See America First
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''See America First'' 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 ...
with a book by
T. Lawrason Riggs Thomas Lawrason Riggs (1888–1943) was an American Catholic priest and musical theatre lyricist. Riggs was the first Catholic chaplain of Yale University.''Janick''. Early life The grandson of banker George Washington Riggs, Riggs was from a wealt ...
and music and lyrics by
Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...
. The first work by Porter to be 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 ...
, it was a critical and commercial flop.


Background

Porter and Riggs, classmates at
Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
, wanted to write a
spoof Spoof, spoofs, spoofer, or spoofing may refer to: * Forgery of goods or documents * Semen, in Australian slang * Spoof (game), a guessing game * Spoofing (finance), a disruptive algorithmic-trading tactic designed to manipulate markets __NOTOC__ ...
of the patriotic
George M. Cohan George Michael Cohan (July 3, 1878November 5, 1942) was an American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and theatrical producer. Cohan began his career as a child, performing with his parents and sister in a vaudev ...
musicals that were popular at the time.Green, Stanley, ''The World of Musical Comedy: The Story of the American Musical Stage as Told Through the Careers of Its Foremost Composers and Lyricists''. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Da Capo Press 1984. , pp. 144–145 They completed the bulk of their work at the Riggs home in
New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decades ...
, and the script underwent extensive changes between its first draft and the New York opening.Kimball, Robert, ''The Complete Lyrics of Cole Porter''. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Da Capo Press 1992. , p. 42 Four of the songs were interpolated from the 1914 Yale
revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own duri ...
''Paranoia, or Chester of the Y.D.A.''Schwartz, Charles, ''Cole Porter: A Biography''. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Da Capo Press 1979. , pp. 41–43


Plot

The story focuses on Polly Huggins, whose
xenophobic Xenophobia () is the fear or dislike of anything which is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression of perceived conflict between an in-group and out-group and may manifest in suspicion by the one of the other's activities, a ...
father, the wealthy
United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...
Huggins, sends her to a
West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...
finishing school A finishing school focuses on teaching young women social graces and upper-class cultural rites as a preparation for entry into society. The name reflects that it follows on from ordinary school and is intended to complete the education, wit ...
with the hope she will find a suitable husband. Polly, however, hopes to snare an
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...
with whom she once exchanged furtive glances at a
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
opera house. Unbeknownst to her, the
cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaquer ...
who is wooing her actually is her dream man, the Duke, in disguise. They become engaged. Polly's father is willing to adjust his principles when he falls in love with Sarah, the chaperone at her school.


Production

''See America First'' was produced by
Elisabeth Marbury Elisabeth "Bessie" Marbury (June 19, 1856 – January 22, 1933) was a pioneering American theatrical and literary agent and producer who helped shape business methods of the modern commercial theater, and encouraged women to enter that industry. ...
, directed by J. H. Benrimo, and choreographed by Edward Hutchinson and
Theodore Kosloff Theodore Kosloff (born Fyodor Mikhailovich Kozlov, russian: Фёдор Михайлович Козлов; January 22, 1882 – November 22, 1956) was a Russian-born ballet dancer, choreographer, and film and stage actor. He was occasionally cr ...
. Anne Morgan, the daughter of
J. P. Morgan John Pierpont Morgan Sr. (April 17, 1837 – March 31, 1913) was an American financier and investment banker who dominated corporate finance on Wall Street throughout the Gilded Age. As the head of the banking firm that ultimately became known ...
, and interior decorator Elsie de Wolfe were among its financial backers. Prior to opening 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 ...
, it was staged in
Schenectady Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...
, Albany, and
Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...
in
Upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upstate New York excludes New York City and Long Is ...
,
New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...
, and Providence, Rhode Island. The Broadway production opened on March 28, 1916 at the Maxine Elliott Theatre. The cast included Dorothie Bigelow as Polly, Sam Edwards as her father, Clara Palmer as Sarah, John Heath Goldsworthy as Cecil, and Clifton Webb as Percy. The evening before, Marbury had hosted a gala performance for her society friends and business associates, all of whom were enthusiastic about the show, but the critics were far less enchanted and it closed after only 15 performances. Bigelow laid the blame for its failure on Riggs and his book, while he in turn insisted it was due largely "to the fact that the composer and I consented to complete transformation of the piece to meet the capabilities of its interpreters and the supposed taste of the public." In a letter to Yale's alumni magazine, Riggs, who had invested $35,000 in the production of the show, announced he was giving up musical theatre as a vocation. He converted to Catholicism, became a priest, and eventually was assigned to the university as a chaplain. Despite the quick demise of ''See America First'', G. Schirmer published sheet music for thirteen of its twenty songs, and the Joseph C. Smith Orchestra recorded "When I Used to Lead the Ballet" (which had been written for ''The Pot of Gold'' in 1912) and "I've a Shooting Box in Scotland" for Victor. It was the first commercial recording of a Porter tune.


Song list

;Act I *Indian Girls' Chant *Badmen *To Follow Every Fancy *Indian Maidens' Chorus *Something's Got to Be Done *I've Got an Awful Lot to Learn *Beautiful, Primitive Indian Girls *Hold-Up Ensemble *See America First *The Language of Flowers *Damsel, Damsel (Prithee Come Crusading with Me) *The Lady I've Vowed to Wed *Hail the Female Relative ;Act II *Mirror, Mirror *Ever and Ever Yours *Lima *Will You Love Me (When My Flivver Is a Wreck)? *Buy Her a Box at the Opera *I've a Shooting Box in Scotland *When I Used to Lead the Ballet


Critical reception

The theatre critic for the ''New York Dramatic Mirror'' observed, "The lyrics are studiously copied after the W. S. Gilbert, Gilbertian pattern in the long and complicated rhyme effects achieved. The music, however, gives the impression that its composer, after the first hour, gave up the task of recreating a Arthur Sullivan, Sullivan atmosphere, preferring to seek his inspiration in our own George M. Cohan," whose musical style Porter intentionally had been trying to emulate. ''The New York Herald'' wrote that "its plot is silly, its music unimpressive" and suggested "it would be delightful as a college play . . . with the audience consisting of fond relatives." The critic for ''The New York Tribune'' observed that "Gotham is a big town and it may be that the sisters, aunts, and cousins of its Yale men will be sufficient to guarantee prosperity for ''See America First''."


References


External links


''See America First''
at Internet Broadway Database
'See America First' at sondheimguide.com
{{Cole Porter Musicals by Cole Porter 1916 musicals Broadway musicals