The Duchess of Dantzic
Encyclopedia
The Duchess of Dantzic is a comic opera
in three acts, set in Paris
, with music by Ivan Caryll
and a book and lyrics by Henry Hamilton
, based on the play Madame Sans-Gêne
by Victorien Sardou
and Emile Moreau
. Additional lyrics by Adrian Ross
. The story concerns Napoleon I
and a laundress, Catherine Üpscher, who marries Marshal Lefebvre and becomes a Duchess.
The opera was first produced in London at the Lyric Theatre
in 1903 and ran for 236 performances. Subsequently, it enjoyed a successful New York production and other productions around the world, and was revived in London and performed regularly by amateur theatre groups, particularly in Britain, until the 1950s.
After composing a few comic opera
s early in his career, Caryll became extraordinarily successful in the 1890s, writing the music to hit musical comedies
produced by George Edwardes
, including The Shop Girl
(1894), The Gay Parisienne
(1896), The Circus Girl
(1896), The Girl from Paris (1897) and A Runaway Girl
(1898). After the turn of the century, he continued to write some of the most successful musical comedy scores of the era, including The Messenger Boy
(1900), The Toreador
(1901), The Girl From Kays
(1902), The Earl and the Girl
(1903) and The Orchid
(1903). With The Duchess of Dantzic, he turned back to comic opera. Although the piece met with success, it was not the kind of blockbuster hit that the above-mentioned musical comedies were.
The musical adaptation followed a celebrated production of an English version of the original French play, translated by J. Comyns Carr
and starring Henry Irving
and Ellen Terry
. The original production of The Duchess of Dantzic, produced by Edwardes, opened at the Lyric Theatre
in London on 17 October 1903 and ran for 236 performances. It was directed by Robert Courtneidge
, choreographed by Willie Warde
and had scenery by Joseph Harker and costumes by Percy Anderson
. The score was generally admired, although called old-fashioned.
The original New York production at Daly's Theatre ran from 16 January 1905 to 15 April 1905 for a total of 93 performances. The production was directed by Holbrook Blinn
and choreographed by Warde with the Anderson costumes. The cast consisted mostly of the London players, including Adrienne Augarde as Renée, Holbrook Blinn
as Napoleon I, Evie Greene
as Catherine, and Courtice Pounds
as Papillon.
J.C. Williamson produced the piece in Australia. A 1932 London revival starring Frank Cellier
ran from 26 April to 20 May.
Acts II And III - (1807)
At the height of the French revolution
, Catherine, nicknamed Madame Sans-Gêne ("without embarrassment"), a laundress, pursues her job, unimpressed by the revolutionary comings and goings. Her fiancé, Lefebvre, is absent, taking part in the storming of the royal palace. She concentrates on her job, in the course of which she is visited by Lieutenant Napoleon Bonaparte. He is too short of money to pay his laundry bill, and touched by his description of the calls on his modest income in supporting his family she lets him off his debts and even offers him some money to help him. However, she holds on to his unpaid bill.
As soon as Bonaparte has left, a young aristocrat, Philippe de Béthune, dashes in, to seek sanctuary from a pursuing revolutionary mob. Catherine takes pity on him, and, aided by the sympathetic pedlar
Papillon, she hides Béthune in her bedroom. Her fiancé, Lefebvre, searches the place on behalf of the mob and publicly declares that she is not concealing anyone. Left alone he accuses her of hiding a lover. Béthune emerges from hiding to defend Catherine's honour, and Lefebvre is won over. He and Catherine help Béthune make his escape, leaving his young son and heir under their protection. Lefebvre gains a commission in the army and is appointed a lieutenant. Catherine is appointed vivandière (supplier of goods and victuals) to the regiment.
Act II
Fifteen years elapse. Bonaparte is now Emperor of the French, and all his old colleagues have been rewarded with titles and places at court. Lefebvre is now a Marshal of France, but his free-minded wife, Catherine, despite her new title of Duchess of Dantzic, not to mention her adopted son Adhèmar (Béthune's son), does not fit in with court etiquette, and Napoleon indicates to Lefebvre that he should divorce her and marry Mademoiselle Renée, whom the emperor considers more suitable. As Adhèmar is in love with Renée, he rebels against the emperor's cruel command and is arrested.
