''Piff! Paff!! Pouf!!!'' is a

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

in two acts with music by

Jean Schwartz Jean Schwartz (November 4, 1878 – November 30, 1956) was a Hungarian-born Jewish American composer and pianist. He is best known for his work writing the scores for more than 30 Broadway theatre, Broadway musicals, and for his creation of more t ...

, lyrics by

William Jerome William Jerome Flannery (September 30, 1865 – June 25, 1932) was an American songwriter, born in Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York, of Irish immigrant parents: Mary Donnellan and Patrick Flannery. He collaborated with numerous well-known composer ...

, and a book by Stanislaus Stange.Bordman & Norton, p. 233-234 It is considered the best musical created by the writing team of Schwartz and Jerome. A hit with audiences, it was the longest running musical of the 1903-1904

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 Stre ...

season.Dietz, p. 215-216 Set on the Atlantic City Boardwalk and at a mansion along the banks of the

Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...

in the

Hudson River Valley The Hudson Valley or Hudson River Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York. The region stretches from the Capital District including Albany and Troy south to Yonkers in Westch ...

in the state of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, the musical follows a recently widowed man whose deceased wife, an heiress, left him her fortune in her will on the condition that he marry off all four of their daughters in the order of their birth prior to receiving any of her money.

Performance history

''Piff! Paff!! Pouf!!!'' premiered at Broadway's Casino Theatre on April 2, 1904, where it ran for 264 performances; closing on November 19, 1904. The popular "Radium Dance" from this show was inspired by scientist

Marie Curie Maria Salomea Skłodowska-Curie (; ; 7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934), known simply as Marie Curie ( ; ), was a Polish and naturalised-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was List of female ...

, and the musical was a big hit for its stars,

Eddie Foy Edwin Fitzgerald (March 9, 1856 – February 16, 1928Cullen, Frank; Hackman, Florence; and McNeilly, Donald. ''Vaudeville, Old and New: An Encyclopedia of Variety Performers in America''. Routledge Press, September 2006, . pp. 406–410), ...

and Alice Fischer.Gamwell, p. 187

References

Citations

Bibliography

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External links

* 1904 musicals Broadway musicals Musicals set in Atlantic City, New Jersey Musicals set in New York Musicals by William Jerome Musicals by Jean Schwartz Plays by Stanislaus Stange {{musical-stub