Katinka (operetta)
Encyclopedia
Katinka is an operetta
in three acts composed by Rudolf Friml
to a libretto
by Otto Harbach
. It was first performed at the Park Theatre in Morristown, New Jersey
on December 2, 1915 with May Naudain in the title role and subsequently received its Broadway premiere on December 23, 1915 at the 44th Street Theatre
.
and his lyricist Otto Harbach
. The show's producer, Arthur Hammerstein
, had also produced Friml and Harbach's The Firefly
(1912) and High Jinks (1913). The work was originally entitled Elaine, after Hammerstein's daughter
, who had a small role in High Jinks and according to the New York Times was to have featured in the new production. In the end, Elaine Hammerstein left Broadway to begin a career in movies, and the operetta's name was changed to Katinka.
Katinka was first performed at the Park Theatre in Morristown, New Jersey
on December 2, 1915 and subsequently moved to the 44th Street Theatre
for its Broadway premiere on December 23, 1915. The production starring May Naudain and Sam Ash as Katinka and Ivan was conducted by John McGhie and directed by Frank Smithson, with set design by Edward Sundquist and costume design by Paul Arlington. The show was an immediate success and ran on Broadway for 220 performances. It also had personal consequences for Friml, who began an affair with one of the chorus singers, Blanche Betters. The couple married in 1917 and divorced acrimoniously two years later, a fact which caused a New York judge to deny his 1921 request to become a naturalized US citzen. Following its Broadway run, Katinka toured to several American cities including Los Angeles, Boston, Baltimore
, St. Louis
, and Atlanta and had regular revivals in the US until the late 1940s, as well as radio broadcasts. One of its rare 21st century revivals was in November 2009, when it was performed in concert version by the Comic Opera Guild of Ann Arbor, Michigan
.
Katinka also enjoyed considerable success outside the United States particularly in Australia and New Zealand. It premiered in New Zealand in April 1918 at the Grand Opera House, Wellington, and in Australia on June 8, 1918 at Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne
. On both occasions, the title role was sung by Gladys Moncrieff
. It was her first starring role and one she was to sing well into the 1940s. Other young performers who appeared in the Australian productions and went on to prominent careers were dancer Robert Helpman (1930) and actor Cyril Ritchard
(1918). Katinka had its UK premiere on August 30, 1923 at the Shaftesbury Theatre
with Helen Gilliland in the title role and ran for 108 performances.
, Istanbul
, and Vienna
shortly before the outbreak of World War I
Act 1
The play opens in Yalta at a villa on the Black Sea
. Reluctantly following her mother's wishes, Katinka marries Boris Strogoff, the Russian Ambassador to Austria, although she is really in love with his attaché, Ivan Dimitri, and he with her. After the wedding, Thaddeus Hopper, a wealthy American and Ivan's friend, helps her escape to Turkey.
Act 2
Ivan and Boris Strogoff's servant Petrov arrive in Istanbul hoping to find Strogoff's first wife Olga, who chose to live in a harem rather than remain married to him. If she is found, Strogoff's marriage to Katinka can be annulled on grounds of bigamy, leaving her free to marry Ivan. Katinka and Thaddeus Hopper are also in the city, where she is staying in Hopper's rooms. The arrival of Hopper's wife, Helen, causes complications when she becomes suspicious of the arrangements. Hopper has arranged for Katinka to be hidden in the harem of Izzet Pasha, but Arif Bey, Pasha's warden, mistakenly carries Mrs. Hopper off to the harem instead of Katinka. Meanwhile, Herr Knopf is planning to open the Café-Turkois-in-Vienna and has come to Istanbul looking for women to work there. Helen is amongst those he takes back to Vienna.
Act 3
The main characters are all in Vienna where they have assembled at Herr Knopf's café. Olga, who had been living in Izzet Pasha's harem under the name of "Nashan", reveals her true identity. The Hoppers are reconciled, and Katinka and Ivan are reunited.
Act 2
Act 3
(Arabesque Records
).
Rudolf Friml himself plays a piano version of "Allah's Holiday" on Friml plays Friml, recorded at the Studio Mozarteum in Prague
in September 1964 (Supraphon
).
