''Red Feather'' is a

comic opera Comic opera, sometimes known as light opera, is a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending and often including spoken dialogue. Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a ne ...

in two acts with music by Reginald De Koven, a

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

by Charles Klein, and lyrics by Charles Emerson Cook.Ross Griffel, p. 409

Production history

Produced by

Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932) was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), inspired by the ''Folies Bergère'' of Paris. He also p ...

, ''Red Feather'' premiered on Broadway at the Lyric Theatre on November 9, 1903. It closed at that theatre on January 2, 1904, after 60 performances.Dietz, p. 190-191 The show was remounted at the Grand Opera House in April 1904 for further performances.

Louis F. Gottschalk Louis Ferdinand Gottschalk (October 7, 1864 – July 15, 1934) was an American composer and conductor born in St. Louis, Missouri. The son of a Missouri governor, also named Louis, he studied music in Stuttgart, Germany, where his father, a judg ...

served as musical director for the production and the work was staged by

Joseph W. Herbert Joseph William Herbert (27 November 1863–18 February 1923) was a British-born American director, silent-film actor, singer and dramatist notable for being the first person to play Ko-Ko in America in a pirate production of Gilbert and Sulli ...

and Max Figman.

Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, he ...

choreographed dances in the show, and the sets were design by

Ernest Albert Ernest Albert, born Ernest Albert Brown, (August 15, 1857 – March 25, 1946) was an American painter, illustrator, muralist, and scenic designer. He was a prolific scenic designer, first in St. Louis and Chicago and then on Broadway. He is conside ...

Caroline Seidle Caroline F. Siedle (1867 – February 26, 1907) was a costume designer on Broadway. She was one of earliest designers to receive credit for her work in theater programs,Unruh, Delbert, Ione Unruh, and Alexandra Steiner-Strauss. "American Broadway C ...

designed the costumes. ''Red Feather'' starred soprano Grace Van Studdiford as Countess Hilda von Draga, a.k.a "Red Feather", George L. Tallman as Captain Trevors, and

Thomas Q. Seabrooke Thomas Q. Seabrooke (October 20, 1860 – April 3, 1913) was an American actor, comedian, vaudeville performer, and impresario who achieved fame as the star of several comic operas and musicals. Life and career Thomas Q. Seabrooke was born on Octo ...

as Baron Bulverstrauss. Others in the cast included Stanley Hawkins as H.R.H. Crown Prince of Romancia, Elise de Vère as Mlle. Fifine, Louis Casavant as Colonel McPatrick, Olive Celeste Moore as Anita, Lillian Sefton as Prada, Margaret Hubbard Ayer as Daphne, and F. Stuart Hyatt as Bagstock Bowler.

Plot

Setting: The fictional town of Romancia and the Castle of Countess von Draga Countess Hilda von Draga is romantically pursued by both H.R.H. Crown Prince of Romancia and Captain Trevors. Unknown to both men, the Countess has plans to overthrow the monarchy of Romania, and is in fact the mysterious 'male bandit' "Red Feather" whose activities have been troubling the crown. Captain Trevors is tasked with capturing the elusive Red Feather by the Crown Prince, unaware that his target is the woman he loves.

Classification

The published score of ''Red Feather'' describes the work as a comic opera in two acts, and the work has an entry in ''Operas in English: A Dictionary'' (2013). However, musical theatre scholar Dan Dietz, while noting that the work was described as a "romantic opera" by its creators in interviews, labeled the work as the first "

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 ...

" to be performed on the stage of the newly built Lyric Theatre, and overall questioned its description as an opera. In contrast, the '' Musical Courier'' critical review at the time of the production had a very different opinion. It stated the following,

"''Red Feather'' is wholly devoid of coarseness. It can not be classed as a 'comic opera'; it is something higher than that. It possesses all the essentials of a romantic opera and is wanting so many of the objectionable features which mar so many of the light operas."

Music historian

Richard Traubner Richard Traubner (November 24, 1946 – February 25, 2013) was an American journalist, author, operetta scholar and historian, and lecturer on theatre and (mostly musical) film. His best-known book, ''Operetta: A Theatrical History'', was first pu ...

included the work as an example of American

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 ...

in his book ''Operetta: A Theatrical History'' (2004).Traubner, p. 343

References

Bibliography

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External links

* *{{cite book, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5AERAAAAYAAJ&q=%22red+feather%22+%22opera%22, title=Red Feather: A Comic Opera in Two Acts, author=Reginald De Koven, Charles Klein, publisher=J. W. Stern Publishing Company, year=1903 (opera score) 1903 operas 1903 musicals Broadway musicals Musicals set in fictional countries Musicals set in castles Operas by Reginald De Koven English-language operas Operettas