'' The Wild Rose'' 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 Ludwig Engländer 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 ...

and

George V. Hobart George Vere Hobart (1867 – 1926) was a Canadian-American humorist who authored more than 50 musical comedy librettos and plays as well as novels and songs. At the time of his death, Hobart was "one of America's most popular humorists and playwr ...

.Mantle, Chapman, & Sherwood, p. 409 The musical contained the hit song "A Most Unlucky Man" by the songwriting team of Jean Schwartz and

William Jerome William Jerome Flannery, September 30, 1865 – June 25, 1932) was an American songwriter, born in Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York of Irish immigrant parents, Mary Donnellan and Patrick Flannery. He collaborated with numerous well-known composers a ...

. ''The Wild Rose'' premiered on Broadway in 1902. It should not be confused with the 1926 musical of the same name by Otto Harbach,

Oscar Hammerstein II Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II (; July 12, 1895 – August 23, 1960) was an American lyricist, librettist, theatrical producer, and (usually uncredited) director in the musical theater for almost 40 years. He won eight Ton ...

, and Rudolf Friml.

History

Set in

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

when it was part of Germany during the early years of the 20th century, ''The Wild Rose''s loose plot concerns a band of " gypsies" who become entangled in misadventures with German soldiers and actors from a theatre troupe. It was created as a starring vehicle for

Eddie Foy Edwin Fitzgerald (March 9, 1856 – February 16, 1928Cullen, Frank; Hackman, Florence; and McNeilly, Donald. ''Vaudeville, Old and New: An Encyclopedia of Variety Performers in America''. Routledge Press, September 2006, . pp. 406–410), ...

who portrayed Paracelsus Noodles, a phony hypnotist. The work premiered at Broadway's Knickerbocker Theatre on May 5, 1902, where it ran for 136 performances; closing on August 30, 1902. The cast also included Marie Cahill as Vera von Lahn,

Irene Bentley Irene Bentley (c. 1870 – June 3, 1940) was an American stage actress and vocalist. Biography Bentley was born circa 1870 in Baltimore, Maryland. She appeared in ''Sally in Our Alley'' with Marie Cahill and also in ''The Belle of Bohemia'', ' ...

as Rose Romany, Evelyn Florence Nesbit as Vashti, and

George Ali George Ali (born George Bolingbroke; c.1866−April 26, 1947) was an actor who specialized in the "skin game", playing animals in stage and cinema productions, known as an animal impersonator. He performed in a number of stage plays, working as ...

as "Baby". Cahill's song from this production, "Nancy Brown", was the inspiration for the later musical '' Nancy Brown'' and was sung there by the same actress.Dietz, p. 150 It was produced and staged by

George W. Lederer George Washington Lederer (c. 1862, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania − October 8, 1938) was an American producer and director on Broadway from 1894 to 1931. He was the husband of actresses Reine Davies and Jessie Lewis and the father of Charles Ledere ...

and choreographed by Adolph Neuberger. Frederick Solomon was music director for the production. The sets were designed by

D. Frank Dodge D. Frank Dodge (died April 24, 1952, Burlingame, California) was an American scenic designer who had a prolific career on Broadway from the 1890s into the early 1920s. Theatre historian Gerald Bordman in ''The Concise Oxford Companion to American ...

with costumes by Caroline Seidle.Dietz, pp. 104–105

References

Bibliography

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External links

* 1902 musicals Broadway musicals Musicals set in Germany Musicals by Ludwig Engländer Musicals by Harry B. Smith Musicals by George V. Hobart {{musical-stub