Act III
Adhèmar is liable to execution for rebellion. His pardon is dependent on his adopted parents' obeying Napoleon's orders and divorcing. Catherine confronts the emperor with the unpaid laundry bill from the days of his youthful poverty, and, reminded of her unselfish kindness to him, he relents, allows Catherine and Lefebvre to stay together, and blesses the marriage of Adhèmar and Renée.
Act 2
Act 3
magazine found the musical "well-balanced", although the action was "somewhat hindered" by the interpolated numbers. Everybody's magazine declared that the music of Ivan Caryll has dignity and value and real melody with breadth and colour." The New York Times
wrote that "From start to finish the whole piece went with a swing which delighted and held the audience."
Comic opera
Comic opera denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending.Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a new operatic genre, opera buffa, emerged as an alternative to opera seria...
in three acts, set in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, with music by Ivan Caryll
Ivan Caryll
Félix Marie Henri Tilkin , better known by his pen name Ivan Caryll, was a Belgian composer of operettas and Edwardian musical comedies in the English language...
and a book and lyrics by Henry Hamilton
Henry Hamilton (playwright)
Henry Hamilton was an English playwright, lyricist, and critic. He is best remembered for his musical theatre pieces....
, based on the play Madame Sans-Gêne
Madame Sans-Gêne
Madame Sans-Gêne may refer to:*Marie-Thérèse Figueur , French female soldier*Cathérine Hübscher, wife of Marshal of France François Joseph Lefebvre, whose life has been dramatised in:...
by Victorien Sardou
Victorien Sardou
Victorien Sardou was a French dramatist. He is best remembered today for his development, along with Eugène Scribe, of the well-made play...
and Emile Moreau
Émile Moreau
Émile Moreau was a French playwright and screenwriter. In co-operation with Victorien Sardou, he wrote the plays Madame Sans-Gêne and Cleopatre . He also wrote the play Les Amours de la reine Élisabeth, and the script for its film adaptation, and was one of the co-founders of the Indian...
. Additional lyrics by Adrian Ross
Adrian Ross
For the NFL player see Adrian Ross Arthur Reed Ropes , 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...
. The story concerns Napoleon I
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
and a laundress, Catherine Üpscher, who marries Marshal Lefebvre and becomes a Duchess.
The opera was first produced in London at the Lyric Theatre
Lyric Theatre (London)
The Lyric Theatre is a West End theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster.Designed by architect C. J. Phipps, it was built by producer Henry Leslie with profits from the Alfred Cellier and B. C. Stephenson hit, Dorothy, which he transferred from the Prince of Wales Theatre to open...
in 1903 and ran for 236 performances. Subsequently, it enjoyed a successful New York production and other productions around the world, and was revived in London and performed regularly by amateur theatre groups, particularly in Britain, until the 1950s.
Background
Comic opera
Comic opera denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending.Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a new operatic genre, opera buffa, emerged as an alternative to opera seria...
s early in his career, Caryll became extraordinarily successful in the 1890s, writing the music to hit musical comedies
Edwardian Musical Comedy
Edwardian musical comedies were British musical theatre shows from the period between the early 1890s, when the Gilbert and Sullivan operas' dominance had ended, until the rise of the American musicals by Jerome Kern, Rodgers and Hart, George Gershwin and Cole Porter following World War I.Between...
produced by George Edwardes
George Edwardes
George Joseph Edwardes was an English theatre manager of Irish ancestry who brought a new era in musical theatre to the British stage and beyond....
, including The Shop Girl
The Shop Girl
The Shop Girl was a musical comedy in two acts written by H. J. W. Dam, with Lyrics by Dam and Adrian Ross and music by Ivan Caryll, and additional numbers by Lionel Monckton and Ross. It was first produced by George Edwardes at the Gaiety Theatre in London, opening on 24 November 1894...
