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landon2006
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bullet Topic: Babes in Toyland
    Posted: 4/14/08 at 1:13am
Hey guys!
Our group has a question that I was hoping someone might be able to answer. The original musical opera "babes in Toyland" was first staged n 1903, but does anyone know if this work is in the public domain? I know things published before 1923 are in the public domain, but I can't find any information on how this applies to stage plays & musicals.

I would think that it would be, seeing as how there are so many adaptions & film versions made, but then again, I could be wrong.

Thanks,
Landon
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JoeMc
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bullet Posted: 4/14/08 at 4:54am
With public domain Dramatic works remain in copyright up to midnight 31st of December in the 70th year after the death of the author &/or when the works first became public, whichever is the later. 
 
This could be a mine field if your looking at adaptions.
 
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TOI TOI CHOOKAS
{may you always play to a full house!}
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landon2006
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bullet Posted: 4/14/08 at 5:58am
Thanks for the reply JoeMc,
Our goal is to try and find the original book and score (which I am not having much luck with at the moment) and make our own adaption of it. Considering that in fact the work is in the Public domain, there should be no issues with an adaption made from the original material.

I guess the question is: When was the book and score for the original published? I have looked around and can't find this information anywhere. Considering that  they where published before the death of Herbert, which was 1924, then it would have entered Public domain no later than 1994.

It's sure confusing though!

Thanks,
Landon
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JoeMc
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bullet Posted: 4/14/08 at 7:57am

1903 Operetta "Babes In Toyland"
Music by Victor Herbert. Book and Lyrics by Glen MacDonough
Publication: New York: M. Witmark & Sons, 1903.

I have no idea on the death of Glen MacDonough? 
 
[western] Gondawandaland
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TOI TOI CHOOKAS
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jayzehr
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bullet Posted: 4/14/08 at 8:39am
MacDonough died in 1924. Some of these songs are listed online as public domain Christmas songs and Herbert is listed online as a composer who is in the public domain, but I don't really know, that's just me surfing around. What version did you use when you directed it before, Landon?
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landon2006
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bullet Posted: 4/14/08 at 11:24am
Never directed Babes in toyland before. I have seen several productions, so I'm not sure if any where the original, since so many "Variations" have been made to the original over the last 100 years... We basically want to use the full original score, with several new songs and a slightly rewritten book and orchestration for our production.

JoeMc:
If this is indeed the publication date, then it is public domain in the U.S, at least for THIS version. I believe that Tams-Witmark has the original version, and it is the one they license out, although I could be wrong. I'm just wondering that since (and if) it is public domain, are they simply handling leasing of the books & script, or are the actively charging royalties on something in the public domain (which would not be a good thing).

Anyway, Thanks for the help as always!
Landon :-)
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bullet Posted: 4/14/08 at 12:19pm
Anything published in the US prior to 1923 is in the public domain.   Any derivative works based upon it are under copyright protection depending of course when they were published.   The original work that these were based upon however remains in the public domain.
BD

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JoeMc
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bullet Posted: 4/14/08 at 8:01pm
Originally posted by landon2006

 are the actively charging royalties on something in the public domain (which would not be a good thing).
Landon :-)
 They have been doing this here for as long as I can remember.
It was only 50years, until little Jonny Howard our used to be Prime minister agreed to align with the US Free trade deal. [Thank gawd he was ousted & lost his seat as well.] This deal added 20 years to copyright. So nothing will come into the public domain until 2026, because of it.
However Publishers have always held that it was 70 years anyway & kept ripping groups off during that time.
Even with works that came under the 50years prior to 2006 & in the public domain, are still being charged the Copyright fee today.
The wombats here just keep paying fees & going thru the licence process for these public domain works. The  Wally's!
 
 
[western] Gondawandaland
"Hear the light & see the sound!
TOI TOI CHOOKAS
{may you always play to a full house!}
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bullet Posted: 4/15/08 at 3:58am
Originally posted by landon2006


I believe that Tams-Witmark has the original version,

Tams-Witmark appears to only license one version of the show and according to this site the authors are Cy Coleman, Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble so I would assume this must be an adaptation. It's got to be around somewhere but I looked for a long time online and I couldn't find anything that appeared to be the entire original score, just individual songs or selections in some libraries. For example, Indiana University has original sheet music for March of the Toys.

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landon2006
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bullet Posted: 4/15/08 at 6:39am
This is to weird. There are many knockoffs, yet the original seems to have disappeared. I'm wondering how all these people who wrote the adaptations was able to find the original score?

Really the score is all we need. I know plenty of story to re-write the book into a story that makes a little more since than the original.

I would just license one; but we really don't want to pay for something we don't have to. Also, If I re-write it and can license it out again and make even more money (don't you just love money? Confused).

Thanks!

PS) I'm considering giving on this piece of work. We actually got the rights to a musical version of "A Little Princess" for tours now, but I don't know how much of an audience it would bring it (probably not much) and I'm trying to determine rather to green light the production, or put it on the back burner.
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