
announced that millepied had accepted the position of director of dance , beginning september 2014 .
sarah lane is upset over the controversy surrounding her , natalie portman and “ black swan “ , because she feels many people view her as greedy and angry over the misrepresentation of her contribution to the film , especially the request made by the film’s producer that she not give any interviews prior to the academy awards .
update , 5 : 50 p . m . est : director darren aronofsky released a statement today via fox searchlight to defend natalie portman’s performance in “black swan . ”
black swan
producers told lane to keep quiet , according to an april article in huffington post . lane could not be reached for comment for this story .
it is an incredibly confronting moment of violence , and is arguably the point at which black swan makes its ultimate transition from paranoid drama to full - blown horror .
here is the reality . i had my editor count shots . there are 139 dance shots in the film—111 are natalie portman untouched . twenty - eight are her dance double sarah lane . if you do the math , that ' s 80 percent natalie portman .
‘i was also very interested in dostoyevsky’s the double , ’ he explained , ‘which is a story about a guy who wakes up and his double’s there – it starts to replace his life . and then i went to see a production of swan lake , which i thought was just a bunch of girls in tutus . i didn’t know what it was . then i saw that there was a black swan and white swan , both played by the same dancer , and it was kind of a eureka moment : i was like , “oh wow , so there’s a double…” then it started to come together . ’ [ iii ]
she thanks her hair and makeup people but not her dance double ? ? ? ? ? ? no not everyone thanks their doubles but they don’t thank their hair and makeup people either .
natalie portman may be keeping quiet , but her “black swan” director darren aronofsky isn’t . after sarah lane , portman’s body double , claimed in an interview friday the oscar winner had only performed 5 % of her full body dance sequences on screen aronofsky has issued a statement to ew making it clear the american ballet theatre soloist knows not of what she speaks .
' i do have a double for the complicated turning stuff , ' portman told ew last november .
knerr says that lane plans to discuss her career , experiences and her role in
black swan
during a 30 - minute q & a after the master class .
ironically , a film about a ballerina who is haunted by a doppelganger is dealing with critical comments being made by a dance double who worked on the movie–and now the director is weighing in .
85 : seconds of the first dance sequence that portman allegedly danced alone , on pointe .
speaking of perfect natalie and how she does everything perfectly , forever , there’s a new chapter in the ongoing saga of “ who the hell did the dancing in black swan ? ” i know , you thought it was over , right ? i’m not even going to recap everything , just know that natalie’s dance double sarah lane has been claiming for a month now that she did all of the big dance sequences in black swan , and everybody else from the film has been like “no , natalie is perfect ! ! ” the last chapter we had was natalie portman finally saying something about the controversy – and referring to it as “nastiness” . because sarah lane = nasty to perfect natalie . well , sarah lane sat down for an interview with abc news… and she makes some good points :
her claims to entertainment weekly come following portman ' s fiancé and black swan choreographer benjamin millepied saying earlier this week that natalie had performed most of the moves in the film .
. as incentives for the contest winner , she offered her designer rodarte dress , worn at the red carpet premier of black swan , along with tickets to her next premiere .
all this drama and controversy surrounding the movie reminds me of the drama , competition and hatred there is in the real world of ballet . it’s kind of ironic .
“i had my editor count shots . there are 139 dance shots in the film . 111 are natalie portman untouched . 28 are her dance double sarah lane . if you do the math that’s 80 % natalie portman . what about duration ? the shots that feature the double are wide shots and rarely play for longer than one second . there are two complicated longer dance sequences that we used face replacement . even so , if we were judging by time over 90 % would be natalie portman . ”
in march , lane , a soloist with the american ballet theatre , told entertainment weekly that the public had been misled about how much dancing portman did in
black swan .
sarah lane , an acclaimed dancer with the american ballet theatre , served as natalie portman’s dance double in the movie “black swan . ” shortly before the movie was released on dvd this week , a controversy was kicked up about who actually performed the bulk of the ballet in the film , which tells the story of a dancer who loses her mind but finds her true artistic self . director darren aronofsky claims that portman , who won an oscar for her role , performed 75 % of the on - screen dancing in the movie , while lane says portman performed only about 5 % . the wall street journal asked portman and lane to write essays about their experiences on “black swan . ” portman , through a representative , declined . ( you can read the director’s defense of portman here . ) after the jump , you can read lane’s take on “black swan , ” screen credit , and her love of ballet .
both movies featured dance doubles that felt snubbed . the only difference seems to be the oscar .
it will be bittersweet for the sacramento state dance company as founder linda goodrich prepares to retire .
btw , urltoken has an article about the body double for portman from her new movie , your highness . it was the body double who actually dived into that cold lake in belfast , because portman didnt want to .
swan
one of the best mangas you ' ve never heard of . . .
another inventive element of black swan is its remarkable score , produced by regular aronofsky composer clint mansell – formerly of the band pop will eat itself . rather than develop melodies himself , mansell adapted and remixed pyotr ilyich tchaikovsky’s own compositions for the swan lake ballet . he also worked with the electronic music group the chemical brothers to develop the film’s occasional sections of dance music .
after making the fountain in aronofsky & producer mike medavoy had screenwriter john mclaughlin rewrite
the understudy ,
aronofsky said mclaughlin
took my idea of swan lake and the ballet and put [ the story ] into the ballet world and changed the title to black swan .
the critic said of the thematic mashup ,
aronofsky . . . never succeeds in wedding genre elements to the world of ballet . . . white swan / black swan dynamics almost work , but the horror - movie nonsense drags everything down the rabbit hole of preposterousness .
the black swan controversy keeps on spinning . in an interview with abc’s 20 / 20 that aired friday , sarah lane — the dance double who has contended portman did “5 percent” of the full - body dancing in the film — said that the filmmakers who have come to portman’s defense are “completely lying . ” director darren aronofsky said in a statement last month that , of the 139 dance shots in the film , 111 are of portman “untouched , ” while 28 are of lane : “if you do the math , that’s 80 percent natalie portman . ” “i’m not speaking because i feel like i should be heralded , ” lane said to 20 / 20′s elizabeth vargas .
“here is the reality . i had my editor count shots . there are 139 dance shots in the film . 111 are natalie portman untouched . 28 are her dance double sarah lane . if you do the math that’s 80 % natalie portman . what about duration ? the shots that feature the double are wide shots and rarely play for longer than one second . there are two complicated longer dance sequences that we used face replacement . even so , if we were judging by time over 90 % would be natalie portman .
here is the reality . i had my editor count shots . there are 139 dance shots in the film . 111 are natalie portman untouched . 28 are her dance double sarah lane . if you do the math that’s 80 % natalie portman . what about duration ? the shots that feature the double are wide shots and rarely play for longer than one second . there are two complicated longer dance sequences that we used face replacement . even so , if we were judging by time over 90 % would be natalie portman .
last week , a silly controversy erupted over how much dancing natalie portman did in black swan . benjamin millepied , the film’s choreographer ( and portman’s finacee ) told the la times that portman did “85 percent” of the dancing in the film . her dancing double sarah lane responded by telling ew that portman’s work only comprised 5 percent of the full body shots . lane also says there was a cover - up and that producers asked her not to speak so as not to jeopardize portman’s oscar chances . now director darren aronofsky has stepped in to try and put the matter to rest . he says that the of 139 dance shots in the movie , 111 are portman and 28 are lane . hit the jump for his full statement and my thoughts on this “controversy” .
[ xi ] lisa rosen , “barbara hershey’s intimate dance” , los angeles times , 18 november 2010 .
the company is preparing to open the season with the
swan lake
and he director , thomas leroy ( vincent cassel ) , is looking for a new principal dancer after he forces another dancer , beth macintyre ( winona ryder ) into retirement . thomas wants the same ballerina to portray the innocent , fragile white swan as well as her mysterious , sensual twin , the black swan .
20 / 20 segment - excellent little documentary . really helps you understand why lane ( and ballet ) deserves more credit . includes beautiful footage of lane dancing , and interview with her , and interview with wendy perron , the dance magazine blogger who helped bring this controversy to light .
“here is the reality . i had my editor count shots . there are 139 dance shots in the film . 111 are natalie portman untouched . 28 are her dance double sarah lane . if you do the math that”s 75 % natalie portman . what about duration ? the shots that feature the double are wide shots and rarely play for longer than one second . there are two complicated longer dance sequences that we used face replacement . even so , if we were judging by time over 90 % would be natalie portman , ” aronofsky says .
natalie portman ' s ballerina double says she deserves credit for role in film . for more , click here : urltoken
i wonder if np didn’t win the oscar for her performance would this be a big deal to the body double… .
this seemed a trifle odd , because black swan really didn’t seem like the sort of movie that critics and award ceremonies liked to praise . they were correct in that the film is heavily influenced by roman polanski’s early films – particularly repulsion – and they were also correct in that portman’s performance really is exceptional . what most critics and audiences seemed to miss was that black swan was a horror film .
according to the website , the critical consensus is ,
bracingly intense , passionate , and wildly melodramatic , black swan glides on darren aronofsky ' s bold direction—and a bravura performance from natalie portman .
while most moviegoers would not immediately catagorize “ black swan ” as a special effects film , by digitally imposing lane’s movements into portman’s performance , the question is raised of special effects vs . actor’s abilities .
in
black swan ,
portman played a talented and tormented ballerina , whose searing descent into madness is mirrored by her incredible dancing on stage . but a recent controversy sprang up after lane claimed to not only have danced in some of the movie ' s most unforgettable scenes that earned portman a best actress oscar , and that filmmakers asked her to refrain from talking about her role .
last week a minor controversy rose up around black swan , when natalie portman ‘s body double sarah lane claimed that fox searchlight had prohibited her from doing interviews before the oscars so that voters would believe that portman had done the majority of her dancing in the film . portman ' s fiance / baby - daddy benjamin millepied responded to the original article , claiming that the academy award winner had done “85 % ” of her dancing . now , director darren aronofsky has issued a statement defending his star and himself .
‘here is the reality , ’ said aronofsky , ‘i had my editor count shots . there are 139 dance shots in the film . 111 are natalie portman untouched . 28 are her dance double sarah lane . if you do the math that’s 80 % natalie portman . what about duration ? the shots that feature the double are wide shots and rarely play for longer than one second . there are two complicated longer dance sequences that we used face replacement . even so , if we were judging by time over 90 % would be natalie portman . ’ [ xxxii ]
it ' s hard to believe the world is still talking about how much ballet dancing oscar winner natalie portman performed while shooting black swan , but here you go : in an exclusive interview with 20 / 20 - - that was tweeted out by @ breakingnews of all places ! - - portman ' s dance double sarah lane goes on the record , again , to discuss what might be the myth of natalie portman : ballet queen .
here is the reality . i had my editor count shots . there are 139 dance shots in the film . 111 are natalie portman untouched . 28 are her dance double sarah lane ,
aronofsky said .
if you do the math that ' s 80 % natalie portman . what about duration ? the shots that feature the double are wide shots and rarely play for longer than one second . there are two complicated longer dance sequences that we used face replacement . even so , if we were judging by time over 90 % would be natalie portman .
[ … ] portman did behave unethically regarding her honors for “black swan . ” check the transcript of her academy award acceptance speech . she thanks many people connected with the film , but never [ … ]
he said : while the visual - effects studio involved with black swan , look effects , did not respond to several phone calls and emails from the daily beast , black swan director aronofsky confessed to entertainment weekly , “there are two complicated longer dance sequences that we used face replacement . ” millepied added in an interview with the los angeles times that they achieved long dance sequences without heavy use of cgi “by getting more movement going , which in turn added to the camera movement—that is basically what i did . if we had kept things more classical , more restrained , less fluid , it would have been harder to trick the eye . ”
but it appears as if it ' s a bigger deal when it ' s a dancing double as opposed to a singing double , as famously used by natalie wood in
west side story
or audrey hepburn in
my fair lady .
sarah lane , natalie portman’s dance double in “black swan , ” told the wall street journal this weekend that she did the overwhelming majority of the dancing in the film . “i should specify the actual percentage of dancing that natalie did , ” lane said in one email . “they are saying that it was 85 - 90 % of the dancing but i can tell you honestly that it was about 5 % of the on - screen dancing . ”
[ … ] fictionmachine . ( 2015 ) “i just want to be perfect . ” | black swan ( 2010 ) . 5th august . [ online ] [ accessed on 1st november 2016 ] urltoken [ … ]
photos : courtesy kimberly prosa debra levine writes about dance for the los angeles times . she blogs on arts•meme .
when you ' re hired to be someone ' s body double , shut the fuck up and stop being bitter about it .
for lane , the silver lining in this controversy may just be that ballet is taking center stage in a national discussion . an unanticipated opportunity to share the commitment and dedication of all ballet dancers .
according to westcott :
controversy is too complimentary a word for two people using their considerable self - publicising resources to loudly complain about their credit once they realized how good the film is .
but while those teapot - based tempests just show the kind of crap celebrities have to deal with once they become successful , the allegations by lane are a bit more serious , as they call into question the very reasons portman won the oscar in the first place . lane , it should be noted , is listed simply as an extra in the
black swan
credits , rather than a double - - and if you ask portman ' s baby daddy ,
black swan
choreographer benjamin millepied , this is all just a case of sour grapes .
lane points out dancing was the real star of the film . “it was everything to the movie . it’s called “ black swan . ” she’s a ballerina who goes crazy . you can’t make it realistic if you don’t have realistic dancing . it was a huge part of movie . and i know that’s why they wanted to hire a soloist or a principal from one of the biggest ballet companies in the world to be the double . i’m not just any double that you get , i’m not a stunt double that goes in and crashes through a mirror . it’s a lot different what i do . ”
as a movie , “the black swan” does have some excellent special effects . like perron , we liked the on - stage transformation of nina into a black swan with wings , but we also thought aronosky went overboard with the cgi . the moment nina plucks a feather from her skin reminded us of the 1986 version of “the fly” with jeff goldblum . nina’s leg becoming more anatomically like a swan’s seemed silly since people rarely notice the different joint leverage when drawing . too much was revealed , taking away much of the thrill of this thriller .
granted , the movie’s success has far less to do with its ballet - world setting than with its psychosexual horror story . nevertheless , “black swan” has generated heightened interest in city ballet of san diego’s “tchaikovsky spectacular” program .
fox searchlight pictures distributed
black swan
and gave it a production budget of $ 10–12 million . the principal photography was achieved using super 16 mm cameras and began in new york city toward the end of 2009 .
benjamin millepied ,
black swan ' s
choreographer - actor who is now portman ' s fiance and the father of her baby , also dismissed lane ' s claims in an interview with the los angeles times .
the blindness worked both ways : i was struck at the time by how few horror film enthusiasts were talking about it . while the arthouse crowd greedily consumed black swan , the horror fans seemed to generally stay away .
is it ' strictly ' fever or has ballet become trendy ? whatever the reason , dance is definitely getting more exposure in popular culture . here are the some of the best adverts using ballet and dance to sell their products .
