The musical, produced by Florenz Ziegfeld, premiered on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theatre on January 10, 1928 and ran for 335 performances. Directed by William Anthony McGuire, the cast starred Marilyn Miller as the princess, Frank Morgan as her father, King Cyril, Bobbe Arnst (Mary), Margaret Dale (the Queen), and Jack Donahue.[1] The set designer, Joseph Urban, and costume designer, John Harkrider "devised elaborate stage pictures ranging from a public square...to a West Point ballroom to a Paris nightclub." Michel Fokine choreographed the second act ballet, and there was a chorus of 64.[2] The musical was a mixture of operetta and a 1920s musical.[3]
The New Amsterdam Theatre Company presented a staged concert in April 1983 at The Town Hall in New York City. The New York Times reviewer noted that, without its "lavish spectacle", the musical is "the giddiest of period operetta confections, buoyed by half a dozen memorable tunes." He further wrote that two of Gershwins' strongest songs, " 'Yankee Doodle Rhythm' and 'The Man I Love,' were cut from the show before it opened on Broadway."[4]
Synopsis
Setting: Romanza, on board the S.S. Isle de France, West Point, and the Ex-Kings' Club
In the fictional kingdom of Romanza, the crowd assembles to await the arrival of the West Point flyer Lieutenant Richard Fay, coming to visit a girl whom he met in Paris. Mary O'Brien is waiting for her boyfriend, Bill, who she thinks is on the flight with Lt. Fay. When Dick and Rosalie meet, they realize they are in love ("Say So!"). Dick finds out that she is a Princess and he angrily leaves. King Cyril reluctantly goes to visit America to obtain a loan for his troubled country, accompanied by his daughter Princess Rosalie and the Queen.
Princess Rosalie visits West Point, but she is disguised. The cadets welcome the royal family ("West Point March"), and Dick and Rosalie continue their romantic relationship ("Oh Gee-Oh Joy"). However, Rosalie agrees to marry Captain Carl, whose father is a Prince, to keep Dick from being tried in court ("Kingdom of Dreams").
At a dance at West Point, Mary and Bill, who had been fighting, make up ("Ev'rybody Knows I Love Somebody"). Rosalie attends the dance, disguised as a cadet ("Follow the Drum"). Mary wonders about the feelings she has for Bill ("How Long Has This Been Going On?"). Dick and Rosalie return to Romanza and start a revolution so that her royal duties will no longer keep them apart. Exiled to Paris, Rosalie and a group of dancers perform ("The Ballet of the Flowers"), and King Cyril happily announces the engagement of Rosalie and Dick.
Musical numbers
Act I
Opening Chorus: Here They Are - Ensemble
Show Me the Town (Gershwin) ±± - Mary and Ensemble
Entrance of the Hussars (Romberg) - Hussars
Hussar March (Romberg) - Rosalie and Hussars
Say So! (Gershwin) - Rosalie and Dick
Finaletto, Scene 1 - Rosalie, Dick, and Ensemble
Let Me Be a Friend to You (Gershwin) - Rosalie and Delroy
West Point Bugle (Romberg) - Dick and Boys
West Point March (Romberg) - Ensemble
Oh Gee! Oh Joy! - (Gershwin) - Rosalie and Bill
Say So! (reprise) - Delroy
Kingdom of Dreams - Rosalie
Finale Act I - Ensemble
Act II
Opening Valse - Ensemble
New York Serenade (Gershwin) - Mary and Ensemble
The King Can Do No Wrong - King and Ladies
Everybody Knows (Gershwin) - Mary and Bill
Follow the Drums (Gershwin) ±±± - Rosalie and Ensemble
Oh Gee! Oh Joy! (Reprise and Dance) - Lyric Quartette and Bill
(At) The Ex-Kings' Club - Chancellor and Flunkeys
Ballet - The Goddesses of Crystal
The Ballet of the Flowers - Rosalie and Ensemble
Finale - Abdication (Romberg) - Ensemble
± Originally used in Funny Face but was cut from that musical; ±± originally used in, and cut from, Oh, Kay!;±±± added after opening, revised version of "Heaven on Earth" from Oh, Kay!.[1]
Reception
Brooks Atkinson wrote that Marilyn Miller was "engaging", but Rosalie "did not match her Sunny or the 'perfection' of Show Boat.[3]Alexander Woollcott commented "The house holds its breath and in walks Marilyn Miller."[3]
Film adaptation
MGM produced a film version of the musical in 1937.[5] The film follows the story of the musical but replaces most of the score with new songs by Cole Porter. MGM's top tap dancer at the time, Eleanor Powell, was cast as the princess opposite Nelson Eddy as Dick Thorpe (Lieutenant Fay in the musical). Morgan reprised his Broadway role as King Fredrick (King Cyril in the stage version). Also appearing in the film were Ray Bolger (Bill), Edna May Oliver (the Queen), Ilona Massey (Brenda) and Reginald Owen (Chancellor).[6][7]Marjorie Lane dubbed the singing voice for Powell.[8] In order to capitalize upon Powell's renown as a dancer, the film was retooled to allow her several showcase musical numbers.[9] Songs included "In the Still of the Night".[6] The reviewer at allmovie.com called the film an "overproduced musical extravaganza", and noted that "The flimsy plot all but collapses under the weight of Gibbons' enormous sets and dance director David Gould's ditto choreography."[10]
References
^ abSuskin, Steven. "Chapter:George Gershwin"Show Tunes: The Songs, Shows of Broadway's Major Composers (4 ed.), Oxford University Press US, 2010, ISBN0-19-531407-7, pp. 57, 68
^ abPollack, Howard. "'Rosalie'"George Gershwin: His Life and Work, University of California Press, 2006, ISBN0-520-24864-3, pp. 422, 425, accessed January 14, 2011
^ abcHyland, William. "'Rosalie'"George Gershwin: A New Biography, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003, ISBN0-275-98111-8, p. 118