The Maid of Arran, An Irish Idyll book, lyrics, and music by L. Frank Baum based on the novel A Princess of Thule, by William Black directed by L. Frank Baum SHIELA O’MARA, THE MAID OF ARRAN OONA MAVOURNEEN, “A girl that’s Irish from top to toe” MRS. HARRIET HOLCOMB, a disciple of Marcus Aurelius Antonius GRAY, her maid and “well broken to the harness” THE PROPHETESS, “a relic of Arran’s greatness” CAPT. JOHN INGRAM, commanding the H.M.S. FIREFLY, & M ALABAR HUGH HOLCOMB, “the fair-haired stranger,” nephew of Harriet CON. O’MARA, with “the blood of the O’Maras in his veins” (in the community theatre world premiere) PHADRIG O’ THE PIPES, a follower of O’Mara’s DENNIE, a waif “with the luck of a bad penny” THE BOATSWAIN OF THE MALABAR
Agnes Hallock Genevieve Rogers Katharine Gray [Baum’s aunt] Cordie Aiken Katharine Gray Frank E. Aiken L. Frank Baum John F. Ryan L. Frank Baum John H. Nicholson Mike J. Gallagher C.F. Edwards
L. Frank Baum was consistently credited as Louis F. Baum, and he also used the name in the family oil business. Katharine Gray, Baum’s aunt, was billed as Kate Roberts for her smaller role of The Prophetess. MUSICAL NUMBERS 1. “The Legend of Castle Arran” 2. “When O’Mara Is King Once Again” 3. “A Rollicking Irish Boy” (Song and Dance) 4. “The Legend of Castle Arran” chorus reprise 5. “Oona’s Gift: A Tuft from the Old Irish Bog” 5A. “Ship Ahoy!” 6. “Sailing” 7. “Waiting for the Tide to Turn” 8. “A Pair o’ Blue Eyes”
SHIELA CON. O’MARA DENNIE OONA OONA SHIELA SAILORS’ CHORUS HUGH OONA
SYNOPSIS OF PLAY ACT I.—A Young Man’s Fancy. ACT II.—Weighed in the Balance. ACT III.—A Friend in Need. Act IV.—The Turning of the Tide. Act V.—The Scales Balanced.
SCENE—The Ruins of Castle Arran. SCENE—Hugh Holcomb’s London Home. SCENE—Mrs. Holcomb’s Apartment at Kensington. SCENE—On Board H.M.S. MALABAR. Prison Hole. The Open Sea. The Escape SCENE—Con. O’Mara’s Island Home.
SETTING The play is set in Arran, an island in the Firth of Clyde, and in London, and at sea. The novel is set in Borva, a headland off Lewis, off the coast of Scotland, in London, and at sea. Borva appears to be fictional, though the nearest city, Stornaway, is real enough, as are some of the locations cited, including the Butt of Lewis (sic) and the island of Skye. These islands are in the Outer Hebrides, west of the Scottish mainland. Other real islands mentioned in the novel are Mull, Jura, and yes, Arran: “A flash of lightning, somewhere down among the Arran hills, interrupted the speaker,” (Black, 390). . ..