''The White Hen'' (originally titled '' The Girl from Vienna'') 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 two acts with music by composer

Gustav Kerker Gustave Adolph Kerker (February 28, 1857 – June 29, 1923) was a German-born composer and conductor who spent most of his life in the US. He became a musical director for Broadway theatre productions and wrote the music for a series of operettas ...

, a book by Roderic C. Penfield, and lyrics co-authored by Penfield and Paul West. Set in

Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, the story takes place at an inn, 'The White Hen', owned by Hensie Blinder. The musical begins after Blinder returns from a trip to Vienna in which he engaged a matrimonial agency to help him find a wife. Upon his return to the inn, several women arrive in response to the advertisement placed by the agency and a comedy of errors ensues; including Blinder mistakenly believing he has committed the crime of

bigamy In cultures where monogamy is mandated, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. A legal or de facto separation of the couple does not alter their marital status as married persons. I ...

.Dietz, p. 412

Performance history

''The White Hen'' was initially performed outside of New York City for tryout performances during which time adjustments were made to the work by its creators. This included a change to the title which was initially ''The Girl from Vienna''. The name was changed after the original production's male lead,

Louis Mann Louis Mann (20 April 1865 – 15 February 1931) was an American theatre actor and sometime director, who in his later life made a few appearances in motion pictures. He was married to actress and playwright Clara Lipman. History Mann was bor ...

, insisted that the work be renamed so as not to indicate that his character was not the star of the show. ''The White Hen'' premiered at

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 ...

's Casino Theatre on February 16, 1907.Bordman & Norton, p. 268 It ran at that theatre for 94 performances; closing on May 18, 1907.Mantle, Sherwood & Chapman, p. 534 Produced by

The Shubert Organization The Shubert Organization is a theatrical producing organization and a major owner of theatres based in Manhattan, New York City. It was founded by the three Shubert brothers in the late 19th century. They steadily expanded, owning many theaters ...

, the production was co-directed by

Julian Mitchell Charles Julian Humphrey Mitchell, FRSL (born 1 May 1935) is an English playwright, screenwriter and occasional novelist. He is best known as the writer of the play and film '' Another Country'', and as a screenwriter for TV, producing many orig ...

and

J. C. Huffman Jesse C. Huffman (1869–1935) was an American theatrical director. Between 1906 and 1932 he directed or staged over 200 shows, mostly for the Shubert Brothers. Many of them were musical revues, musicals or operettas. He is known for ''The Passi ...

. The sets were designed by Ernest Albert and Arthur Voegtlin. The production starred Louis Mann as Hensie Blinder,

Louise Gunning Louise Gunning (1878 – 1960) was an American soprano popular on Broadway in Edwardian musical comedy and comic opera from the late 1890s to the eve of the First World War. She was perhaps best remembered as Princess Stephanie of Balaria in the ...

as Pepi Gloeckner,

Lotta Faust Charlotte "Lotta" Faust (February 8, 1880 ''–'' January 25, 1910) was an American actress, dancer, and singer. She performed an interpretation of the Salome dance based on the play ''Salome (play), Salome'' (1893) by Oscar Wilde."In Memori ...

as Lisa Sommer,

Ralph C. Herz Ralph C. Herz (March 25, 1878 – July 12, 1921) was an actor and singer born of American parents in France. He spent the majority of his career in the United States. He appeared in vaudeville, was popular in musical plays and was often on Broadway ...

as Eric Weiss,

Robert Michaelis Robert Armand René Michaelis (22 December 1878 – 29 August 1965) was a French-born actor and singer who worked in musical theatre, mainly in England, but he also made appearances on Broadway. By 1901, Michaelis and his parents had settled in ...

as Paul Blancke, Leona Stephens as Lottchen Spring, Carrie E. Perkins as Sonia Matemoff, and Otis Sheridan as Lieutenant Wilhelm Klopstock among others.

References

Citations

Bibliography

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:White Hen, The 1907 musicals Broadway musicals Musicals set in Austria Musicals by Gustave Kerker