''Vera Violetta'' was an operetta, with a libretto by
Louis Stein and music by
Edmund Eysler, additional music by
George M. Cohan,
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 ...
and
Louis A. Hirsch, about the flirtatious wife of a professor. ''Vera Violetta'' was the name both of her
Roger & Gallet perfume and a waltz which celebrated it.
This was adapted by
Harold Atteridge and
Leonard Liebling for
Shuberts' Winter Garden Theatre 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 ...
. A variety of star turns were added including "
The Gaby Glide" for celebrated dancer
Gaby Deslys and her partner
Harry Pilcer;
and "
Ta-Ra-Ra-Boom-Der-E" for
José Collins – the song which had been popularised by her mother,
Lottie Collins
Lottie Collins (16 August 1865 – 1 May 1910) was an English singer and dancer, most famous for introducing the song " Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay!" in England.
Early life
She was born Charlotte Louisa Collins in the East End of London in 1865. He ...
.
Al Jolson
Al Jolson (born Eizer Yoelson; June 9, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-American Jewish singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. He was one of the United States' most famous and highest-paid stars of the 1920s, and was self-billed ...
had a supporting role as a
blackface waiter but stole the show with his performances of "
Rum-Tum-Tiddle" and "
That Haunting Melody" which had regular encores.
Another rising star who appeared in the show was the young
Mae West
Mae West (born Mary Jane West; August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980) was an American stage and film actress, playwright, screenwriter, singer, and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned over seven decades. She was known for her breezy ...
.
The programme was preceded by some vaudeville and then closed with ''
Undine
Undines (; also ondines) are a category of elemental beings associated with water, stemming from the alchemical writings of Paracelsus. Later writers developed the undine into a water nymph in its own right, and it continues to live in modern ...
'' – a special performance by swimmer
Annette Kellerman
Annette Marie Sarah Kellermann (6 July 1887 – 6 November 1975) was an Australian professional swimmer, vaudeville star, film actress, and writer.
Kellermann was one of the first women to wear a one-piece bathing costume, instead of the then ...
. The show opened on 20 November 1911 and ran for 112 performances.
[
]
References
External links
*
Compositions by Edmund Eysler
Broadway musicals
1911 musicals
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