Kálmán_Imre_cropped_(Willinger_Vilmos,_1924)

''Marinka'' is an

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its s ...

by Hungarian composer

Emmerich Kálmán Emmerich Kálmán ( hu, Kálmán Imre; 24 October 1882 – 30 October 1953) was a Hungarian composer of operettas and a prominent figure in the development of Viennese operetta in the 20th century. Among his most popular works are '' Die Csár ...

with book by George Marion, Jr. and

Karl Farkas Karl Farkas (28 October 1893 – 16 May 1971) was an Austrian actor and cabaret performer. Biography In accordance with the wishes of his parents, he was to study law, but decided to follow the call of the stage. After attending the Academy of ...

, and lyrics by George Marion, Jr. The operetta is a retelling of the story of the Mayerling Incident, but with a happy ending replacing the infamous 1889 double suicide of Austrian

Crown Prince Rudolf en, Rudolph Francis Charles Joseph , caption = Rudolf in 1887 , spouse = , issue = Elisabeth Marie, Princess Otto of Windisch-Graetz , house = Habsburg-Lorraine , father = Franz Joseph I of Austria , mother ...

and his mistress,

Maria Vetsera Baroness Marie Alexandrine "Mary" von Vetsera (19 March 1871 – 30 January 1889) was an Austrian noblewoman and the Mistress (lover), mistress of Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria. Vetsera and the crown prince were found dead at his hunting lodge i ...

. The best-known songs include "Only One Touch of Vienna," "Sigh by Night," "The Cab Song," and "When I Auditioned for the Harem of the Shah".

Productions

It was first produced on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

by Jules J. Leventhal and Harry Howard with financial backing from

Lee Shubert Lee Shubert (born Levi Schubart; March 25, 1871– December 25, 1953) was a Lithuanian-born American theatre owner/operator and producer and the eldest of seven siblings of the theatrical Shubert family. Biography Born to a Jewish family, the so ...

and

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

It was staged by

Hassard Short Hubert Edward Hassard Short (15 October 1877 – 9 October 1956), usually known as Hassard Short, was an actor, stage director, set designer and lighting designer in musical theatre Kenrick, JohnWho's Who in Musicals: Short, HassardMusicals101. ...

, choreographed by

Albertina Rasch Albertina Rasch (January 19, 1891 – October 2, 1967) was a naturalized American dancer, company director, and choreographer. Early life Rasch was born in 1891 (although she would later shave five years off her age), in Vienna (in what was ...

and used set designs by Howard Bay and costume designs by Mary Grant. The work premiered on July 18, 1945, at the

Winter Garden Theatre The Winter Garden Theatre is a Broadway theatre at 1634 Broadway in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It opened in 1911 under designs by architect William Albert Swasey. The Winter Garden's current design dates to 1922, when ...

. The production moved to the

Ethel Barrymore Theatre The Ethel Barrymore Theatre is a Broadway theater at 241 West 47th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1928, it was designed by Herbert J. Krapp in the Elizabethan, Mediterranean, and Adam styles ...

on October 1, 1945, running until December 8, 1945, for a total of 165 performances. The opening night cast included Joan Roberts (Marinka),

Harry Stockwell Harry Bayless Stockwell (April 27, 1902 – July 19, 1984) was an American actor and singer. Stockwell made his film debut in the 1935 film '' Here Comes the Band''. However, his claim to fame came in 1937, when he provided the voice of The Princ ...

(Rudolph), Romo Vincent (Bratfisch), Michael Barrett (Sergeant Negulegul), Paul Campbell (Count Hoyos), Ronnie Cunningham (Tilly), Bob Douglas (Lieutenant Baltatzy),

Leonard Elliott Leonard Elliott (November 23, 1905, New York City — December 31, 1989, New York City) was an American actor and comedian of the stage, television, and film. Life and career Born Leonard Elliott Gothelf in New York City, Elliott began his career ...

(Francis), Jack Gansert (Lieutenant Palafy), Noel Gordon (Naval Lieutenant), Adrienne Gray (Countess Huebner),

Taylor Holmes Taylor Holmes (May 16, 1878 – September 30, 1959) was an American actor who appeared in over 100 Broadway plays in his five-decade career. However, he is probably best remembered for his screen performances, which he began in silent films in ...

(Count Lobkowitz), Jack Leslie (Waiter),

Ethel Levey Ethel Levey (November 22, 1880 – February 27, 1955), born Grace Ethelia Fowler, was an American actress, dancer, and singer in musical theatre and on the vaudeville stage. She was the first wife of George M. Cohan, and the second wife of avia ...

(Madame Sacher),

Reinhold Schünzel Reinhold Schünzel (7 November 1888 – 11 November 1954) was a German actor and director, active in both Germany and the United States. The son of a German father and a Jewish mother, he was born in St. Pauli, the poorest part of Hamburg. Despite ...

(Emperor Franz Josef), Elline Walther (Countess von Diefendorfer), Ruth Webb (Nadine), and Luba Malina (Countess Landovska). Later in the show's run radio personality

Jerry Wayne Jerry may refer to: Animals * Jerry (Grand National winner), racehorse, winner of the 1840 Grand National * Jerry (St Leger winner), racehorse, winner of 1824 St Leger Stakes Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Jerry'' (film), a 2006 Indian fil ...

replaced Stockwell as Rudolph and actress

Edith Fellows Edith Marilyn Fellows (May 20, 1923 – June 26, 2011) was an American actress who became a child star in the 1930s. Best known for playing orphans and street urchins, Fellows was an expressive actress with a good singing voice. She made her ...

replaced Roberts as Marinka.

Synopsis

The plot, set in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Mayerling Mayerling is a small village (pop. 200) in Lower Austria belonging to the municipality of Alland in the district of Baden. It is situated on the Schwechat river, in the Wienerwald (''Vienna woods''), southwest of Vienna. From 1550, it was in t ...

, and

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

, with a prologue and epilogue in an open air movie theatre in

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

, was a retelling of the story of the Mayerling Incident. In the prologue, youngsters at a movie palace watch a film about the Mayerling story and feel that it is too tragic. Their bus driver, the son of Rudolph's coachman, has his own version of the story.

Musical numbers

Act 1Musical numbers sourced fro
operettafoundation.org
* "Only One Touch of Vienna" – Bratfisch and Girls * "The Cab Song" – Bratfisch and Tilly * "My Prince Came Riding" – Marinka and Debutantes * "If I Never Waltz Again" – Marinka and Crown Prince Rudolph * "The Cab Song" (Reprise) – Tilly, Countess von Diefendorfer and Debutantes * "Turn on the Charm" – Bratfisch * "One Last Love Song" – Marinka and Rudolph * "Old Man Danube" – Bratfisch and Officers * "Czardas" – Countess Landovska and Officers * "Sigh by Night" – Marinka and Rudolph * "One Last Love Song" (Reprise) – Marinka and Crown Prince Rudolph * "Paletas" – Lieutenant Palafy and Dancers Act 2 * "Treat a Woman Like a Drum" – Marinka, Tilly, Bratfisch, Francis and Lieutenant Palafy * "When I Auditioned for the Harem of the Shah" – Countess Landovska * "Young Man Danube" – Francis, Tilly, Lieutenant Palafy and Ensemble * "Turn on the Charm" (Reprise) – Marinka and Rudolph * "Sigh by Night" (Reprise) – Marinka and Rudolph * "One Last Love Song" (Reprise) – Marinka, Rudolph and Company

Notes and references

Sources

*Nathan, George J. (1974)
"''Marinka'' July 18, 1945"
''Theatre Book of the Year, 1945–1946''. Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press, pp. 52–60. *''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'' (July 30, 1945)
"The Theater: New Musical in Manhattan"

External links

* Martin, Jessie Wright (2005)
''A survey of the operettas of Emmerich Kalman''
PhD. Dissertation,

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...

* {{authority control Operas by Emmerich Kálmán Hungarian music 1945 musicals Broadway musicals 1945 operas English-language operettas Operas set in Austria Operas set in Vienna Operas set in Hungary Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria