''The Little Duchess'' 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

Reginald De Koven Henry Louis Reginald De Koven (April 3, 1859January 16, 1920) was an American music critic and prolific composer, particularly of comic operas. Biography De Koven was born in Middletown, Connecticut, and moved to Europe in 1870, where he receive ...

and both book and lyrics by

Harry B. Smith Harry Bache Smith (December 28, 1860 – January 1, 1936) was a writer, lyricist and composer. The most prolific of all American stage writers, he is said to have written over 300 librettos and more than 6000 lyrics. Some of his best-known works ...

. 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 ...

, the work was an adaptation of

Alfred Hennequin Alfred Néoclès Hennequin (13 January 1842 – 7 August 1887) was a Belgian playwright, best known for his farces. Born in Liège, Hennequin was trained there as an engineer, and was employed by the national railway company. In his spare time he w ...

's 1878 play ''Niniche''. The musical was created as a starring vehicle for Ziegfeld's longtime life partner, the actress

Anna Held Helene Anna Held (19 March 1872 – 12 August 1918) was a Polish-French stage performer on Broadway. While appearing in London, she was spotted by impresario Florenz Ziegfeld, who brought her to America as his common-law wife. From 1896 through ...

, who portrayed Clare de Brion, a.k.a "The Little Duchess". The original production of ''The Little Duchess'' was directed by

George F. Marion George Francis Marion Sr. (July 16, 1860 – November 30, 1945) was an American film and stage actor and director, known for ''Anna Christie'', both (1923) and (1930), and ''Death from a Distance'' (1935). Marion acted in 35 films between 19 ...

who also starred in the production as Count Cassibianca. The cast also included Sydney Barraclough as the romantic male lead, Captain Ralph Edgerton. The musical used sets designed by Ernest Albert, and costumes designed by

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 ...

, Will R. Barnes and Archie Gunn. Herman Perlet served as music director. After initial tryout performances in Baltimore and Washington D.C., the work premiered 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 ...

at the Casino Theatre on October 14, 1901. Midway through the production's Broadway run, the show transferred to the Grand Opera House where it closed in April 1902 after 144 performances.

Plot

Setting: Ostend and Paris The Parisian actress Clare de Brion and her uncle, Count Cassibianca, are hounded by creditors. In order to escape them, Clare assumes the false identity of "The Little Duchess" and flees Paris for the coast. At the beach she attracts many admirers as a "belle in a bathing suit", but has her heart set on English officer, Captain Ralph Edgerton. A comedy of errors involving mistaken identities and deceptions through various costume changes follows as the duchess attempts to the win the heart of Edgerton and solve her family's financial woes. All ends happily.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Little Duchess, The 1901 musicals Broadway musicals Musicals by Reginald De Koven Musicals by Harry B. Smith Musicals set in Paris