''The Silver Star'' 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 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 ...

and music by many composers. A

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

musical, the work was created for the Danish dancer

Adeline Genée Dame Adeline Genée DBE (born Anina Kirstina Margarete Petra Jensen; 6 January 1878 – 23 April 1970) was a Danish-British ballet dancer. Early years Anina Kirstina Margarete Petra Jensen was born in Hinnerup north of Aarhus, Denmark. ...

who portrays the central character of Viola.

Plot

As a young child, Viola was found abandoned and wearing a silver star by a hobo-musician, Professor Alfonzo Dinel, who has raised her as his adopted daughter. One

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation ...

, Viola and the professor deceive a wealthy family with a mansion on

Fifth Avenue Fifth Avenue is a major and prominent thoroughfare in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It stretches north from Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village to West 143rd Street in Harlem. It is one of the most expensive shopping stre ...

that Viola is the long-lost daughter of a wealthy banker in order to win an invitation to their lavish Christmas party. They attend the party, but their deception is discovered. In the attempt to get away, Viola is magically transported first to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and later to

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 ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. In a series of magical transformations, Genée transforms back and forth from Viola into various dancing characters, including "The Christmas Fairy", "The Spirit of Champagne", and "The Queen of the Floral Fete". In London Viola is united with her birth father.Dietz, p. 567–568

History

Playwright

was hired by

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 ...

producers

Klaw and Erlanger Klaw and Erlanger was an entertainment management and production partnership of Marc Klaw and Abraham Lincoln Erlanger based in New York City from 1888 through 1919. While running their own considerable and multi-faceted theatrical businesses ...

to create a Christmas musical tailored for the talents of

. Several different composers were enlisted to write the music for the show, including

Robert Hood Bowers Robert Hood Bowers (24 May 1877 - 29 December 1941) was an American composer, conductor and musical director of operettas and stage musicals, and a conductor and musical director for radio. He composed the musical scores for some of the most popul ...

, C. J. M. Glaser,

Jean Schwartz Jean Schwartz (November 4, 1878 – November 30, 1956) was a Hungarian-born American songwriter. Schwartz was born in Budapest, Hungary. His family moved to New York City when he was 13 years old. He took various music-related jobs including dem ...

Raymond Hubbell John Raymond Hubbell (June 1, 1879 – December 13, 1954) was an American writer, composer and lyricist. He is best known for the popular song, "Poor Butterfly". Life and career Hubbell was born in Urbana, Ohio, Urbana, Ohio. He attended sc ...

Al Piantadosi Al Piantadosi (born John Alberto Joseph Piantadosi; August 18, 1882 in New York City – April 8, 1955 in Encino, California) was an American composer of popular music during the of Tin Pan Alley. He started out as a saloon and vaudeville piani ...

and

Karl Hoschna Karl Hoschna (1876–1911) was a Tin Pan Alley-era composer most noted for his songs "Cuddle up a Little Closer, Lovey Mine", " Every Little Movement" and "Yama Yama Man", and for a string of successful Broadway musicals. Hoschna was born on 16 A ...

.Mantle, Sherwood & Chapman, p. 403 ''The Silver Star'' premiered at Broadway's

New Amsterdam Theatre The New Amsterdam Theatre is a Broadway theater on 214 West 42nd Street, at the southern end of Times Square, in the Theater District of Manhattan in New York City. One of the oldest surviving Broadway venues, the New Amsterdam was built from ...

on November 1, 1909, where it ran for 80 performances; closing on January 8, 1910. Herbert Gresham directed, while Glaser and Bowers music directed. Julian Mitchell choreographed the show, F. Richard Anderson designed the costumes, and Ernest Albert designed the sets. The musical then went on a month-long national tour before returning to Broadway for a further eight performances at Broadway's Grand Opera House in February 1910. In addition to Genée, the cast included George Bickel as Professor Alonzo Dingelblatz, Harry Watson as Doctor Algernon Hornblower, and Barney Bernard as Mr. Wiseheimer.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Silver Star, The Broadway musicals 1909 musicals Christmas musicals Musicals by Harry B. Smith Musicals by Jean Schwartz Musicals set in London Musicals set in New York City Musicals set in Paris