Chu Chin Chow

Chu Chin Chow, a highly successful British musical, premiered on 31 August 1916 at His Majesty's Theatre, London, and achieving an initial run of over 2, 200 performances. The story by Oscar Asche, with music by Frederic Norton, features characters from The Arabian Nights, principally ‘Abu Hassan’ and ‘Ali Baba’. There is a sequence in which a robber band emerges from rocky ground which opens to the command ‘Open Sesame’. A silent film adaptation appeared in 1923, which was followed by a sound version in 1934. It was also turned into an ice spectacular for a production at the Empire Pool, Wembley, London in 1953.

— Tom Higgins