''The Desert Song'' is an

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its ...

with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by

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 ...

Otto Harbach Otto Abels Harbach, born Otto Abels Hauerbach (August 18, 1873 – January 24, 1963) was an American lyricist and librettist of nearly 50 musical comedies and operettas. Harbach collaborated as lyricist or librettist with many of the leading B ...

and Frank Mandel. It was inspired by the 1925 uprising of the Riffs, a group of Moroccan fighters, against French colonial rule. It was also inspired by stories of

Lawrence of Arabia Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer who became renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (1915–1918 ...

aiding native guerrillas. Many tales romanticizing Arab North Africa were in vogue, including ''

Beau Geste ''Beau Geste'' is an adventure novel by British writer P. C. Wren, which details the adventures of three English brothers who enlist separately in the French Foreign Legion following the theft of a valuable jewel from the country house of a re ...

'' and ''

The Son of the Sheik ''The Son of the Sheik'' is a 1926 American silent adventure/drama film directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring Rudolph Valentino and Vilma Bánky. The film is based on the 1925 romance novel ''The Sons of the Sheik'' by Edith Maude Hull, ...

''.Traubner, Richard. ''Operetta: A Theatrical History'', pp. 387–89 (2003) Routledge
Originally titled "Lady Fair", after successful out-of-town tryouts in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington (Unami language, Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North ...

, and Boston, Massachusetts, the original Broadway production opened at the Casino Theatre on November 30, 1926, and ran for a very successful 465 performances. It starred Vivienne Segal. The piece enjoyed a London production and was revived on Broadway in 1946 and 1973. In the 1980s, it was played regularly by the

Light Opera of Manhattan Light Opera of Manhattan, known as LOOM, was an off-Broadway repertory theatre company that produced light operas, including the works of Gilbert and Sullivan and European and American operettas, 52 weeks per year, in New York City between 1968 an ...

and revived by the New York City Opera. It is a popular piece for community light opera groups. The story is a version of plots such as '' The Scarlet Pimpernel'', '' Zorro'' and later ''

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book '' Action Comics'' #1 ( cover-dated June 1938 and pu ...

'', where a hero adopts a mild-mannered disguise to keep his true identity a secret. He loves a beautiful and spirited girl, who loves his hero persona but does not know his real personality, which he keeps hidden under the milquetoast facade.

Productions and film versions

The leading man in the original Broadway production was Scottish baritone Richard Halliday and the heroine, Vivienne Segal. It was directed by Arthur Hurley and choreographed by

Bobby Connolly William Harold "Bobby" Connolly (July 4, 1897 – February 29, 1944) was an American choreographer and director, first for Broadway musicals and then for films. Connolly was nominated for four Academy Awards for Best Dance Direction, for his wo ...

, who was later to choreograph the classic 1939 film '' The Wizard of Oz''. In the 1927 London production at the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dr ...

the leading roles were taken by Harry Welchman and Edith Day, and numerous excerpts were recorded with the London cast supported by the Drury Lane orchestra and chorus under conductor Herman Finck. The show was briefly revived on Broadway in 1946 (at New York City Center) and 1973. In the 1970s and 1980s, the

mounted the operetta several times. To celebrate the centennial of Romberg's birth in 1987, New York City Opera staged a lavish production with Richard White and Linda Michele. Although old-fashioned by present standards, ''The Desert Song'' is still occasionally performed and has been made into a

motion picture A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

four times, though the second version was a short subject, rather than a feature-length film. All film versions were made by

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

. In 1929, a lavish film with

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

sequences starred John Boles and Myrna Loy. This version was scrupulously faithful to, and captured the spirit of, the original Broadway production and became a hit. By the 1940s, the 1929 film could not be shown in the United States because of its

Pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines, popularly known ...

content, which included sexual innuendo, suggestive humor and open discussion of themes such as homosexuality. Apparently, the Technicolor sequences have survived only in black-and-white. To capitalize on the success of the original picture, in 1932 Warner Bros. released ''The Red Shadow,'' a 19-minute black-and-white short consisting chiefly of musical numbers. This film, which has been restored, was directed by

Roy Mack Roy Francis McGillicuddy (August 27, 1888 – February 11, 1960), known as Roy Mack, was an American baseball team executive owner who co-owned the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League with his brother Earle Mack from through . Mack wa ...

, and starred Alexander Gray and

Bernice Claire Bernice Claire (born Bernice Jahnigen; January 27, 1906 – January 17, 2003)second feature film was made in 1943. The plot was altered to have the hero fighting the Nazis. Filmed entirely in three-strip Technicolor, it starred

Dennis Morgan Dennis Morgan (born Earl Stanley Morner, December 20, 1908 – September 7, 1994) was an American actor-singer. He used the acting pseudonym Richard Stanley before adopting the name under which he gained his greatest fame. According to one obi ...

and Irene Manning. A third color feature version was made in 1953, with most of the adult themes and humor being removed or "sanitized". This version altered the plot to make General Birabeau the father of Margot, rather than the father of the Red Shadow, as in the play. It starred Kathryn Grayson and

Gordon MacRae Albert Gordon MacRae (March 12, 1921 – January 24, 1986) was an American actor, singer and radio/television host who appeared in the film versions of two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals '' Oklahoma!'' (1955) and ''Carousel'' (1956) and who p ...

