''The White Chrysanthemum'' is an English musical in three acts by Arthur Anderson and Leedham Bantock, with lyrics by Anderson and music by Howard Talbot. First produced at the Tyne Theatre, Newcastle, 23 April 1904, it opened at the Criterion Theatre, produced by Frank Curzon and directed by

Austen Hurgon Austen Hurgon (1867 – 24 June 1942) was an actor, singer, theatre director and librettist for several successful Edwardian musical comedies of the 1900s and 1910s. Early life Born as Richard Cornelius Horgan in London in 1867 to Irish par ...

, on 31 August 1905 and ran for 179 performances, closing on 10 February 1906. The Japanese-themed musical starred Isabel Jay, Rutland Barrington, Lawrence Grossmith (a son of George Grossmith), and

Henry Lytton Sir Henry Lytton (born Henry Alfred Jones; 3 January 1865 – 15 August 1936) was an English actor and singer who was the leading exponent of the starring comic patter-baritone roles in Gilbert and Sullivan operas from 1909 to 1934. He also sta ...

.Gillan, Don (ed)
"The White Chrysanthemum"
www.stagebeauty.net, accessed 11 December 2009

Louie Pounds Louisa Emma Amelia "Louie" Pounds (12 February 1872 – 6 September 1970) was an English singer and actress, known for her performances in musical comedies and in mezzo-soprano roles with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. Originally intended for ...

later joined the cast. The musical enjoyed various international productions including one at the Kings Theatre in

Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metropol ...

in 1917 starring Barry Lupino.

Synopsis

Sybil Cunningham loves Reggie Armitage of the Royal Navy. She has followed him from England to Japan partly to escape an unpleasant engagement in London. They have asked his father's consent to their marriage, and in the meantime, he has arranged for a modest house for her to stay in. His father the admiral, however, has decided that Reggie must marry a wealthy but vivacious American, Cornelia Vanderdecken. Sybil disguises herself as a Japanese girl and hides from Cornelia, and Reggie's friend, Chippy helps her keep up the pretense. But Sybil is distressed to see Reggie with Cornelia and runs away tearfully. Fortunately, Reggie's servant, Sin Chong, and Sybil's cousin, Betty, reveal the true situation to Sybil. In the end, Sybil returns to Reggie, Betty pairs off with Sir Horatio (who will agree to anything she wants), and Chippy lands Cornelia's heart.

Roles and original cast

*Admiral Sir Horatio Armitage, K.C.B. (

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

) - Rutland Barrington *Lieut. Reginald Armitage (His son) (

) -

*Lieut. Chippendale Belmont (Reggie's friend) - Lawrence Grossmith *Sin Chong (Reginald's Chinese servant) -

M. R. Morand Marcellus Raymond Morand (17 December 1860 – 5 March 1922) was an English actor and operatic baritone who, after a career in the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, appeared in Edwardian musical comedy, among other theatrical genr ...

*Cornelia Vanderdecken (An American heiress) - Marie George *Betty Kenyon (A young widow, Cousin to Sybil) - Millie Legarde *Sybil Cunningham (Known as O San, "The White Chrysanthemum") (

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

) - Isabel Jay

Musical numbers

;Act I - A Bungalow on the Sea Shore, Japan *No. 1 - Overture *No. 2 - Prelude and Song - Sybil - "It was just an old-world village..." *No. 3 - Duet - Sybil and Betty - "A White Chrysanthemum." *No. 4 - Song - Reggie - "There's a dear little lady I love..." *No. 5 - Song - Sybil - "The butterfly and the flower." *No. 6 - Song - Sin Chong, with Japanese Girls - "Just when-ee day is dawning..." *No. 7 - Duet - Sybil and Reggie - "When you are my very own..." *No. 8 - Finale Act I - (during dialogue) ;Act II - A Chrysanthemum Garden outside the Bungalow *No. 9 - Introduction to Act II *No. 10 - Quintet - Cornelia, Reggie, Chippy, Admiral and Lee - "Hide and Seek." *No. 11 - Song - Chippy - "I've never been in love before..." *No. 12 - Duet - Admiral and Betty - "As you have accepted my suggestion..." *No. 13 - Concerted Number - Sin Chong and Chorus - "Little Japanesee if you wishee pleasee..." *No. 14 - Song - Cornelia - "The only pebble on the beach." *No. 15 - Finale Act II ;Act III - Reggie's Snuggery in the Bungalow *Nos. 16 & 17 - Prelude to Act III, and Song - Reggie - "You can't please everybody always..." *No. 18 - Concerted Number - Sin Chong and Chorus - "When little boys and girls are good..." *No. 19 - Song - Sybil - "Time was when my love was kind to me..." *No. 20 - Song - Cornelia - "Down by an old plantation homestead..." *No. 21 - Duet - Cornelia and Chippy - "Suppose we settle down and take a house in town..." *No. 22 - Recitation Music (Betty) - "A Hint." *No. 23 - Song - Admiral - "I've traversed the sea from a far distant shore..." *No. 24 - Sextet - Sybil, Cornelia, Reggie, Chippy, Admiral and Betty - "We've got to settle the parson..."

References

External links

Midi files and cast list
*[https://books.google.com/books?id=uFIZAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA136-IA1&lpg=RA1-PA136-IA1&dq=%22The+White+Chrysanthemum%22&source=bl&ots=2vRqnmV4SL&sig=3wswxuOG7SFc_Mn1RBghezaIwxY&hl=en&ei=1QkjS8yOGpLQlAfHmfz-CQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CCEQ6AEwCTgU#v=onepage&q=%22The%20White%20Chrysanthemum%22&f=false Extensive article about the original production] in ''The Play Pictorial'', vol. 6, pp. 137–64, Greening & Co., Ltd., 1905 {{DEFAULTSORT:White Chrysanthemum, The 1905 musicals West End musicals Musicals by Howard Talbot British musicals