he said : in a word , no . although portman failed to mention her dance double in any acceptance speeches or interviews—as is customary in hollywood—and there’s no mention of lane anywhere in a black swan featurette that’s surfaced online centered on portman’s grueling , five - hour - a - day ballet training , in a feature on the film published in the new york times back on nov . 26 , at least some credit is given to lane . “the difficult pointe work and turns were performed by a body double , sarah lane , the american ballet theater soloist , ” wrote the times’s julie bloom .
spotted out with her fiancé and baby ' s father benjamin millepied , 33 , in new york today , she has since remained cordial about the controversy , saying she does not wish to get involved .
amy westcott is credited as the costume designer for the movie and received several award nominations . a publicized controversy arose regarding the question of who had designed 40 ballet costumes for natalie portman and the dancers .
ciara and husband russell wilson dance as they head to south africa for their honeymoon . . . two years after wedding
' she definitely put her work in , ' prosa , one of her dance doubles , told the huffington post .
i enjoyed my chat with dancer kimberly prosa , one of two body doubles for actress natalie portman in darren aronofsky ' s black swan . the film , a psychological thriller with dazzling special effects , opens nationwide december 3 .
review aggregator rotten tomatoes gave
black swan
a score of 87 % based on reviews from 273 critics , with natalie portman ' s performance being lauded & reports a rating average of 8 . 2 out of 10 .
1 . there was a huge amount of controversy surrounding the use of portman ' s body double , sarah lane . lane claims that only 5 % of the full body shots shown in the final ' black swan ' were portman herself , and yet her involvement was played down by the film ' s stars . it has even been suggested that digital enhancement was used post - production in certain scenes to put portman ' s head onto lane ' s body . as i have said above , i think portman did a great job in her role and have no problem with her use of a body double for the more difficult ballet movements . but lane ' s contribution should have been properly acknowledged .
this controversy is so inside and stupid . it is obvious that there are disgruntled people ( and lane has cause for not getting proper credit at the end of the film ) but my god , enough !
this whole thing started when wendy perron of dance magazine wrote a blog entry about the black swan blackout . see urltoken . then millepied responded with his la times interview , and then lane responded . and then comes the 20 / 20 story . with all the attention the story got , i just don’t believe that lane pitched it to abc .
sarah lane , a soloist with the american ballet theatre who worked as natalie ' s dance double on the oscar - winning film , continues to claim the 29 - year - old actress did hardly any of the full body shots seen in the movie .
however , lane has no reason to be upset , according to both
black swan
director darren aronofsky and choreographer benjamin millepied , who also served as portman ' s dance partner and is now her fiance . aronofsky released a statement in late march refuting lane ' s accusations that she had done about 95 % of the on - screen dancing .
friday’s edition of abc’s 20 / 20 featured an interview with abt ballet dancer sarah lane , natalie portman’s body double in the film black swan . according to lane , producers of the film wished to keep quiet about the extent of her appearances in the film . meanwhile , several people involved in making the film have claimed that portman performed about 85 % of her own dancing . dance magazine’s wendy perron also weighed in on the topic appearing on 20 / 20 and writing with this article .
recently , there has been some controversy regarding a ballerina named sarah lane and her performance in the film , black swan . she has come out to announce that she performed most of the dancing and that natalie portman , who recieved an oscar for her acting in the film , is getting most of the credit . not surprisingly , the producers and even director darren aronofsky have asked lane to keep this situation hush hush . in the credits , the american ballet theater soloist is listed as a “body double” with no mention at all for the dancing that she was hired to execute .
kirk honeycutt of the hollywood reporter gave
black swan
a mixed review , writing :
[ black swan ] is an instant guilty pleasure , a gorgeously shot , visually complex film whose badness is what ' s so good about it . you might howl at the sheer audacity of mixing mental illness with the body - fatiguing , mind - numbing rigors of ballet , but its lurid imagery and a hellcat competition between two rival dancers is pretty irresistible .
board members often have experience in the for - profit sector that can be invaluable to dance companies . photo via thinkstock .
shaina branfman baira and bryan strimpel baira dance outside their home . photo by effy grey | effyography , courtesy the bairas .
[ when prosa ' s gnarly feet were shown in preview screenings of black swan , they elicited gasps of horror ( but yawns in a ballet studio ) . they ' re the result of special - effects make - up . ]
contractually , lane said there was no clause in her contract stating that she could not speak out about what went on behind the scenes although she said black swan producer ari handel did specifically tell her not to talk about the film .
a claim by natalie portman’s ballet double from the movie black swan alleging that the oscar - winning actress did not perform the majority of that film’s dance sequences has quickly been challenged . sarah lane , the american ballet theatre soloist who doubled for portman during some of that film’s most difficult dance sequences , told entertainment weekly that the oscar - winning actress did only 5 percent “of the full body shots” in the film . but the filmmakers insist that simply isn’t the case , saying in a joint statement released by fox searchlight , “we were fortunate to have sarah there to cover the more complicated dance sequences and we have nothing but praise for the hard work she did . however , natalie herself did most of the dancing featured in the final film . ”


chu chin chow is a musical comedy written , produced and directed by oscar asche , with music by frederic norton , based ( with minor embellishments ) on the story of ali baba and the 40 thieves .

the piece premièred at his majesty 's theatre in london on 3 august 1916 and ran for five years and a total of 2,238 performances ( more than twice as many as any previous musical ) , an astonishing record that stood for nearly forty years until salad days .

the show 's first american production in new york , with additional lyrics by arthur anderson , played for 208 performances in 1917 – 1918 , starring tyrone power .

it subsequently had successful seasons elsewhere in america and australia , including in 1919 , 1920 , 1921 and 1922 .

a silent film of the musical , starring betty blythe , was produced in 1925 using some of the music .

a talking film , with the score intact , was made by the gainsborough studios in 1934 , with george robey as ali baba , fritz kortner as abu hasan , anna may wong as zahrat al-kulub , frank cochrane reprising his stage role of the cobbler , and laurence hanray as kasim .

the show toured the british provinces for many years .

it returned to london in 1940 for 80 performances , when it was interrupted by the london bombing but then returned in 1941 for another 158 nights .

in 1953 , an ice version was produced at london ’s empire pool , wembley , starring tyrone power , which also toured the provinces and abroad .

occasional productions are still mounted , including one in july 2008 by the finborough theatre in london , england .

chu chin chow

chu chin chow is too - thin chow . a tsingtao now would be better , somehow .
poster for the 1934 film “chu chin chow , ” starring anna may wong .
costume designs for “chu chin chow” as seen in the magazine “tatler , ” 1917 .
victor matrix b - 20314 . chu - chin - chow / alice green ; orpheus quartet
click to download 0 . 6 mb pdf file chu chin chow libretto by oscar asche : download
click to download 0 . 5 mb pdf file chu chin chow novel by william page : download
chu chin chow libretto and chu chin chow novel have been included in the book three musical plays . a printed copy of the book may be purchased at urltoken enter trutt in the search books box .
one of several adaptations of chu chin chow to bbc radio , this one credited to harold neden .
an adaptation of the musical play chu chin chow . chu chin chow . . . on ice ran for three months , and was aired on the bbc as part of its sunday - night theatre programming .
one of several bbc versions of chu chin chow , this adaptation was credited to alastair scott - johnson .
one of several bbc radio adaptations of chu chin chow , this time adapted by script - writer desmond davis .
feedback about ' songs from chu chin chow ' , national programme daventry , 21 . 35 , 22 january 1939
one of multiple bbc radio adaptations of chu chin chow , this one credited to theatre historian w . macqueen - pope .
the play was novelised ( as chu chin chow ) by harold simpson ( london : mills & boon , 1916 ) .
victor matrix b - 20314 . chu - chin - chow / alice green ; orpheus quartet - discography of american historical recordings
a burlesque of chu chin chow , which had recently closed in melbourne after a three - month season at the tivoli theatre .
inspired by the brisbane season of oscar asche ' s famous musical extravaganza chu chin chow , which had closed the previous week .
1953 : empire pool , wembley ( england ) , 13 july - 19 september ( as chu chin chow on ice ) .
cast incl . victor macdonald ( abu hasan / chu chin chow ) , jane hilary ( zahrat - al - kulub ) .
cast incl . inia te wiata ( abu hasan / chu chin chow ) , patricia kerry ( zahrat - al - kulub ) .
label : broadcast twelve uk 5039 . issued 1929 10
' selection from
chu chin chow
( parts i & 2 ) '
chu chin chow ( 1934 ) : a robust operetta
. the new york times , 22 september 1934 , accessed 2 august 2010
trutt , david ( ed ) . introduction to
chu chin chow
novelization , p . 3 , 2010 , accessed 18 november 2010
sat 3 nov 1934 - the courier - mail ( brisbane , qld . : 1933 - 1954 ) page 5 -
chu chin chow
dance
the courier - mail ( brisbane , qld . : 1933 - 1954 ) , sat 3 nov 1934 , page 5 -
chu chin chow
dance
produced from the abc ' s melbourne studios , chu chin chow was a radio adaptation of the long - running and highly successful stage play by oscar asche .
cast incl . lyn harding ( abu hasan / chu chin chow ) , rosalinde fuller ( zahrat - al - kulub ) , jerry verno ( ali ) .
the cobbler ' s song : song from chu chin chow , a musical tale of the east /  told by oscar asche ; music by frederic norton .
the cobbler ' s song [ music ] : song from chu chin chow , a musical tale of the east / told by oscar asche ; music by frederic norton .
cast incl . lyn harding ( abu hasan / chu chin chow ) , rosalinde fuller ( zahrat - al - kulub ) , mr jetsam ( abdullah ) , kay bourne .
chu chin chow plays at the geelong performing arts centre on july 22 - 23 , and has its melbourne season at the phoenix theatre in elwood from july 28 - 31 .
the show was briefly the third - longest - running show on broadway and the west end , after chu chin chow and oklahoma ! . it was eventually surpassed by salad days .
the cobbler ' s song [ music ] : song from chu chin chow , a musical tale of the east / told by oscar asche ; music by frederic norton . - version details - trove
it is played in jazz style on mouth organ . the song was a reference to chu chin chow , a spectacular orientalist musical of the ali baba story , which was the biggest hit of the london theatre world from 1916 until the late 1940s . the show successfully toured usa and australia and spawned a gainsborough film ( chu chin chow , oscar ashe , 1934 ) that was undoubtedly seen in india . 22 chu chin chow , the musical , permeated british popular culture and fashion of its day and its racist and orientalist tropes were exported around the world , as helen’s chin chin chu persona reflects . but the song itself , set to jaunty western jazz - style swing in a nightclub of jiving sailors , fuses several exotic worlds . with the saucy refrain ' mera naam chin chin chu , hello mister , how - do - you - do ? ' helen is simultaneously a modern city girl and an oriental sexpot , with the arabian nights implicitly providing the bridge between the two .
in describing the show , ray adds , “it has been described as an ‘adult pantomime’… chu chin chow is like a saturday afternoon thrilling adventure musical – swashbuckling , funny , and completely over the top” .
discography of american historical recordings , s . v .
victor matrix b - 20314 . chu - chin - chow / alice green ; orpheus quartet ,
accessed july 9 , 2018 , urltoken .
victor matrix b - 20314 . chu - chin - chow / alice green ; orpheus quartet . ( 2018 ) . in discography of american historical recordings . retrieved july 9 , 2018 , from urltoken .
the lead character , mame dennis , mentions in the novel auntie mame that she adored her time as a chorus girl in chu chin chow with her bosom buddy vera charles and tries to recreate the experience .
victor matrix b - 20314 . chu - chin - chow / alice green ; orpheus quartet .
discography of american historical recordings . uc santa barbara library , 2018 . web . 9 july 2018 .
what is the translation of the song by bang wa cherry , chin chin ? it ' s a song from one of the blade movies .
chu chin chow was also a popular choice for burlesque . australian variety performer and revusical writer / director billy maloney ( q . v . ) , for example , celebrated the closure of the extravaganza ' s brisbane season with his own take on the story : too thin chow ( cremorne theatre , 25 june 1921 ) . the character of chu chin chow was also incorporated into the elton black / frederick whaite pantomime robinson crusue , which was staged at the cremorne gardens theatre , brisbane , in december 1919 .
chu chin chow was very popular on bbc radio , and excerpts or individual songs from the production were frequently broadcast . the only bbc versions individually indexed on austlit are the ones that were full radio adaptations of the play .
meanwhile , in china , a furious battle rages . chu chin chow , a distinguished merchant , is killed by a band of thieves led by abu hassan . hassan assumes chu chin chow ' s identity and proceeds to the palace in bagdad . the newly wealthy ali baba also arrives at the palace with his bejewelled wife . but ali drinks too much at the party and reveals the secret of his wealth to his brother , kazim the vizier ( court minister ) .
chu chin chow became , with the bing boys are here and the maid of the mountains , one of three hit shows most associated with the london musical stage during the conflict . surprisingly , each of the three belonged to a very different genre . the bing boys was a revue , starring george robey and including the sentimental hit song if you were the only girl in the world . by contrast , the maid was essentially an operetta , and chu chin chow is often considered an adult pantomime .
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 .
seemingly a distinct adaptation from the abc ' s radio version of chu chin chow ( which had been broadcast in 1932 ) , this version was adapted for radio by british script - writer henrik ege , and included oscar asche in the role that he had originated .
asche , oscar ( words ) / norton , frederic ( music ) : chu chin chow . a musical tale of the east . vocal score , london 1916 , pp . 4 - 5 . ( available at urltoken urltoken , retrieved : 19 february 2014 ) .
. asche directed the musical and played the lead role of abu hasan , leader of the forty thieves ( the
chu chin chow
of the title refers to the robber chief when impersonating one of his victims ) . besides asche , the production starred his wife ,
all
chu chin chow
tracks from 1959 recording except as indicated below . cover art is from 1980 reissue of 1961 recording .
the maid of the mountains
omits two tracks found on 1972 lp ( the song of the vagabonds ; pedro the fisherman ) /
the well - known merchant kasim baba ( brother of ali baba ) is preparing to give a lavish banquet for the wealthy chu chin chow , who is on his way from china . abu hassan wishes to add to his riches the property of kasim and has installed the slave girl zahrat in kasim ' s house as a spy . zahrat sends a message to abu hasan , letting him know about the banquet . hasan arrives at kasim ' s palace in disguise as chu chin chow . his gang of thieves rob and slaughter 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 . zahrat gets her revenge on both hassan and his forty thieves , lovers are united , and all ends happily .
ali baba , a poor labourer , stumbles across hidden treasure belonging to the forty thieves and reinvents himself as a rich merchant . meanwhile , the leader of the thieves , abu hassan , posing as chinese emissary chu chin chow , has an evil plan to recover his loot and ruin bagdad .
if you were an officer in london on a short leave in 1916 , the show you just had to see was chu chin chow . it kept running for years after the war , and held the box - office record for longest - running musical until cats overtook it in the nineties .
