''A Winsome Widow'' is a 1912 musical produced by

Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932) was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), inspired by the ''Folies Bergère'' of Paris. He also p ...

, which was a revised version of Charles Hale Hoyt's 1891 hit, ''

A Trip to Chinatown ''A Trip to Chinatown'' is a musical comedy in three acts by Charles H. Hoyt with music by Percy Gaunt and lyrics by Hoyt. In addition to the Gaunt and Hoyt score, many songs were interpolated into the score at one time or another during the ru ...

'', with a score by

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. He attended schools in Urba ...

History

The show debuted at the

Moulin Rouge Moulin Rouge (, ; ) is a cabaret in Paris, on Boulevard de Clichy, at Place Blanche, the intersection of, and terminus of Rue Blanche. In 1889, the Moulin Rouge was co-founded by Charles Zidler and Joseph Oller, who also owned the Paris Ol ...

on April 11, 1912, and ran into September, with a total of 172 performances.Boardman, Gerald Martin
American Musical Theatre: A Chronicle
pp. 322-23 (2011 ed.) (A pre-opening performance was presented at Parson's Theatre in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...

on April 8, 1912.(9 April 1912)
"A Winsome Widow" Staged
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'') One of its featured songs was "

Be My Little Baby Bumble Bee "Be My Little Baby Bumble Bee" is a popular song. The music was written by Henry I. Marshall and the lyrics by Stanley Murphy. The song was published in 1912, and appeared in the 1912 play ''A Winsome Widow''.Boardman, Gerald MartinAmerican Musica ...

" by Stanley Murphy and Henry I. Marshall. The musical was a big hit, and featured a finale with real ice skating.Mordden, Ethan
Ziegfeld: The Man Who Invented Show Business
p. 123 (2008) The large cast featured

Emmy Wehlen Emily "Emmy" Wehlen (1887–1977) was a German-born Edwardian musical comedy and silent film actress who vanished from the public eye while in her early thirties. Biography Wehlen was born in Mannheim, Germany, where, as a teenager, she rec ...

Leon Errol Leon Errol (born Leonce Errol Sims, July 3, 1881 – October 12, 1951) was an Australian-American comedian and actor in the United States, popular in the first half of the 20th century for his appearances in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in film ...

, the

Dolly Sisters Rosie Dolly (October 24, 1892 – February 1, 1970) and Jenny Dolly (October 24, 1892 – June 1, 1941), known professionally as The Dolly Sisters, were Hungarian-American identical twin dancers, singers and actresses, popular in vaudeville an ...

, Elizabeth Brice,

Frank Tinney Frank Aloysius Robert Tinney (March 29, 1878 – November 28, 1940) was an American blackface comedian and actor. Tinney achieved considerable success in vaudeville and on Broadway in the early 20th century. Comedian Joe Cook considered Tinney ...

, and Charles King. A 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 ...

played a small role, though she quit after five performances.Watts, Jill
Mae West: An Icon in Black and White
p. 37 (2001)Colt, Stanislau
Winsome Emmy Wehlen
''

Cosmopolitan (magazine) ''Cosmopolitan'' is an American monthly fashion and entertainment magazine for women, first published based in New York City in March 1886 as a family magazine; it was later transformed into a literary magazine and, since 1965, has become a wo ...

'', p. 410-411 (August 1912) Though well received by audiences, the show had mixed reviews. The ''

New York Clipper The ''New York Clipper'', also known as ''The Clipper'', was a weekly entertainment newspaper published in New York City from 1853 to 1924. It covered many topics, including circuses, dance, music, the outdoors, sports, and theatre. It had a ...

'' called it "a spectacle of gayety and gorgeousness", but ''

'' was bored of its "sameness", and critic

Sime Silverman Simon J. Silverman (May 19, 1873 – September 22, 1933) was an American journalist and newspaper publisher. He was the founder of the weekly newspaper ''Variety'' in New York City in 1905, which gave theatre and vaudeville reviews and the Hol ...

of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' said it was "at least forty minutes too long, draggy with superfluous people."(12 April 1912)
Now New York Has Its Moulin Rouge
''

Primary cast (may be incomplete)

- Mrs. Guyer (the "winsome widow" of the title) *

- Ben Gay *

- Jenny and Rosie * Elizabeth Brice - Isabel *

- Noah *

Kathleen Clifford Kathleen Clifford (February 16, 1887 – December 28, 1962) was an American vaudeville and Broadway theatre, Broadway stage and film actress of the early twentieth century. She was known for her skills as a male impersonator. Biography Born in Ch ...

* Charles King - Wilder Daly * Harry Conor - Welland Strong (the role he also played in ''

'') *

- Le Petite Daffy

References

External links

*
1912 recording of ''Be My Little Baby Bumble Bee''
at the U.S. Library of Congress {{DEFAULTSORT:Winsome Widow, A American plays 1912 plays Broadway plays