''The Vagabond King'' is a 1925 operetta by

Rudolf Friml Charles Rudolf Friml"Mrs. Rudolf Friml to Receive Divorce"
...

in four acts, with a book and lyrics by Brian Hooker and William H. Post, based upon

Justin Huntly McCarthy Justin Huntly McCarthy (1859 – 20 March 1936) was an Irish author, historian, and nationalist politician. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1884 to 1892, taking his seat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. He was the son of ...

's 1901 romantic novel and play ''If I Were King''. The story is a fictionalized episode in the life of the 15th-century poet and thief

François Villon François Villon ( Modern French: , ; – after 1463) is the best known French poet of the Late Middle Ages. He was involved in criminal behavior and had multiple encounters with law enforcement authorities. Villon wrote about some of these ...

, centering on his wooing of Katherine De Vaucelles (the cousin of King

Louis XI Louis XI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), called "Louis the Prudent" (french: le Prudent), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. He succeeded his father, Charles VII. Louis entered into open rebellion against his father in a short-lived revol ...

), and relating how he becomes “king for a day” and defends France against the invading forces of the

Duke of Burgundy Duke of Burgundy (french: duc de Bourgogne) was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by France in 1477, and later by Holy Roman Emperors and Kings of Spain from the House of Habsburg ...

. The original production opened 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 ...

in 1925, starring Dennis King and ran for 511 performances. The operetta then played in London, toured extensively and enjoyed revivals and two film adaptations, including one with King and

Jeanette MacDonald Jeanette Anna MacDonald (June 18, 1903 – January 14, 1965) was an American singer and actress best remembered for her musical films of the 1930s with Maurice Chevalier (''The Love Parade'', '' Love Me Tonight'', ''The Merry Widow'' and '' On ...

Background

In 1901, writer

sentimentalized Villon's career in a novel, ''If I Were King'', that borrowed the king-for-a-day theme, allowing Villon to defeat France's enemies and win the hand of an aristocratic lady, all in under 24 hours. The author adapted it as a

play the same year and in London in 1902, and it was revived several times. In 1923, Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart were at the beginning of their careers. They created a musical version of the McCarthy play for a Manhattan girls' school and then looked for a more prestigious venue for their collaboration. Broadway backers turned down the young team, but producer Russell Janney "borrowed" their idea and commissioned the more established

Rudolf Friml Charles Rudolf Friml"Mrs. Rudolf Friml to Receive Divorce"
...

to compose, and Brian Hooker to adapt the piece into a musical, increasing the comedy roles.Everett, William A
''Rudolf Friml''
pp. 57–71, University of Illinois Press, 2008 The original production opened at the Casino Theatre on September 21, 1925. It starred Dennis King as Villon and Carolyn Thomson as Katherine and ran for a very successful 511 performances. The production was lavish and used an unusually large pit orchestra.''The Vagabond King''
MusicalTheatreGuide, accessed January 27, 2011 It received unanimously enthusiastic reviews. The operetta then had a successful run in London in 1927 at the

Winter Garden Theatre The Winter Garden Theatre is a Broadway theatre at 1634 Broadway in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It opened in 1911 under designs by architect William Albert Swasey. The Winter Garden's current design dates to 1922, when ...

, running for 480 performances, and toured extensively. Its revivals include a 1943 Broadway revival. It was also performed regularly in the 1970s and 1980s in New York by the Light Opera of Manhattan. A 1930 musical film with the same title was filmed in two-color

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 ...

, with Dennis King reprising his stage role.

and

Lillian Roth Lillian Roth (December 13, 1910 – May 12, 1980) was an American singer and actress. Her life story was told in the 1955 film '' I'll Cry Tomorrow'', in which she was portrayed by Susan Hayward, who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best ...

co-starred. It was long thought lost, but was recovered and restored in 1998. Several non-Friml songs were added in this version. The film was remade in 1956 in regular Technicolor and

VistaVision VistaVision is a higher resolution, widescreen variant of the 35 mm motion picture film format which was created by engineers at Paramount Pictures in 1954. Paramount never used anamorphic processes such as 2.55: 1, CinemaScope but refi ...

. It starred

Kathryn Grayson Kathryn Grayson (born Zelma Kathryn Elisabeth Hedrick; February 9, 1922 – February 17, 2010) was an American actress and coloratura soprano. Ronald Berganbr>Obituary '' London Guardian'', February 19, 2010. From the age of twelve, Grayson trai ...

, Oreste Kirkop, Rita Moreno,

Walter Hampden Walter Hampden Dougherty (June 30, 1879 in Brooklyn – June 11, 1955 in Los Angeles), known professionally as Walter Hampden, was an American actor and theatre manager. He was a major stage star on Broadway in New York who also made numerou ...

and

Cedric Hardwicke Sir Cedric Webster Hardwicke (19 February 1893 – 6 August 1964) was an English stage and film actor whose career spanned nearly 50 years. His theatre work included notable performances in productions of the plays of Shakespeare and Shaw, and ...

. Only a few songs were from the original, but new Friml numbers were added.

Leslie Nielsen Leslie William Nielsen (11 February 192628 November 2010) was a Canadian actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters. Nielsen was bo ...

and

Jack Lord John Joseph Patrick Ryan (December 30, 1920 – January 21, 1998), best known by his stage name, Jack Lord, was an American television, film and Broadway actor, director and producer. He starred as Steve McGarrett in the CBS television progra ...

were featured in villainous roles. This remake was not a success. The McCarthy novel was adapted as a silent film in 1920 and as a 1938 nonmusical film, ''

If I Were King ''If I Were King'' is a 1938 American biographical and historical film starring Ronald Colman as medieval poet François Villon, and featuring Basil Rathbone and Frances Dee. It is based on the 1901 play and novel, both of the same name, by Just ...

''. It starred Ronald Colman as Villon.

Synopsis

Paris is under siege by the forces of the Duke of Burgundy; popular support for King

is at a low point. Villon – poet, braggart, thief and darling of the Paris rabble – has sent anonymous love poems to the beautiful Katherine de Vaucelles. These have caused her to reject proposals from King Louis. She goes to seek the mysterious poet at an inn, but King Louis shadows her in disguise. Louis is incensed to hear Villon mocking the failures of his reign and saying what he would do instead "if I were king." The infuriated monarch reveals himself. The king gives Villon a hard choice: as punishment for speaking treasonously, he must either stop courting Katherine or accept the position of Grand Marshal, with all the powers of King, for 24 hours, during which time he must make good on his boasts and free Paris. At the end of the 24 hours, Villon will hang. Villon's dilemma is that he has promised himself to Huguette, his mistress, but now is deeply in love with Katherine. Villon and Katherine declare their love for each other ("Only a Rose"). Hugette describes her means of livelihood ("Love for Sale"). Villon accepts Louis' challenge. Rather than sending the King's Scottish mercenaries against the Burgundians, Villon rouses the Paris mob to defend the city. Huguette discovers that Thibault, one of Louis's advisors, is a traitor. When Thibault ambushes Villon and tries to stab him to death, Huguette steps in front of the blade and takes the blow, thus sacrificing her life, and freeing Villon to be with Katherine. He kills Thibault in retaliation and then leads the Paris rabble to fight the Burgundians. The Parisians emerge victorious. After the battle is over, Katharine offers to sacrifice herself to the hangman in order to save Villon. Louis, realizing he cannot shed noble blood without a just cause, rewards Villon with exile instead of death, and the two lovers leave together.

Roles and original cast

*Katherine ( soprano) – Carolyn Thomson *Huguette ( mezzo-soprano) – Jane Carroll *Lady Mary, a courtier – Olga Treskoff *Villon (lyric baritone; a

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 ...

in the 1956 film) – Dennis King *Guy Tabarie (baritone) –

Herbert Corthell Herbert Corthell (born Joseph Bertram Corthell, January 20, 1878 – January 23, 1947) was an American stage and film actor. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and died in Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the c ...

*Noel, a Court popinjay – Herbert Delmore *Oliver, Keeper of the Royal Bath – Julian Winter *Captain of the Scotch Archers – Charles Carver *Rene, a rogue – Robert Craik *The Herald of Burgundy – Earl Waldo *Fat Margot, keeper of a tavern-brothel – Catherine Hayes *King Louis (non-singing) – Max Figman * Tristan l'Hermite, his trusted adviser (non-singing) – H. H. McCullum *Thibault d'Aussigny, his traitorous Grand Marshal (non-singing) – Bryan Lycan *Isabeau and Jehanneton, harlots (non-singing) – Vivian Kelley and Mimi Hayes *The Queen (non-singing) – Tamm Cortez *Jehan, a thief (non-singing) – Marius Rogati *Casin, an astrologer (non-singing) – Leon Cunningham

Musical numbers

;Act 1 *Life is Like a Bubble in Our Glasses – Ensemble *Love for Sale – Huguette du Hamel, Chorus and Dance Ensemble *Drinking Song (A Flagon of Wine) – Guy Tabarie and Male Chorus *Song of the Vagabonds – Villon and Chorus * Some Day – Katherine de Vaucelles *Only a Rose and Finale – Katherine and Villon ;Act 2 *Hunting – Noel Le Jolys, Chorus and Dance Ensemble *Scotch Archers' Song – Captain of Scotch Archers and Archers *Tomorrow – Katherine, Villon and Chorus *Finale, Act II – Ensemble ;Act 3 *Nocturne – Ensemble & Ballet *Serenade – Oliver Le Dain, Guy Tabarie and Lady Mary *Waltz Huguette (Huguette Waltz - "Never try to Bind Me") – Huguette du Hamel *Love Me Tonight – Katherine and Villon *Finale, Act III – Ensemble ;Act 4 *Te Deum – Ensemble *Victory March ("Song of the Vagabonds" reprise) and Finale, Act IV – Ensemble

References

External links

''The Vagabond King'' at the Internet Broadway DatabaseBroadway theatre program, 1925''The Vagabond King''
in ''The Cambridge guide to American theatre'', p. 661
''The Vagabond King''
in ''Broadway musicals, show by show'', p. 48 {{DEFAULTSORT:Vagabond King, The English-language operettas 1925 musicals 1925 operas Broadway musicals François Villon Operas by Rudolf Friml