(1894), The Gay Parisienne
The Gay Parisienne
This article is about the musical. For the French film that translates as "The Girl from Paris", see Une hirondelle a fait le printempsThe Gay Parisienne is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts with a libretto by George Dance. It premiered at the Opera House in Northampton, England, in October...
(1896), The Circus Girl
The Circus Girl
The Circus Girl is a musical comedy in two acts by James T. Tanner and Walter Apllant , with lyrics by Harry Greenbank and Adrian Ross, music by Ivan Caryll, and additional music by Lionel Monckton....
(1896), The Girl from Paris (1897) and A Runaway Girl
A Runaway Girl
A Runaway Girl is a musical comedy in two acts written in 1898 by Seymour Hicks and Harry Nicholls. The composer was Ivan Caryll, with additional music by Lionel Monckton and lyrics by Aubrey Hopwood and Harry Greenbank...
(1898). After the turn of the century, he continued to write some of the most successful musical comedy scores of the era, including The Messenger Boy
The Messenger Boy
The Messenger Boy is a musical comedy in two acts by James T. Tanner and Alfred Murray, lyrics by Adrian Ross and Percy Greenbank, with music by Ivan Caryll and Lionel Monckton, with additional numbers by Paul Rubens. The story concerned a rascally financier who tries to discredit a rival in love...
(1900), The Toreador
The Toreador
The Toreador is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts by James T. Tanner and Harry Nicholls, with lyrics by Adrian Ross and Percy Greenbank and music by Ivan Caryll and Lionel Monckton. It opened at the Gaiety Theatre in London, managed by George Edwardes, on 17 June 1901 and ran for an...
(1901), The Girl From Kays
The Girl from Kays
The Girl from Kays is an English musical comedy with music by Ivan Caryll, Paul Rubens, Wilhelm Meyer Lutz and Edward Jones, book by Cecil Cook and lyrics by Adrian Ross and Claude Aveling...
(1902), The Earl and the Girl
The Earl and the Girl
The Earl and the Girl is a musical comedy in two acts by Seymour Hicks, with lyrics by Percy Greenbank and music by Ivan Caryll. It was produced by William Greet and opened at the Adelphi Theatre in London on 10 December 1903. It transferred to the Lyric Theatre on 12 September 1904, running for...
(1903) and The Orchid
The Orchid
The Orchid is a musical play in two acts by James T. Tanner, with lyrics by Adrian Ross and Percy Greenbank and music by Ivan Caryll and Lionel Monckton and additional numbers by Paul Rubens. It opened at Gaiety Theatre in London on 26 October 1903 and ran for 559 performances. It starred Gertie...
(1903). With The Duchess of Dantzic, he turned back to comic opera. Although the piece met with success, it was not the kind of blockbuster hit that the above-mentioned musical comedies were.
The musical adaptation followed a celebrated production of an English version of the original French play, translated by J. Comyns Carr
J. Comyns Carr
Joseph William Comyns Carr was an English drama and art critic, gallery director, author, poet, playwright and theatre manager....
and starring Henry Irving
Henry Irving
Sir Henry Irving , born John Henry Brodribb, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility for season after season at the Lyceum Theatre, establishing himself and his company as...
and Ellen Terry
Ellen Terry
Dame Ellen Terry, GBE was an English stage actress who became the leading Shakespearean actress in Britain. Among the members of her famous family is her great nephew, John Gielgud....
. The original production of The Duchess of Dantzic, produced by Edwardes, opened at the Lyric Theatre
Lyric Theatre (London)
The Lyric Theatre is a West End theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster.Designed by architect C. J. Phipps, it was built by producer Henry Leslie with profits from the Alfred Cellier and B. C. Stephenson hit, Dorothy, which he transferred from the Prince of Wales Theatre to open...
in London on 17 October 1903 and ran for 236 performances. It was directed by Robert Courtneidge
Robert Courtneidge
Robert Courtneidge was a British theatrical manager-producer and playwright. He is best remembered as the co-author of the light opera Tom Jones and the producer of The Arcadians...