back at the palace , an extravagant slave auction takes place ; the most valuable prize is zahrat . however , maryanna , accompanied by several policemen , interrupts proceedings . she identifies abu hassan as the fake chu chin chow . a major fight ensues and in the confusion abu hassan escapes with zahrat .
decided to try a different chinese , so visited chu chin chow . we had the all you can eat menu . . . the starters were good and so was the duck . the duck sauce was very thick and sticky , so was not a fan . the mains were disappointing . . . .
nearly three million people came to see it in britain , many more worldwide . the best songs from the show , such as anytime’s kissing time and the cobbler’s song became the top of the pops hits of their day . one hundred years on , how can we explain chu chin chow’s extraordinary impact ?
an hmv sound recording of chu chin chow ( n . yr . ) features the vocals of inia te wiata ( chu chin chow ) , julie bryan ( marjanah ) , barbara leigh , charles young , and the williams singers . the music is performed by michael collins and his orchestra , to orchestrations by brian fahey . the ' vocal gems ' presented are ' i am chu chin chow ' , ' here be oysters ' , ' cleopatra ' s nile ' , ' when a pullet is plump ' , ' corraline ' , ' i love thee so ' , ' i ' ll sing and dance ' , ' the robber ' s march ' , ' i long for the sun ' , ' behold ' , ' anytime ' s kissing time ' , ' the cobbler ' s song ' , ' we bring ye fruits ' , and ' finale ' ( his masters voice , oclp 1269 ) .
although salad days was the first musical to break the chu chin chow record , the first play to break its record was abie ' s irish rose in 1927 . see :
abroad
, the manchester guardian june 2 , 1927 , proquest historical newspapers , the guardian and the observer , p . 15
besides the romantic and nostalgic fare , there were scores of productions that escaped wartime reality by inviting the audience into exotic scenery and settings . this was the case for one of the longest running productions of london ' s west - end , the orientalist , pantomime - like musical comedy chu chin chow , written , produced and directed by oscar asche ( 1871 - 1936 ) at his majesty ' s theatre which he had managed since 1907 . it premiered on 3 august 1916 – at a time when the murderous battles of verdun and the somme were being fought – and remained on stage for the spectacular number of 2 , 238 performances until 22 july 1921 , the moment when adolf hitler ( 1889 - 1945 ) became the leader of the national socialist german workers party . the story of chu chin chow is based on the tale of ali baba and the forty thieves . “the immediate popularity of chu chin chow rested firmly on its fanciful visual elements – the sets , costumes and stage effects . ” [ 42 ] it was a big budget production with sumptuous stage sets and exotic costumes , big dance routines and a large cast including animals like a camel , a snake and a donkey . whereas the visual elements all aimed at conveying a most exotic scenery , the musical score of chu chin chow remained firmly rooted in mainstream english popular music of the time . [ 43 ] the first scene , set in the palace of kasim baba , the wealthy brother of ali baba who awaits the visit of the chinese merchant chu chin chow and is preparing a feast , began with the following song :
cast incl . arthur styan ( abu hasan / chu chin chow ) , vera pearce ( zahrat - al - kulub ) , gerald kay souper ( kasim baba ) , charles h . workman ( ali baba ) , maggie moore , frank cochrane , louie pounds , gregory stroud , winifred o ' connor , frederick mackay .
ask a group of music theatre lovers what they know of chu chin chow , and the responses would likely range from , “did g & s write that ? ” , to perhaps “yes – ah , is it famous for a long run in london ? ” , or the more likely response , “never heard of it” .
so , why the title , you may ask ? chu chin chow is the name of a chinese trader murdered by bandit abu hasan , while en route to kasim baba ' s court for a lavish feast held in his honor . hasan gains access to kasim ' s court by assuming the identity of his latest victim .
cast members have come to the show with varying degrees of knowledge about its story and background . summer bowen , who portrays zharat al - kulub , recalls her first exposure to the piece : “i first heard of chu chin chow in 2013 at an arts centre exhibition on australian war time music which featured a cast photo from the j . c . williamson production . shortly afterwards it was mentioned again in miriam gordon - stewart’s incredible recital “songs for robbie” based on the grandmother eileen robbins’ memoir . oscar ashe invited the 10 - year - old eileen to join the chu chin chow chorus at his majesty’s theatre but her parents objected to the racy costumes” .
he not only wrote the libretto for chu ( frederic norton wrote the music ) but produced , directed and starred in it as well , playing the part of abu hasan , the robber chieftain . hasan disguises himself as chu chin chow , a wealthy chinese merchant , whom his gang has already murdered , in order to gain entry into the house of kasim baba , brother of ali baba , with the intention of robbing his host during an auction .
everett , william a . : chu chin chow and orientalist musical theatre in britain during the first world war , in : clayton , martin / zon , bennett ( eds . ) : music and orientalism in the british empire , 1780s to 1940s . portrayal of the east , aldershot ; burlington 2007 : ashgate , pp . 277 - 296 .
the penniless ali baba becomes a millionaire when he discovers the treasure cave of the forty thieves . the robber thief abbu hassan attempts to steal ali baba ' s newly found fortune by posing as the chinese mandarin chu chin chow , whom the thief had previously killed . his evil plans are foiled in an act of revenge by the slave girl zahrat .
this is not to suggest that chu - chin - chow is unremittingly offensive or without merit . the atmosphere of intrigue is admirably captured by cinematographer mutz greenbaum ( another german exile ) , who makes the most of the interplay of light and shadows , and anna may wong is compulsive viewing . it is just a little crude in its screen representation .
chu chin chow is based on the tale of ali baba and the forty thieves . the setting is themagnificent eastern palace of kasim baba who welcomes the chinese merchant chu chin chow . he is , in fact , not who he seems to be but the rascally abu hasan , a robber come to glean information that will enable him to rob his host . hasan has a slave , zahrat , already spying in the palace . she has made friends with kasim ' s chief wife , alcolom , who in turn is loved by kasim ' s poor brother , ali baba . another friend is the slave maid marjanah who loves ali ' s son , nur al - huda . the downfall of kasim would solve a lot of problems !
australian born , oscar asche , created a sensation when he wrote chu chin chow . with music by frederic norton , it opened at his majesty’s theatre , london , on 31st august 1916 and ran for five years and a total of 2 , 238 performances ( more than twice as many as any previous musical ) , an astonishing record that stood until the 1950’s .
maryannna and her lover meet secretly . if only they could get married . but she is a slave and his father , ali baba would never allow it . returning from her tryst , maryanna overhears a conversation in chu chin chow ' s room . she discovers that the chinese emissary is in fact the bandit abu hassan and his accomplice is the slave girl zahrat .
chu chin chow was a version of the arabian nights ’ ali baba and the 40 thieves tale , put together by actor , director and sometime playwright asche as a vehicle for himself and his wife , actress lily brayton , and produced in wartime london at his majesty’s theatre on 31 august 1916 – in the theatre which normally housed the respected dramatic productions of beerbohm tree .
staged with a sumptuous extravagance , it proved to be one of the phenomena of the british stage of the early part of the century . the show’s initial london run of 2 , 235 performances set a london long - run record for a musical which survived for some forty years , and chu chin chow went on to be an international hit in english - speaking theatres .
did the immediate pre ww2 cast of chu chin chow include two german born players felix slawinski and or arno franz koehler ( kohler ) ; if so in what capacity and what became of them . it seems that they were part of the 1939 australian tivoli tour and that they did not return to the uk before the outbreak of hostilities . any help is much appreciated .
everett , william a . : chu chin chow and orientalist musical theatre in britain during the first world war , in : clayton , martin / zon , bennett ( eds . ) : music and orientalism in the british empire , 1780 ' s - 1940 ' s . portrayal of the east , farnham 2007 , pp . 277 - 296 , here p . 277 .
asche’s wife lily brayton also appeared in the show , as hasan’s beautiful captive , zahrat al - kulub . “mr oscar asche , like venice of old , seems to hold the gorgeous east in fee and to draw upon its treasures at will . he dipped into them generously in kismet but in chu chin chow he pours them out by the bucketful , ” enthused one reviewer .
generally described as an ' oriental extravaganza ' , chu chin chow remains arguably the greatest overseas theatrical success written by an australian . although never achieving the same level of critical acclaim for its narrative and dramatic sensibilities as asche ' s previous success , kismet , the production was viewed on both sides of the atlantic ( and in australia ) as having set a new benchmark as spectacle and as entertainment . two of the clauses in the contract between asche and english producer sir herbert beerbolm - tree ( who ended up owning 25 percent of the show ) stipulated that chu chin chow could remain at his majesty ' s indefinitely on two conditions : that the receipts did not fall below £2500 for two consecutive weeks and that asche continued to play the lead role .
“chu chin chow” was first staged at the hippodrome in 1949 but it returned even more spectacularly on ice for the christmas season in 1953 / 1954 , with a huge cast of over 100 . there was a production by the birmingham and midland operatic society in november , 1958 and an expensively re - staged version in october , 1959 , starring new zealand singer inia te wiata .
so , if like this writer , you were until now unfamiliar with the rare gem that is chu chin chow , it will certainly be worth a trip to geelong or to elwood to take it in . “chu chin chow is a pantomime for adults full of gorgeous colour and music , very much like the 1940s old - hollywood film “the thief of bagdad” , says bowen , “if you haven’t read the original arabian nights , you might be surprised by the violent plot that has been watered down in popular film adaptations in the same way you might be shocked by the original brothers grimm fairytales in german . sexual tension simmers throughout , slaves and harems are the norm , and because love is bought with ‘a bidder’s gold’ two couples yearn for each other for afar” .
chu chin chow urltoken i wanted to see this flick , because i was curious to see an adaptation of the most popular brit musical ever ( or one of them , anyway ) , and because it had anna may wong in the cast . i was expecting a tale of the mystic orient , but got a loose adaptation - musicalization of ali baba and the 40 thieves instead .
the wealthy merchant kasim baba ( brother of ali baba ) is preparing to give a lavish banquet at his home for a wealthy chinese merchant , chu chin chow , who is on his way from china . the robber chieftain , abu hasan , wishes to add to his riches the property of kasim . abu hasan forces his captive , the beautiful zahrat al - kulub , to spy for him in kasim ' s house , disguised as a slave girl , by holding her lover hostage . she is nearly found out several times . zahrat sends a message to abu hasan , letting him know about the banquet . hasan arrives at kasim ' s palace in disguise as chu chin chow , whom his gang has robbed and murdered . he tries to glean information that will enable him to rob his host .
cast incl . oscar asche ( abu hasan / chu chin chow ) , doris champion ( zahrat - al - kulub ) , wensley russell ( ali baba ) , helen debroy somers ( marjanah ) , william dewhurst ( kasim baba ) , lawrence shirl ( khuzaymah ) , dorothy dewhurst , stuart kern , ellis j . preston , savana , betty williamson , james johnson , dacia johnson , horace custins .
in the kitchens of the palace , a huge feast is prepared in honour of a visiting chinese dignitary called chu chin chow . ali baba , a cheeky servant , goes off to the forest to get more chickens . meanwhile beautiful slave maryanna , who pines for her lover , is bossed around by her demanding and pampered mistress , while zahrat , another slave girl , conspires with arch villain abu hassan .
one of the earliest british attempts at a grand scale musical ! and it ' s a bit stuffed . trying to hard with the musical numbers , almost over - shadowing the ali baba & forty thieves tale in the process . cool seeing anna may wong get a decent part , but even the asian - american actress had to play second fiddle to the extravaganza that was chu chin chow ( 1934 ) .
sadly , despite the great commercial success of chu , asche later became bankrupt , largely because of his heavy gambling . he died in 1936 , aged 65 . chu was revived in the darkest days of the second world war and again played its part in lifting morale .
a souvenir programme , the birmingham and midland operatic society presents by arrangement with samuel french ltd ‘chu chin chow’ in aid of cancer relief and other charities . the front cover is yellow and has six illustrations of scenes from the show down the left - hand side . the inside contains a cast list , photographs and advertisements . programme cost one shilling . the show commenced on 17 november 1958 and ran for two weeks .
1 . prelude 2 . here be oysters 3 . i am chu chin chow 4 . cleopatra ' s nile 5 . i ' ll sing and dance 6 . corraline 7 . when a pullet is plump 8 . i love thee so 9 . behold 10 . robbers ' march 11 . i long for the sun 12 . mahbubah 13 . i built a fairy palace in the sky 14 . anytime ' s kissing time 15 . cobbler ' s song 16 . we bring ye fruits 17 . finale 18 . i am chu chin chow / olive oil 19 . behold [ revival cast ] 20 . cleopatra ' s nile [ alternate version ] 21 . when a pullet is plump 22 . anytime ' s kissing time [ alternate version ] 23 . i love thee so [ alternate version ] 24 . cobbler ' s song [ alternate version ]
on thursday , august 31 , 1916 , with the bloody battle of the somme raging in france , a new show opened at his majesty’s theatre in london . it is fair to say that it caused a bigger sensation than any other musical in history . chu chin chow , a spectacular retelling of the story of ali baba and the forty thieves , has been described as “one of the greatest successes in the history of popular musical theatre” .
chu chin chow is a musical comedy written , produced and directed by oscar asche , with music by frederic norton , based , with embellishments , on the story of ali baba and the 40 thieves . the play premiered at his majesty’s theatre in london on august 31 , 1916 and ran for five years and a total of 2 , 238 performances ( more than twice as many as any previous musical ) , a record that stood for nearly forty years .
presented in two acts , the story concerns abu hasan , an intrepid merchant - pirate who masquerades in various extravagant disguises ( including that of a hebrew damascene and a grecian prince ) , so that he and his forty brigands can plunder and humiliate the wealthy despots of the east , enriching hasan ' s already overflowing and legendary cave . for this particular adventure , he becomes the great chu chin chow of china as a means of gaining access to the palace of kasim baba . a secondary theme concerns the two lovely slave girls ( zahrat and marjanah , the latter in love with nur - al - hudra ) who are determined to win their freedom . zahat discovers abu hasan ' s true identity after ' chu chin chow ' kills kasim , while marjanah stumbles on the secret password for his hideout ( ' open sesame ' ) . she is then able to set in motion the opportunity they need . the women counter chu chin chow ' s cunning with feminine guile and create the opportunity they need by bargaining with the brigand chieftain . abu hasan attempts to overcome their plan by attending the wedding of marjanah and nur disguised as a wealthy oil merchant , whose forty jars of ' oil ' actually hold forty brigands . zahat discovers both his identity and evil plans , and kills his men by pouring boiling oil over them . she then finishes the job by stabbing abu hasan to death .
a pall mall gazette critic described the production as ' a romantic drama founded . . . on the story of the forty thieves as it appears in sir richard burton ' s authentic translation of the arabian nights ' ( 26 august 1916 , p . 6 ) . the same newspaper also noted that gossip suggesting that asche had either planned an art - pantomime ( ' a great symbolic play with an important character embodying the principal of universal evil ' ) or gone back to burton ' s original were clearly inaccurate . ' there is not the remotest likeness between [ chu chin chow ] ' , notes the gazette , ' and anything farther off than the familiar stage - chinoiserie of good old english musical comedy and comic opera . chu chin chow as . . . played by mr asche is just the commander of the forty thieves disguised as a kind of rutland - barrington mandarin ' ( 1 september 1916 , p . 6 ) .
cast incl . oscar asche ( abu hasan / chu chin chow ) , lily brayton ( zahrat - al - kulub ) , frank cochrane ( kasim baba ) , courtice pounds ( ali baba ) , j . v . bryant ( nur - al - huda ) , violet essex ( marjanah ) , norman williams , william holles , james herbert , aileen d ' orme ( kasim baba ' s head wife ) , sydney fairbrother ( mrs ali ) , annie moore .
chased from london by the bombs after 80 performances , it returned , partly recast , the following year for another 158 nights . in 1953 chu chin chow was given as an ice - rink production at london’s empire pool , wembley . elliott , comstock and gest produced chu chin chow in new york the year after its london opening . tyrone power ( hasan ) , henry e dixey ( ali ) , florence reed ( zahrat ) , kate condon ( alcolom ) and tessa kosta ( marjanah ) featured , the london designs were repeated , and alexis kosloff arranged new parades and dances for what looked like being another successful production . however , management went awry and , after a transfer , less than three months into the run , to the century theater , the expensively staged show closed after 208 performances , still in the red . it was left to a highly successful post - new york tour to recoup and add considerable profits to the producers’ outlay .
even during the world war ii air raids on london , the production never fell below the minimum box - office take , while asche presented the character of abu hasan on stage for all but a couple of weeks of the london run . during his absence , which came about on his physician ' s orders , the role was taken up by e . lyall swete , who subsequently went on to direct the american production ( starring tyrone power as abu hassan / chu chin chow ) . chu chin chow ran for five years in london ( 2 , 238 performances ) , a record that lasted almost forty years . it also opened for six months on broadway in 1917 - 18 , and was successfully staged in australia . the royalties alone made asche a millionaire . the new york season and asche ' s 1920 - 23 australian tour were essentially replicas of the london show , with the scenery and costumes made by the original producers and transported by ship .
chu - chin - chow ' s story derives from the arabian nights ( a thousand and one nights ) collection of short stories . however , among the several ' enhancements ' are two interesting plot inventions . the chinese merchant , who happens to be visiting bagdad , adds a layer of political intrigue and is also a way of drawing on a particular stereotype of the chinese villain popular in early british and american films and literature ( notably with sax rohmer ' s fu manchu ) . the fact that chu - chin - chow isn ' t chinese but someone masquerading as chinese is irrelevant , because abu hassan only has to portray the sneer , evil intentions and cruelty to reinforce the type in popular imagination . structurally , the character ' s story gives the film tension , scope and forward momentum leading from battle to crisis and culminating in the final , spectacular court fight . it also at a stroke implicates the whole of the east in this particular vision .
first , there were the amazing sets and imaginative staging , which helped transport london theatregoers to the colourful world of the arabian nights . we are used to lavish productions in the west end today but audiences in 1916 would never have seen anything quite to match chu chin chow . the “musical tale of the east” had a budget of £5 , 300 , the equivalent of about £2 . 9 million today . there was a huge cast that included live camels , donkeys , poultry and snakes .
cast incl . oscar asche ( abu hasan / chu chin chow ) , doris champion ( zahrat - al - kulub ) , wensley russell ( ali baba ) , kitty reidy ( marjanah ) , cecil humphreys ( kasim baba ) , herbert browne ( nur - al - huba ) , george ide ( abdullah ) , peal ladd ( alcolm ) , mason wood ( the cobbler ) , ian mclean ( omar ) , eardley turner ( omar ' s father ) , frank charlton , jessie page .
the cry this morning should be
the redcoats are coming !
britain ' s long - heralded invasion of the american film market has begun with the offerings at the roxy of
chu chin chow ,
a tuneful , spectacular and robust adaptation of the oscar asche comic operetta which , in its original form , ran for more than 2 , 000 performances in london several years ago and for 208 when it was produced here by morris gest in 1917 - 18 . view full article in timesmachine »
1 . prelude 2 . here be oysters 3 . i am chu chin chow 4 . cleopatra ' s nile 5 . when a pullet is plump 6 . serenade 7 . mahbubah 8 . i ' ll sing and dance 9 . i long for the sun 10 . robber ' s march 11 . i love thee so 12 . behold ! 131 . anytime ' s kissing time 14 . the cobbler ' s song 15 . i built a fairy palace 16 . we bring you fruits 17 . finale
herbert wilcox made a silent film version of chu chin chow in 1923 but , after the coming of sound , a second version was made with george robey starred as ali baba and thelma tuson as a richy funny alcolom . anna may wong played the melodrama of zahrat with conviction , whilst fritz kortner gave a burlesque stage performance as hasan in what was , otherwise , one of the best filmed musicals of its time . sydney fairbrother and frank cochrane ( just the cobbler this time ) both put their unequalable original performances on celluloid .
with a new book written by melvyn morrow ( dusty , shout ) based on the smash hit that ran for 2238 performances on the west end , chu chin chow is proudly presented by gsov - gilbert & sullivan opera victoria in this , its centenary year , and will take you on a magic carpet ride with perilous quests , forbidden lovers , treacherous assassins , and high slapstick comedy coupled with some of the best theatre songs ever written , including anytime’s kissing time , the cobbler’s song , we are the robbers of the woods and corraline .
chu chin chow have joined our just - eat family , meaning you have another takeaway menu to browse and the chance to become a food critic for the evening . browse the menu from starters to desserts and see what tickles your taste buds . located on 7 cat hill , barnet , you could also choose to collect your order at a time that suits you if you would prefer a leisurely stroll or drive to collect . don’t forget to let us know if you enjoyed your meal and just - eat experience by leaving feedback . bon appetite !
cast incl . arthur styan ( abu hasan / chu chin chow ) , helen temple ( zahrat - al - kulub ) , charles h . workman ( ali baba ) , ida griffin ( marjanah ) , gerald kay souper ( kasim baba ) , george wignail ( the cobbler ) , maggie moore , pearl ladd ( alcolom ) , h . tucker ( omar ) , fred mackay ( nu - al - huda ) , mary jordan , winifred o ' connor , suzanne bennett , gloria spurling , ethel keys , myrtle greenhill , louie pounds .
not seen in melbourne for over half a century , gsov is presenting chu chin chow in the centennial year of its first production , 2016 , as a musical within a play . written by melvyn morrow , and directed and choreographed by robert ray , the new version sees great fun in oscar asche , selling his musical to the management of j . c . williamson’s . he describes the action with great flair and panache , and takes part himself . out of his imaginative descriptions , real singers and dancers emerge , and act out scenes and songs from the musical .
cast incl . tyrone power ( abu hasan / chu chin chow ) , florence read , ( zahrat - al - kulub ) , albert howson ( kasim baba ) , henry dixy ( ali baba ) , kate condon ( alcolom ) , tessa kosta ( marjanah ) , george rasely ( nur - al - huda ) , lucy beaumont , albert moore , robert lee hill , francis j . boyle , matty thomas , frank mccormack , ida mulle , katherine galanta , harda daube , gordon staples , olive prosser , george bell , josephine emory , lester sweyd , felice de gregorio , richie ling .
a ticket for chu was the thing to buy for a family member on leave from the front . it was also the favourite show for a soldier to take his sweetheart to before he returned to battle .
between in town in 1892 and the maid of the mountains in 1917 , this new style of musical theatre became dominant on the musical stage in britain and the rest of the english - speaking world . the success of in town and a gaiety girl ( 1893 ) led to an astonishing number of hits , the most successful of which included the shop girl ( 1894 ) , the geisha ( 1896 ) , florodora ( 1899 ) , a chinese honeymoon ( 1901 ) , the arcadians ( 1909 ) , our miss gibbs ( 1909 ) , the quaker girl ( 1910 ) , chu chin chow ( 1916 ) and the maid of the mountains .
written in 1916 by geelong - born actor / director oscar asche , chu chin chow is a retelling of ‘ali baba and the 40 thieves’ . the gilbert and sullivan society of victoria ( gsov ) are proud to present the show in its 100 th anniversary year . director and choreographer robert ray is all too familiar with the challenges which arise from staging a rarely seen gem . ‘it is such an unknown work to all of us , ‘says ray . ‘much easier to do hello dolly or the mikado as it is all there . with chu chin chow finding the orchestral parts alone took us about six months . then finding a way to do it today to today’s audiences . the dialogue is a bit dated , a mixture of biblical and elizabethan speak , with ye’s and yea’s . melvyn morrow wrote a new version which overcomes many of the problems . it is a play circa 1923 , about staging the show in australia . there are many delicious references to the bard of j . c . williamson’s for example . also in 1916 , it was a very , very lavish show , with over 90 in the cast . the challenge was to do it with a set and costume budget of $ 2200 , and about one third of the cast size . the original production was spectacular , with even live snakes on stage ! ” .
chu chin chow is the oldest established chinese restaurant in hampton court . our longevity and excellent reputation shall become apparent the moment you step inside our family run restaurant . we take pride in welcoming our customers , helping with the choice of dishes and ensuring that your visit is memorable ; something that our regular customers will testify to . we have an extensive range of dishes creating the authentic tastes from the provinces of canton , beijing and szechuan , all freshly prepared and cooked by our experienced chefs . dishes are prepared using fresh , simple ingredients , cooked briefly in very little oil to retain essential nutrients , minerals and vitamins so your meal is not only delicious but healthy too .
' he came , like another eastern , king david , to a good old age , full of riches and honour . but none can ever reign in his stead . there is left a gap in the life of london , and indeed of the country , which nothing can adequately fill , for chu chin chow had become in truth part of the national life . country cousins set out upon the desperate adventure of their first visit to the metropolis with the firm determination to see it come else what may . it had supplanted in their hearts the place usually reserved for the abbey or the tower . it had become a tradition which nothing can adequately fill ' ( qtd in brisbane courier 24 september 1921 , p . 13 ) .
frederick norton ' s musical score was described by asche as ' the most important feature of the production . it is not incidental music at all . in fullness and elaboration it is indeed , an opera score ' ( pall mall gazette 18 august 1916 , p . 9 ) . songs known to have performed in the london production are ' i am chu chin chow ' , ' i love thee so ' , ' i ' ll sing and dance ' , ' i long for the sun ' , ' behold ' , ' anytime ' s kissing time ' , ' the cobbler ' s song ' , ' serenade ' , ' song of the scimitar ' , and ' i built a fairy palace in the sky . '
a musical tale of the east by oscar asche set to music by frederic norton presentation written by henrik ege characters in the order of their appearance the story - teller , bruce winston robbers , dancers , servants , slaves , etc . the bbc theatre chorus ( trained by charles groves ) , and the bbc theatre orchestra ( leader , tate gilder ) , conducted by mark h . lubbock the programme arranged and produced by gordon mcconnel with the musical collaboration of gwen williams none who saw it will ever forget the tuneful and spectacular mélange that was chu chin chow . produced at the end of august in 1916 , chu chin choic ran at his majesty ' s theatre for just under five years , its total of 2 , 238 performances created a record that has never been broken . the broadcast tonight will concentrate chieflv on the music . the dialogue of the play will be omitted , but the plot will be explained by a story - teller , who will link together the various musical excerpts that will be heard . all the best - known songs in the score will be included , and henrik ege , who has been responsible for many adaptations , has written the narration in the idiom set down by oscar asche in the original book .
it was a post - war boast of chu chi chow ’s producer , oscar asche , that tickets for the show had been particularly sought after by troops on leave , though one critic wryly commented that men ‘gladly’ returned to the trenches to escape it . [ 5 ] perhaps one of the attractions was the chorus of pretty slave girls who , for the period , were very scantily dressed . following complaints of ‘near nudity and non controlled breast movement’ , the play was investigated by the lord chamberlain’s office . [ 6 ]
the chinese community have also been portrayed in several musicals that have been staged at the hippodrome . for years , the most famous and popular was “chu chin chow” , first performed at her majesty’s theatre in the west end in august , 1916 . it ran for five years and 2 , 238 performances , more than twice the previous run for a musical at that time , and its record stood until “salad days” from 1954 . a huge hit with servicemen on leave in ww1 , it boasted a dozen lavish scenes , spectacular sets and lighting effects and was inspired by the then english taste for all things oriental . one of the attractions was the chorus of girls , scantily dressed for the time , who performed as slaves ; there was also a camel , donkey , poultry and snakes .
although king george v had decreed that the royal household would be teetotal for the duration of the conflict , his subjects declined such abstemiousness and still flocked to the music halls and musical theatres , where the escapist fantasy chu chin chow , premièred on 3 rd august 1916 , became an instant hit . the show was described as a combination of musical comedy and pantomime , a big - budget spectacle costing £5 , 300 , with over a dozen scene changes , fantastic sets , big dance routines and exotic costumes . [ 4 ] loosely based on the story of ali baba , critics praised the show’s visuals : the acting and plot were almost entirely incidental . nevertheless , many of the songs became hits , and the cobbler’s song and any time’s kissing time entered the popular repertoire of ballad singers .
the show returned briefly to the strike - brothered broadway of 1919 ( century theater 8 august , 33 performances ) with lionel braham , don ferrandou and marjorie wood featured , and eugene cowles ( abdallah ) and albert howson , of the famous howson family ( kasim ) in supporting rôles . asche himself later took chu chin chow to his native australia , but only after hugh d mackintosh had already mounted a version there , with ex - savoy star c h workman ( ali ) , vera pearce ( a zahrat who sang better than any other female member of the cast ! ) , louie pounds ( alcolom ) and maggie moore ( mahbubah ) amongst the cast and original cast member frank cochrane restaging asche’s direction . ward’s version played nearly three months in melbourne before moving on to sydney’s grand opera house ( 26 march 1921 ) .
another reason why chu became such a hit was the timing . in the summer of 1916 , britons wanted something to take their minds off the war . an uplifting musical that combined comedy with some great songs and a fantastic plot in an exotic setting fitted the bill perfectly .
chu also caused controversy with its rather revealing female costumes , described by tatler magazine as “very suitable to the sultry climate of old bagdad” . today , we would not feel particularly shocked by the scanty outfits but remember this was 1916 , only 15 years after the death of queen victoria .
the show was indeed ‘a beauty show – of scene and person , of dress and undress , ’ but it also had a fine strong story , familiar and happy characters and characterizations , and attractive songs which helped to ensure its survival after that first lavish production . grossmith and laurillard took the show to the provinces with a cast headed by bobbie comber ( ali ) , henry latimer ( hasan ) and madge mcintosh ( zahrat ) , and chu chin chow kept up a provincial presence in britain for many years until , in 1940 ( 3 july ) , it was brought back to london for a second wartime run with the famous melodrama villain lyn harding as hasan , rosalinde fuller as zahrat , jerry verno as ali , kay bourne as alcolom , dennis noble as nur al - huda and with sydney fairbrother repeating her original rôle as ali’s shrewish and ill - fated wife , mahbubah .