''The Girls of Gottenberg'' is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts by

George Grossmith, Jr. George Grossmith Jr. (11 May 1874 – 6 June 1935) was an English actor, theatre producer and manager, director, playwright and songwriter, best remembered for his work in and with Edwardian musical comedies. Grossmith was also an important inn ...

and L. E. Berman, with lyrics by

Adrian Ross Arthur Reed Ropes (23 December 1859 – 11 September 1933), better known under the pseudonym Adrian Ross, was a prolific writer of lyrics, contributing songs to more than sixty British musical comedies in the late 19th and early 20th centuries ...

and Basil Hood, and music by

Ivan Caryll Félix Marie Henri Tilkin (12 May 1861 – 29 November 1921), better known by his pen name Ivan Caryll, was a Belgian-born composer of operettas and Edwardian musical comedies in the English language, who made his career in London and later ...

and Lionel Monckton. P. G. Wodehouse's personal papers indicate that he wrote the lyrics for one song, "Our Little Way", but this was not included in the libretto of show, and he was not credited as a lyricist. The musical opened at the Gaiety Theatre in London, managed by

George Edwardes George Joseph Edwardes (né Edwards; 8 October 1855 – 4 October 1915) was an English theatre manager and producer of Irish ancestry who brought a new era in musical theatre to the British stage and beyond. Edwardes started out in theatre ma ...

, on 15 May 1907, and ran for 303 performances. It starred

Edmund Payne Edmund James "Teddy" Payne (14 December 1863 – 15 July 1914), was an English actor, comedian and singer best known for creating comic roles in a series of extremely successful Edwardian musical comedies. He was often paired with the comic ac ...

and

Gertie Millar Gertrude Ward, Countess of Dudley ( Millar; 21 February 1879 – 25 April 1952), known as Gertie Millar, was an English actress and singer of the early 20th century, known for her performances in Edwardian musical comedies. Beginning her care ...

. The young

Gladys Cooper Dame Gladys Constance Cooper, (18 December 1888 – 17 November 1971) was an English actress, theatrical manager and producer, whose career spanned seven decades on stage, in films and on television. Beginning as a teenager in Edwardian mus ...

played the small role of Eva. The show also had a

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 ...

run at the Knickerbocker Theatre opening on 2 September 1908 and an Australian run. One of the best known songs from the show is "Berlin Is on the Spree". Although this show was popular in London in 1907, it had competition from several very successful shows in that season, including the hit productions of ''

The Merry Widow ''The Merry Widow'' (german: Die lustige Witwe, links=no ) is an operetta by the Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt ...

'' and '' Miss Hook of Holland''.

Musical numbers

;Act I – Scene 1: The Barracks, Rottenberg * No. 1. Chorus of Soldiers – "Ein! zwei! drei! Ein! zwei! drei!" * No. 2. Fritz & Men's Chorus – "Of all the girls there is but one, no other can compare with her" * No. 3. Trio & Dance - Otto, Hermann & Karl – "I hope your man is up to the plan, it needs a cheek infernal" ;Act I – Scene 2: The Market Place, Gottenberg * No. 4. Chorus of Town Girls & Students – "Oh, Market Day is merry, when lads a-courting go" * No. 5. Minna & Chorus – "A lot of funny folks one sees at Ladies' Universities" * No. 6. Chorus – "What is it, who is it coming so fast? Is it the Emperor's envoy at last?" * No. 7. Max & Chorus – "I'm the Confidential Agent of the Kaiser" * No. 8. Mitzi – "When I was ever so young, my father he said, 'Look here, you're a likely lass for serving a glass'" * No. 9. Otto & Chorus – "My dear mother said to me at the early age of three" * No. 10. Mitzi – "There's a little Hotel that I know very well on the banks of the beautiful Rhine" * No. 11. Elsa – "When I was a Mädchen wee, gentlemen I oft would see turning round to look at me" * No. 12. Finale Act I – "How splendid! We've ended our time of loneliness!" ;Act II – The Gardens of "The Red Hen", across the River, near Gottenberg * No. 13. Chorus and Kannenbier – "Jup, jup, jup, Tra la la la la" * No. 14. Mitzi & Chorus – "I've heard in a wonderful legend of old that down in the Rhine is a treasure of gold" * No. 15. Clementine & Max – "The birds in Spring-time are pairing; the dog-rose up on the bark" * No. 16. Mitzi, Max & Otto – "When you go over to London, as lots of Germans do" * No. 17. Dance – Albrecht & Kathie * No. 18. Elsa – "On a night, a month since, at a dance I met with a man to woo me" * No. 19. Elsa & Otto – "Won't you come and two-step, little girl, with me?" * No. 20. Mitzi & Max – "Once in the window of a ham and beef shop two little sausages sat! " * No. 21. Minna & Chorus – "Ach! vat a joysome day when soldiers come our way" * No. 22. Minna, Freda, Katrina, Lucille & Brittlbottl – "Officers' girls have lots of fun" * No. 23. Mitzi & Chorus – "There are places on the map that I never want to see, such as London (on the Thames)" * No. 24. Finale Act II – "Berlin is on the Spree, and that's the place we want to see" (short reprise of No. 23) ;Addenda * No. 25. Extra song: Mitzi – "To hold my own with ladies high was always my ambition" * No. 26. Extra song: Mitzi & Chorus – "In Frankfurt town there lives a charming German gentleman" * No. 27. Extra duet: Elsa & Otto, with Chorus – "Maiden who brings the beer, won't you let me marry you, my dear?"

Character list and original cast

* Otto (Prince of Saxe-Hildesheim) - George Grossmith, Jr. * Brittlbottl (Sergeant of Hussars) - Robert Nainby * General the Margrave OF Saxe-Nierstein - Eustace Burnaby * Officers of the Blue Hussars: ** Colonel Finkhausen - A. J. Evelyn ** Fritz - T. C. Maxwell ** Hermann - Harold Thorley ** Franz - Somers Bellamy ** Karl - George Grundy * Albrecht (Captain of Dragoons) - J. Robert Hale * Burgomaster - George Miller * Kannenbier (An Innkeeper) - Arthur Hatherton * Adolf (Town Clerk) - Charles Brown * Corporal Riethen - J. R. Sinclair * Private Schmidt - S. Hansworth * Private Max Moddelkopf -Edmund Payne * Elsa (The General's Daughter) - May de Sousa * Clementine (The Burgomaster's Daughter) - Violet Halls * Lucille (Maid to Elsa) - Olive May * Kathie - Kitty Mason * Hana - Edith Lee * Hilda - Kitty Lindley * Minna (Captain of College) - Jean Aylwin * Freda (Head of the Alemannia Corps) - Olive Wade * Anna (Head of the Pomerania Corps) - Mary Hobson * Eva (Head of the Saxonia Corps) - Gladys Cooper * Lina (Head of the Borussia Corps) - Julia James * Katrina (The only Girl in Rottenberg) - Kitty Hanson * Barbara Briefmark (The Postmaster's Daughter) - Enid Leonhardt * Betty Brencastler (The Doctor's Daughter) - Tessie Hackney * Mitzi (The Innkeeper's Daughter) - Gertie Millar

References

External links

Song list and links to Midi files, lyrics and cast list

Information about the Broadway production

{{DEFAULTSORT:Girls of Gottenberg 1907 musicals West End musicals British musicals