, and featured

Allyn McLerie Allyn Ann McLerie (December 1, 1926 – May 21, 2018) was a Canadian-born American actress, singer and dancer who worked with many of Golden Age musical theatre's major choreographers, including George Balanchine, Agnes de Mille, and Jerome Robb ...

as Azuri. Both the 1943 and the 1953 films changed the hero's name from the Red Shadow to El Khobar. In the 1953 version, El Khobar's disguise was that of a mild-mannered Latin teacher who tutored Margot and had to fend off her amorous advances (which were fairly discreet by modern standards). Also in 1953, all the singing is done by El Khobar, Margot and the male chorus. None of the other characters in the film sing. Another sanitized version was adapted for

live television Live television is a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. In a secondary meaning, it may refer to streaming television over the Internet when content or programming is played continuously (not on deman ...

in 1955 (with

Nelson Eddy Nelson Ackerman Eddy (June 29, 1901 – March 6, 1967) was an American actor and baritone singer who appeared in 19 musical films during the 1930s and 1940s, as well as in opera and on the concert stage, radio, television, and in nightclub ...

, Gale Sherwood and

Salvatore Baccaloni Salvatore Baccaloni (14 April 190031 December 1969) was an Italian operatic bass, buffo artist, and actor. Life and career Baccaloni was born in Rome. After attending the Sistine Chapel choir school from age seven, he studied voice with the cel ...

as Ali Ben Ali). One of the writers brought in to shorten and modernize some risque dialogue was the young

Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received mo ...

Roles

*Sid El Kar (

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...

) *Hassi (

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 ...

) *Mindar *Benjamin Kidd (comic baritone) *Captain Paul Fontaine (baritone or tenor) *Azuri (

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middl ...

) *Margot Bonvalet (

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& ...

) *General Birabeau (

) *Pierre Birabeau/Red Shadow (lyric

) *Susan (soprano or mezzo-soprano) *Ali Ben Ali (

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

) *Clementina *Hadji *Chorus of Riffs, soldiers and inhabitants of the fortress

Synopsis

French General Birabeau has been sent to Morocco to root out and destroy the Riffs, a band of Arab rebels, who threaten the safety of the French outpost in the Moroccan desert. Their dashing, daredevil leader is the mysterious "Red Shadow", a Frenchman. The Red Shadow, his Arab lieutenant, Sid El Kar, and their wealthy host, Ali Ben Ali, discuss the relative merits of the Eastern tradition of love for a harem of women (like having a garden full of fragrant flowers), and the Western ideal of loving one woman for life. Margot Bonvalet, a lovely, sassy French girl, is soon to be married at the French fort to Birabeau's right-hand man, Captain Fontaine. Birabeau's son Pierre, in reality the Red Shadow, loves Margot, but pretends to be a milksop to preserve his secret identity. Meanwhile, Benny, a reporter, and Susan, the girl who loves him, provide comic relief. Margot tells Pierre that she secretly yearns to be swept into the arms of some bold, dashing sheik, perhaps even the Red Shadow himself. Pierre, as the Red Shadow, kidnaps Margot and declares his love for her. To her surprise, Margot's mysterious abductor treats her with every Western consideration. Benny and Susan are captured too. When the Red Shadow comes face to face with General Birabeau, the old man challenges the rebel leader to a duel. Of course Pierre will not kill his own father, so he refuses to fight, losing the respect of the Riffs. Azuri, the sinuous and secretive native dancing girl, who knows the secret of the Red Shadow's true identity, might be persuaded to reveal the information if she could capture the attention of Captain Fontaine. Eventually, the Red Shadow's identity is discovered, a deal is struck with the Riffs, and Pierre and Margot live happily ever after.

Musical numbers

;Act I *High on a Hill – Sid and Riffs *The Riff Song – Pierre, Sid and Riffs *Ho, Bold Men of Morocco – Sid and Riffs (not in original Broadway production) *Margot – Paul and Soldiers *I'll be a Buoyant Girl – Susan *Why Did We Marry Soldiers? – Girls *French Military Marching Song – Margot and Chorus *Romance – Margot and Girls *Then You Will Know – Pierre and Margot *I Want a Kiss – Paul, Margot, Pierre and Chorus *It – Susan, Bennie and Girls (lyrics by Edward Smith) *The Desert Song – Pierre and Margot *Finale – Ensemble (includes Azuri's Dance) ;Act II *My Little Castagnette – Clementina and Girls *Song of the Brass Key – Clementina and Girls *One Good Boy Gone Wrong – Benny and Clementina (lyrics by Edward Smith) *Eastern and Western Love **a) Let Love Go – Ali and Riffs **b) One Flower in Your Garden – Sid and Riffs **c) One Alone – Pierre and Men *The Sabre Song – Margot *You Love Me – Pierre and Margot (not in original Broadway production) *Farewell and reprises – Pierre and Men *All Hail to the General – Margo, Paul, Birabeau and Girls *Let's Have a Love Affair – Susan, Bennie and Girls *Finale – Ensemble Early versions of the show also included "Dreaming In Paradise", "Ali-Up", and "Love's Dear Yearning". A couple of Romberg's songs like "It" with comic lyrics by Edward Smith referencing

Elinor Glyn Elinor Glyn ( Sutherland; 17 October 1864 – 23 September 1943) was a British novelist and scriptwriter who specialised in romantic fiction, which was considered scandalous for its time, although her works are relatively tame by modern stan ...

were interpolated. Two songs from ''The Desert Song'' are among the operetta and Broadway musical songs lampooned in the 1959 musical '' Little Mary Sunshine''. "The Riff Song" and "The Desert Song" are the respective targets of "The Forest Rangers" (it also parodies several other "gallant warriors" songs, such as "Stout-Hearted Men"). "The Desert Song," a hero-sings-to-heroine waltz, is parodied by "You're the Fairest Flower," another hero-sings-to-heroine waltz.

Recordings

No original Broadway cast recording was made, but the 1927 London cast recorded eight selections for EMI. These 78-RPM records have been transferred to CD on the Pearl Label. Decca made an album in 1944 with

Kitty Carlisle Kitty Carlisle Hart (born Catherine Conn; September 3, 1910 – April 17, 2007) was an American actress, singer, and spokeswoman for the arts. She was the leading lady of the Marx Brothers movie '' A Night at the Opera'' (1935) and was a regula ...

, Felix Knight and Wilbur Evans, covering 10 selections from the score. This was released on CD, paired with '' The New Moon''.

Earl Wrightson Earl Wrightson (January 1, 1916 – March 7, 1993) was an American singer and actor best known for musical theatre, concerts and television performances. His regular singing partner was the soprano Lois Hunt. Early life and career Wrightson wa ...

starred in

Al Goodman Alfred Goodman (August 12, 1890 – January 10, 1972) was a conductor, songwriter, stage composer, musical director, arranger, and pianist. Early years Goodman was born in Nikopol, Ukraine, (another source says that he was born in Odessa, Russ ...

's 1948 recording for

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

. This has not been released on CD. A more complete recording starring

was made by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded on January 15, 1889, evolving from the A ...

in 1953. This was the preferred recording of this score on LP until the end of the vinyl era. It was re-released on compact disc. Around the same time,

and Lucille Norman recorded a 10-inch LP of the score for Capitol -351 which was reissued on 12-inch LPs in 1968 FP-1184 (UK)and re-released on CD in 2010 allmark 707902 This recording is also available on CD paired with '' Roberta''. Kathryn Grayson recorded selections with Tony Martin on a 10-inch record for RCA Victor in 1952. A mostly complete 1958 studio cast album with Giorgio Tozzi and Kathy Barr, conducted by

Lehman Engel A. Lehman Engel (born September 14, 1910, Jackson, Mississippi - died August 29, 1982, New York City) was an American composer and conductor of Broadway musicals, television and film. Work in theatre, television and films Engel worked in a varie ...

, was released by RCA Victor and is available on CD. A 1959 British studio cast album stars Edmund Hockeridge and

June Bronhill June Mary Bronhill (26 June 192924 January 2005), also known as June Gough, was an Australian coloratura soprano opera singer, performer and actress, She was well known for light opera, operetta and musical theatre in London West End theatre ...

. It has also been reissued on CD. Victor also recorded Mario Lanza in highlights from the score. Released in 1959 shortly after the singer's death, it became one of his best-selling LPs and is available on CD, paired with '' The Student Prince''. In 1963 as part of a series of stereo recordings of classic operettas, Capitol released a recording of the score with MacRae and Dorothy Kirsten. Most of it can be heard on the 1990 EMI CD ''Music of Sigmund Romberg'', along with selections from ''The Student Prince'' and ''The New Moon''. Also in 1963, ''Reader's Digest'' included a selection in their album ''A Treasury of Great Operettas''. Artists included

Anna Moffo Anna Moffo (June 27, 1932 – March 9, 2006) was an American opera singer, television personality, and actress. One of the leading lyric-coloratura sopranos of her generation, she possessed a warm and radiant voice of considerable range and agili ...

and William Lewis."''Treasury of Great Operettas''"
Discogs.com, accessed April 18, 2014 This stereo recording is also available on CD.

References

External links

*

'The Desert Song''
"The Desert Song" lyrics

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Desert Song, The English-language operettas 1926 operas Broadway musicals Musicals inspired by real-life events Musicals by Sigmund Romberg Musicals by Oscar Hammerstein II Musicals by Otto Harbach