, choreographed by Willie Warde
Willie Warde
Willie Warde was an English actor, dancer, singer and choreographer. The son of a dancer, his first theatre work was with a dance company. He was engaged to arrange dances for London productions and was later cast as a comic actor in musical theatre...
and had scenery by Joseph Harker and costumes by Percy Anderson
Percy Anderson
Percy Anderson was an English stage designer and painter, best known for his work for the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree's company at His Majesty’s Theatre and Edwardian musical comedies.-Life and career:...
. The score was generally admired, although called old-fashioned.
The original New York production at Daly's Theatre ran from 16 January 1905 to 15 April 1905 for a total of 93 performances. The production was directed by Holbrook Blinn
Holbrook Blinn
Holbrook Blinn was an American actor, born in San Francisco. He appeared on the legitimate stage as a child, and played throughout the United States and in London. He appeared in silent films, and was the director of popular one-act plays at New York's Princess Theatre.In 1900, he appeared in...
and choreographed by Warde with the Anderson costumes. The cast consisted mostly of the London players, including Adrienne Augarde as Renée, Holbrook Blinn
Holbrook Blinn
Holbrook Blinn was an American actor, born in San Francisco. He appeared on the legitimate stage as a child, and played throughout the United States and in London. He appeared in silent films, and was the director of popular one-act plays at New York's Princess Theatre.In 1900, he appeared in...
as Napoleon I, Evie Greene
Evie Greene
Edith Elizabeth Greene was a much-photographed English actress and singer who played in Edwardian musical comedies in London and on Broadway. She is most notable for starring as Dolores, the central character in the international hit musical Florodora...
as Catherine, and Courtice Pounds
Courtice Pounds
Charles Courtice Pounds , better known by the stage name Courtice Pounds, was an English singer and actor known for his performances in the tenor roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and his later roles in Shakespeare plays and Edwardian musical comedies.As a young member...
as Papillon.
J.C. Williamson produced the piece in Australia. A 1932 London revival starring Frank Cellier
Frank Cellier (actor)
Frank Cellier was an English actor. Early in his career, he toured in Britain, Germany, the West Indies, America and South Africa. In the 1920s, he became known in the West End for Shakespearean character roles, among others, and also directed some plays in which he acted...
ran from 26 April to 20 May.
Roles and original cast
Act I (1792)- Catherine Üpscher (Known as "La Sans-Gêne") – Evie GreeneEvie GreeneEdith Elizabeth Greene was a much-photographed English actress and singer who played in Edwardian musical comedies in London and on Broadway. She is most notable for starring as Dolores, the central character in the international hit musical Florodora...
- Lisette, Jeanne, Mathilde, Babette (Laundresses) – Claire Greet, Dorothy Tremblett, Mea Winfred and E. Labare
- Philippe, Vicomte de Bethune – Lawrence Rea
- Captain Regnier (National Guard) – Philip H. Bracy
- Napoleon Bonaparte (Lieutenant of Artillery) – Holbrook BlinnHolbrook BlinnHolbrook Blinn was an American actor, born in San Francisco. He appeared on the legitimate stage as a child, and played throughout the United States and in London. He appeared in silent films, and was the director of popular one-act plays at New York's Princess Theatre.In 1900, he appeared in...
- Sergeant François Lefebvre (of the National Guard) – Denis O'Sullivan
- Sergeant Flageot (of the National Guard) – A. J. Evelyn
- Papillon (A Pedlar) – Courtice PoundsCourtice PoundsCharles Courtice Pounds , better known by the stage name Courtice Pounds, was an English singer and actor known for his performances in the tenor roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and his later roles in Shakespeare plays and Edwardian musical comedies.As a young member...
Acts II And III - (1807)
- Caroline Murat (Grand Duchess of Berg and Cleves, Sister of Napoleon) – Kitty GordonKitty GordonKitty Gordon was an actress both on stage and in silent film.Her first professional stage appearance was at the Princes Theatre in Bristol in 1901 in the touring production of San Toy....
- Pauline, Princess Borghese (Sister of Napoleon) – Violet Elliott
- