''Robinson Crusoe, Jr.'' 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 ...

with a book by Edgar Smith, lyrics by Harold R. Atteridge, and music by Sigmund Romberg and James Hanley.

Production

''Robinson Crusoe, Jr.'' was an extravaganza that opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on 17 February 1916. The original Broadway production was produced by Lee Shubert and Jacob J. Shubert, directed by J. C. Huffman and

choreographed Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...

Helen Tamiris Helen Tamiris (born Helen Becker; April 24, 1905 – August 4, 1966) was an American choreographer, modern dancer, and teacher. Biography Tamiris was born in New York City on April 23, 1902. She adopted Tamiris, her stage name, from a fragment ...

. Music was by Sigmund Romberg and the book and lyrics were by Harold R. Atteridge. The show was the last major musical that Jacob J. Shubert staged during World War I, and he instructed Romberg to avoid any of his Austro-Hungarian musical idioms. The cast included Al Jolson,

Kitty Doner Kitty Doner (born Catherine Donohoe, September 6, 1895 — August 26, 1988) was an American vaudeville performer. She was a male impersonator, actress, and dancer, specializing in boy roles, and later in life worked as a choreographer and televisi ...

, Claude Flemming, and Isabelle Rodrigues. The show was built around Jolson, and was a vehicle for Jolson. A company of two hundred supported Al Jolson in ten major scenes. The show included songs from a number of sources, including some written by Jolson. He often added or removed songs from one show to another. Atteridge created a simple framing story that unified the acts. The show ran on Broadway for 139 performances. It then went on the road in the fall. Jolson sometimes performed twice or three times in one day in one city before moving on.

Synopsis

Setting:

Long Island, New York Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18th ...

and Robinson Crusoe's Island Hiram Westbury, a millionaire, is exhausted by some film makers who want to use his estate as a film location. He falls asleep. In his dream, he imagines he is Robinson Crusoe, Jr. His chauffeur, played by Al Jolson, is his Good Friday. Jolson played the chauffeur in

blackface Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used predominantly by non-Black people to portray a caricature of a Black person. In the United States, the practice became common during the 19th century and contributed to the spread of racial stereo ...

. The dreams make up most of the show. After the opening scene the pair travel to Crusoe's island, which is given a haunted forest, and to a pirate ship crewed by chorus girls. The "glittering galaxies of gorgeous, glorious, gladsome girlies mirthfully monopolized the mad, merry hours and the ten tremendous tumultuous scenes of ''Robinson Crusoe, Jr.''" At one point in the story trees woke up and began to sway to the music. Jolson has comic interactions with a goat and a crocodile. The shorter second act was set back in the millionaire's home. There were 27 musical numbers in the show, including five specialty dances. Many of the huge cast danced in ''Minstrel Days''. Jolson himself did not play a major role in the musical numbers, and was always alone on the stage when he sang. According to Jolson's biographer Michael Freedland, ''Robinson Crusoe, Jr.'' was "the nearest Jolson had yet come to a show with a real plot ... although from opening night on, it was quite plain that the story was not going to interfere with his domination on stage."

Songs

* Where Did Robinson Crusoe Go with Friday on Saturday Night? ( Sam M. Lewis & Joe Young (w),

George W. Meyer George William Meyer (January 1, 1884– August 28, 1959) was an American Tin Pan Alley songwriter. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1884. He graduated from Roxbury High School, and began working in accountancy for Boston department stor ...

(m)) * Yaaka Hula Hickey Dula ( E. Ray Goetz & Joe Young (w), Pete Wendling (m)) * Where the Black-Eyed Susans Grow (by Dave Radford and

Richard Whiting Richard Whiting may refer to: * Richard Whiting (abbot) (1461–1539), last Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey before the Dissolution of the Monasteries * Richard A. Whiting (1891–1938), writer of popular songs, father of singer Margaret Whiting and act ...

)

References

Notes Citations Sources * * * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson Crusoe, Jr. 1916 musicals Blackface minstrel shows and films Broadway musicals Musicals by Sigmund Romberg Musicals set in New York Musicals set on fictional islands