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
in three acts composed by Rudolf Friml
Rudolf Friml
Rudolf Friml was a composer of operettas, musicals, songs and piano pieces, as well as a pianist. After musical training and a brief performing career in his native Prague, Friml moved to the United States, where he became a composer...
to a libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by Otto Harbach
Otto Harbach
Otto Abels Harbach, born Otto Abels Hauerbach was an American lyricist and librettist of about 50 musical comedies...
. It was first performed at the Park Theatre in Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 18,411. It is the county seat of Morris County. Morristown became characterized as "the military capital of the American Revolution" because of its strategic role in the...
on December 2, 1915 with May Naudain in the title role and subsequently received its Broadway premiere on December 23, 1915 at the 44th Street Theatre
44th Street Theatre
The 44th Street Theatre was a New York City Broadway theatre from 1912 to 1945 in the United States of America. It was located on Broadway, at West 44th Street. Architect was William A. Swansea. Built by the Shuberts, and first named Weber and Fields' Music Hall, its name was changed when the...
.
Background and performance history
Katinka marked the third collaboration between Rudolf FrimlRudolf Friml
Rudolf Friml was a composer of operettas, musicals, songs and piano pieces, as well as a pianist. After musical training and a brief performing career in his native Prague, Friml moved to the United States, where he became a composer...
and his lyricist Otto Harbach
Otto Harbach
Otto Abels Harbach, born Otto Abels Hauerbach was an American lyricist and librettist of about 50 musical comedies...
. The show's producer, Arthur Hammerstein
Arthur Hammerstein
Arthur Hammerstein , was the son of Oscar Hammerstein I and uncle of Oscar Hammerstein II, was an opera producer and one of the writers of the song "Because of You," a major hit for Tony Bennett in 1951. Hammerstein wrote the song in 1940. It was used in the film I Was an American Spy...
, had also produced Friml and Harbach's The Firefly
The Firefly (operetta)
The Firefly is the first operetta written by composer Rudolf Friml, with a libretto by Otto Harbach. The story concerns a young girl, who is a street singer. She disguises herself and serves as a cabin boy on a ship to Bermuda, where she falls in love...
(1912) and High Jinks (1913). The work was originally entitled Elaine, after Hammerstein's daughter
Elaine Hammerstein
Elaine Hammerstein was an American silent film and stage actress.-Musical lineage:Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she was the daughter of opera producer Arthur Hammerstein and the granddaughter of Oscar Hammerstein. Her father once remarked he was more interested in his daughter's career than...
, who had a small role in High Jinks and according to the New York Times was to have featured in the new production. In the end, Elaine Hammerstein left Broadway to begin a career in movies, and the operetta's name was changed to Katinka.
Katinka was first performed at the Park Theatre in Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 18,411. It is the county seat of Morris County. Morristown became characterized as "the military capital of the American Revolution" because of its strategic role in the...
on December 2, 1915 and subsequently moved to the 44th Street Theatre
44th Street Theatre
The 44th Street Theatre was a New York City Broadway theatre from 1912 to 1945 in the United States of America. It was located on Broadway, at West 44th Street. Architect was William A. Swansea. Built by the Shuberts, and first named Weber and Fields' Music Hall, its name was changed when the...
for its Broadway premiere on December 23, 1915. The production starring May Naudain and Sam Ash as Katinka and Ivan was conducted by John McGhie and directed by Frank Smithson, with set design by Edward Sundquist and costume design by Paul Arlington. The show was an immediate success and ran on Broadway for 220 performances. It also had personal consequences for Friml, who began an affair with one of the chorus singers, Blanche Betters. The couple married in 1917 and divorced acrimoniously two years later, a fact which caused a New York judge to deny his 1921 request to become a naturalized US citzen. Following its Broadway run, Katinka toured to several American cities including Los Angeles, Boston, Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, and Atlanta and had regular revivals in the US until the late 1940s, as well as radio broadcasts. One of its rare 21st century revivals was in November 2009, when it was performed in concert version by the Comic Opera Guild of Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
.
Katinka also enjoyed considerable success outside the United States particularly in Australia and New Zealand. It premiered in New Zealand in April 1918 at the Grand Opera House, Wellington, and in Australia on June 8, 1918 at Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne
Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne
Her Majesty's Theatre is a 1706 seat theatre in Melbourne, Australia. Built in 1886, it is located at 219 Exhibition Street, Melbourne. It is classified by the National Trust of Australia and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register....
