''Mother Goose'' is a

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

in three acts with music by

Frederick Solomon Frederick Charles Solomon (31 August 1853 – 9 September 1924), sometimes given as Fred Solomon or Frederic Solomon, was a British-born American composer, conductor, actor, librettist, playwright, theatre director, and multi-instrumentalist.1861 ...

, lyrics by

George V. Hobart George Vere Hobart (1867 – 1926) was a Canadian-American humorist who authored more than 50 musical comedy librettos and plays as well as novels and songs. At the time of his death, Hobart was "one of America's most popular humorists and playwr ...

, and a book by

John J. McNally John J. McNally (c. 1854, Charlestown, Massachusetts – March 25, 1931, Brooklyn, New York) was an American playwright, journalist, and drama critic. As a playwright he is best known for penning the books for many Broadway theatre, Broadway musical ...

that was adapted from Arthur Collins and J. Hickory Wood's libretto for the 1902 pantomime of the same name. The work's plot pulled loosely from several

fairy tales A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful beings. In most cult ...

and

nursery rhyme A nursery rhyme is a traditional poem or song for children in Britain and many other countries, but usage of the term dates only from the late 18th/early 19th century. The term Mother Goose rhymes is interchangeable with nursery rhymes. From t ...

s, including Mother Goose and Jack and Jill. The work also contained many songs interpolated into the production by other writers, including two songs by George M. Cohan: "Rube" and "Always Leave Them Laughing When You Say Goodbye".

History

Produced by Klaw & Erlanger, '' Mother Goose'' premiered at Broadway's New Amsterdam Theatre on December 3, 1903; closing at that theatre on February 27, 1904, after 105 performances. The work was an Americanized version of Collins and Wood's British Christmas pantomime that was originally staged at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in 1902.Gänzl, p. 1356 In keeping with its British roots, the role of Mother Goose was performed in

drag Drag or The Drag may refer to: Places * Drag, Norway, a village in Tysfjord municipality, Nordland, Norway * ''Drág'', the Hungarian name for Dragu Commune in Sălaj County, Romania * Drag (Austin, Texas), the portion of Guadalupe Street adj ...

by the actor Joseph Cawthorn. Likewise, the role of Colin was a trouser role portrayed by the actress Viola Gillette. Others in the cast included

Leila McIntyre Leila McIntyre (December 20, 1882 – January 9, 1953) was an American actress and vaudeville performer. Early life Leila McIntyre was from Vermont, She was on stage from childhood. Career Leila McIntyre was a vaudeville performer, first as ...

as Jill,

Harry Bulger Harry Bulger (1872 - April 14, 1926) was an American actor and comedian known for his performances in musicals and in vaudeville from the 1890s through the 1920s. A long time stage partner of Sherrie Matthews, he was one half of the vaudeville d ...

as Jack, W.H. Macart as The Laird of Borderland, Allan Ramsay as King Goose, George Clennett as Vicomte Boreham, Edith Hutchins as the Fairy Queen, Charles A. Fuller as the Demon King, and Clifton Crawford as the Mayor of Chatham.Dietz, p. 195

References

Citations

Bibliography

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External links

* Broadway musicals 1903 musicals Musicals based on fairy tales Musicals by George V. Hobart Musicals by John J. McNally {{musical-theatre-stub