''The Gay Parisienne'' is an

Edwardian musical comedy Edwardian musical comedy was a form of British musical theatre that extended beyond the reign of King Edward VII in both directions, beginning in the early 1890s, when the Gilbert and Sullivan operas' dominance had ended, until the rise of the A ...

in two acts with a libretto by George Dance. It premiered at the Opera House in

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

, England, in October 1894, with music by Ernest Rousden.Adams, William Davenport.
''A Dictionary of the Drama''
p. 668, Chatto & Windus, 1904. It was revived in London (after a tryout in a smaller London theatre in March 1896) on 4 April 1896, with music by Ivan Caryll, where it ran for 369 performances at the Duke of York's Theatre, starring

W. H. Denny W. H. Denny (22 October 1853 – 31 August 1915) was an English singer and actor in comic operas, operettas and musical theatre. He is best remembered for his portrayal of baritone roles in the Savoy operas. Life and career Early years Denny ...

as Major Fossdyke, Frank Wheeler as Auguste and

Ada Reeve Ada Reeve (born Adelaide Mary Reeves, 3 March 1874 – 5 October 1966) was an English actress of both stage and film. Reeve began to perform in pantomime and music hall as a child. She gained fame in Edwardian musical comedies in the 1890s. R ...

as Julie. The piece toured internationally, adapted in New York with new songs and material by Edgar Smith and Nat. D. Mann as ''The Girl from Paris'', opening on 8 December 1896, at the Herald Square Theatre and running for 266 or 281 performances (sources differ) and then touring. It was later revived at

Wallack's Theatre Three New York City playhouses named Wallack's Theatre played an important part in the history of American theater, as the successive homes of the Repertory theatre, stock company managed by actors James William Wallack, James W. Wallack and hi ...

in New York. The original version played on the European continent and Australia as ''The Gay Parisienne''.

Roles

*Mr. Ebenezer Honeycomb – Lionel Rignold *Mrs. Honeycomb – Lily Belmore *Amos Dingle, Honeycomb's friend – Hubert Willis *Nora Honeycomb – Violet Robinson *Mabel, Nora's friend – Marion Dolby *Mlle. Julie Bon Bon, The Gay Perisienne –

*Tom Everleigh, A barrister – Edgar Stevens *Ruth, Honeycomb's servant – Louie Freear *M. Auguste Pompier, A French spy – Frank Wheeler *Major Fossdyke, of the Battersea Butterfly Shooters –

*Ethel, Angela, Edith, Violet, May, Gladys, Rose and Maud, The Major's daughters – E. Carlton, Violet Ellicott, Rose Montgomery, Ivy Hertzog, Edith Stuart, Edith Bartlett, Maud Hoppe and Edith Mada *Blatterwater, A gendarme – Mr. Ackerman May *Gretchen – Harriet Wood *Hans, Proprietor of the Spa Hotel, Schoffenburgen – Harry Kilburn *Anna and Fritz, Servants – Edith Milton and Mr. Garth *Cecil Smyth and Percy Tooting, Ducle's friends – P. Leslie and C. Guildford *Algernon P. Ducle, An American – James FrancisArcher, William (ed.
"The Gay Parisienne"
Synopsis of Playbills by Henry George Hibbert, ''The Theatrical World of 1896'', p. 369, London: Walter Scott

Synopsis

Mr. Honeycomb is restrained and decorous while in England but abroad, he is unfettered, including on a trip to Paris. Mlle. Julie Bon-Bon of Paris sues him for breach of promise. Afraid of his wife's wrath, Honeycomb flees to Switzerland and is reported drowned. His supposed widow seeks his remains, accompanied by her friend, Major Fossdyke. Meanwhile, Honeycomb sees them together in Switzerland, and pretending righteous anger, he turns the tables.

Musical numbers

;Act I *Hail for the Thames on a Summer's Day—Chorus *So Take You a Warning—Ebenezer Honeycomb and Chorus *Somebody—Tom Everleigh and Nora Honeycomb *The Battersea Butterfly Shooters—Major Fossdyke and Chorus *I'm All the Way from Gay Paree—Mlle. Julie Bon Bon and Auguste Pompier *Then Off We Go *Tweedledum and Tweedledee—Ebenezer and Julie *Cock-a-doodle—Julie, Auguste, Mrs. Honeycomb and Ebenezer *Hail, the Hero of the Day—Chorus ;Act II *Isn't It Wonderful—Chorus *The Festive Continong—Tom, Percy Tooting, Cecil Smyth and Algernon P. Ducle *First and Third—Ebenezer and Julie *Sister Mary Jane's Top Note—Ruth and Chorus *Oh, Tender Remembrance—Nora and Chorus *Tootle, Tootle—Mrs. Honeycomb, Major Fossdyke, Ruth and Auguste *Ding-Dong *Upon the Stage Let's Have a Fling—Ruth and Major Fossdyke *Carnival—Chorus *Just for a Kiss *The Girl from Paris *He Took It In a Good-natured Way

Notes

References

Brown, Thomas Allston. ''A History of the New York Stage from the First Performance in 1732 to 1901'' (1903) Dodd, Mead and company, New York. p. 388

External links

Information about the Broadway production
{{DEFAULTSORT:Girl from Paris, The West End musicals Broadway musicals 1896 musicals