. On both occasions, the title role was sung by Gladys Moncrieff
Gladys Moncrieff
Gladys Moncrieff OBE was an Australian singer who was so successful in musical theatre and recordings that she became known as 'Australia's Queen of Song' and 'Our Glad'.-Early years:...
. It was her first starring role and one she was to sing well into the 1940s. Other young performers who appeared in the Australian productions and went on to prominent careers were dancer Robert Helpman (1930) and actor Cyril Ritchard
Cyril Ritchard
Cyril Ritchard was an Australian stage, screen and television actor, and director. He is probably best remembered today for his performance as Captain Hook in the Mary Martin musical production of Peter Pan....
(1918). Katinka had its UK premiere on August 30, 1923 at the Shaftesbury Theatre
Shaftesbury Theatre
The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End Theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden.-History:The theatre was designed for the brothers Walter and Frederick Melville by Bertie Crewe and opened on 26 December 1911 with a production of The Three Musketeers, as the New...
with Helen Gilliland in the title role and ran for 108 performances.
Roles and premiere cast
- Boris Strogoff, Russian Ambassador to Austria – Lorrie Grimaldi
- Katinka, his bride – May Naudain
- Tatiana, Katinka's mother – Norma Mendoza
- Ivan Dimitri, attaché to the Russian Ambassador and Katinka's sweetheart – Sam Ash
- Varenka - Katinka's maid – Nina Napier
- Petrov, Boris Strogoff's old servant – Albert Sackett
- Thaddeus Hopper, a wealthy American – Franklin Ardell
- Helen Hopper, Thaddeus Hopper's wife – Adele Rowland
- Olga (Nashan), Boris Strogoff's first wife – Edith Decker
- Halif, a Circassian slave-trader – A. Robins
- Knopf, manager of the Café-Turkois-in-Vienna – W. J. McCarthy
- Abdul, a harem assistant – Daniel Baker
- Arif Bey, warden of Izzet Pasha's harem – Edward Durand
- A spy – Harry Cinton
- M. Pierre, porter at the Hôtel Riche in Constantinople – Gustav Schultz
- Principal dancers – Edmund Makalif, Helen Kroner, May Thompson
Synopsis
Setting: YaltaYalta
Yalta is a city in Crimea, southern Ukraine, on the north coast of the Black Sea.The city is located on the site of an ancient Greek colony, said to have been founded by Greek sailors who were looking for a safe shore on which to land. It is situated on a deep bay facing south towards the Black...
, Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, and Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
shortly before the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
Act 1
The play opens in Yalta at a villa on the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
. Reluctantly following her mother's wishes, Katinka marries Boris Strogoff, the Russian Ambassador to Austria, although she is really in love with his attaché, Ivan Dimitri, and he with her. After the wedding, Thaddeus Hopper, a wealthy American and Ivan's friend, helps her escape to Turkey.
Act 2
Ivan and Boris Strogoff's servant Petrov arrive in Istanbul hoping to find Strogoff's first wife Olga, who chose to live in a harem rather than remain married to him. If she is found, Strogoff's marriage to Katinka can be annulled on grounds of bigamy, leaving her free to marry Ivan. Katinka and Thaddeus Hopper are also in the city, where she is staying in Hopper's rooms. The arrival of Hopper's wife, Helen, causes complications when she becomes suspicious of the arrangements. Hopper has arranged for Katinka to be hidden in the harem of Izzet Pasha, but Arif Bey, Pasha's warden, mistakenly carries Mrs. Hopper off to the harem instead of Katinka. Meanwhile, Herr Knopf is planning to open the Café-Turkois-in-Vienna and has come to Istanbul looking for women to work there. Helen is amongst those he takes back to Vienna.
Act 3
The main characters are all in Vienna where they have assembled at Herr Knopf's café. Olga, who had been living in Izzet Pasha's harem under the name of "Nashan", reveals her true identity. The Hoppers are reconciled, and Katinka and Ivan are reunited.
