A treasure-trove of fun and laughter was in store for the audience as Year 4 gave  a  timeless Arabian fable a Sydenham High twist with their performance of terrific mystical, musical comedy Ali Baba and the Bongo Bandits.

A cast of over 40 told the tale of the ancient city of Old Baghdad in chaos. Whilst the bustling bazaar is overrun with ruthless robbers, up in the palace Sultan Pepper’s (Hope Skinner) precious Princess Satsuma (Daisy Patton) and Royal ruby have vanished.

To make matters worse, the Sultan’s unscrupulous Vizier, along with his mischievous monkey Booboo (played by Isabella Dutton and Biba George respectively), are plotting to take over the throne. So, when Ali Baba (Anika Selvarajah) discovers the hidden Cave Of Wonders, secret hideout of Balthazar Bongo (Polly Ribgy) and his bumbling bandits, it’s down to Ali to save the day!  However, when his ravenous, tap-dancing camel Humphrey (Tessa Vafai) bites off more than he can chew and swallows the Sultan’s prized ruby, Ali is accused of royal robbery and his fate seems as sealed as the Cave Of Wonders itself.

With the sands of time rapidly running out, could Ali escape the clutches of the evil Vizier? Would he find and free the imprisoned princess? And what was in store when Ali and Bongo finally met… fez to fez?

These mysteries and many more were revealed to an appreciative audience who followed Ali’s progress across the dusty desert dunes to face the bandits, rescue the runaway princess, fly a magic carpet and release a genie (played by Emilie Abbonizio) from a bottle of ….. Ketchup!

Well done to all Year 4 and to the production’s directors: Mrs Duffy, Mr Porter, Mrs Mitchell-Morgan, Mrs Bryne and Mrs Abrahams.