Musical numbers
Act 1- Opening Chorus (Varenka and chorus)
- "Vienna Girls" (Ivan and chorus)
- "The Bride" (Boris, Katinka, Tatiana and chorus)
- "One Who Will Understand" (Katinka and chorus)
- Katinka" (Ivan, Boris, and male chorus)
- "In A Hurry" (Thaddeus Hopper and chorus)
- "'Tis the End" (Ivan and Katinka)
- "Russian Dance"
- Finale (ensemble)
Act 2
- Opening Chorus (Olga and chorus)
- "Charms Are Fairest When Hidden" (Olga and chorus)
- "Your Photo" (Mrs Hopper and boys)
- "Allah's Holiday" (Olga and chorus)
- "The Weekly Wedding" (Mr. and Mrs. Hopper)
- "I Want All the World To Know" (Ivan)
- "Circassian Dance" (dancers)
- "Rackety-Coo!" (Katinka and chorus)
- Finale (ensemble)
Act 3
- "My Paradise" (Ivan)
- "Ballet Divertissement" (dancers)
- "Mignonette" (dancers)
- "I Want To Marry A Male Quartet" (Mrs Hopper and boys)
- "Skidikiscatch" (Hopper, Katinka, Ivan, Knopf, Arif and Olga)
- "I Can Tell By The Way That You Dance, Dear" (Mrs Hopper and girls)
- Finale (ensemble)
Recordings
Excerpts from Katinka can be heard on the 1987 recording Rudolf Friml: Chansonette with soprano Teresa Ringholz and the Eastman-Dryden Orchestra conducted by Donald HunsbergerDonald Hunsberger
Donald Hunsberger was the conductor of the Eastman Wind Ensemble from 1965 until 2001. He also held the position of Professor of conducting at Eastman...
(Arabesque Records
Arabesque Records
Arabesque Records is an American classical and jazz record label.Arabesque began as a classical music subsidiary of the Caedmon company. In 1988, Marvin Reiss and Ward Botsford bought the company, turning it into an independent, and continued releasing classical until 1992, when it switched focuses...
).
Rudolf Friml himself plays a piano version of "Allah's Holiday" on Friml plays Friml, recorded at the Studio Mozarteum in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
in September 1964 (Supraphon
Supraphon
Supraphon Music Publishing is a Czech record label, it is oriented mainly towards publishing classical music, with an emphasis on Czech and Slovak composers.- History :...
).
Sources
- Everett, William (2008). Rudolf Friml. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0252033817
- Friml, Rudolf and Harbach, Otto (1916). Katinka. New York: G. SchirmerG. SchirmerG. Schirmer Inc. is an American classical music publishing company based in New York City, founded in 1861. It publishes sheet music for sale and rental, and represents some well-known European music publishers in North America, such as the Italian Ricordi, Music Sales Affiliates ChesterNovello,...
- Gänzl, KurtKurt GänzlKurt Gänzl is an award-winning writer, musicologist, casting director and singer best known for his books about musical theatre....
(2001). The Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre, 2nd Edition, Volume 1. Gale. ISBN 0028649702 - Lamb, Andrew M. (February 1987). Review: Rudolf Friml: Chansonette, Arabesque Records Z6562. Gramophone, p. 99
- McKee, Jenn (November 2, 2009). "Comic Opera Guild presents Friml's 'Katinka' and Sousa's 'The Charlatan'". AnnArbor.comAnnArbor.comAnnArbor.com is an online newspaper that covers local news of Ann Arbor, Michigan and the surrounding Washtenaw County, Michigan.- Overview :...
- New York Times (July 14, 1915). "'Elaine', a New Operetta"
- New York Times (September 16, 1915). "Lawrence Haynes in 'Katinka'"
- The Sunday Chronicle, Paterson, New Jersey (July 17, 1921). "Composer Barred from Citizenship", p. 24
- Wlaschin, Ken (2006). Encyclopedia of American opera. McFarland & Company. ISBN 0786421096
- Woolf, Jonathan (January 2003). Review: Friml plays Friml, Supraphon SU 3267-2 911. MusicWeb International
External links
- Katinka on the Internet Broadway DatabaseInternet Broadway DatabaseThe Internet Broadway Database is an online database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel. It is operated by the Research Department of The Broadway League, a trade association for the North American commercial theatre community....
- Instrumental version of "Allah's Holiday" from Katinka (audio file of the 1917 Edison cylinder recording on archive.org)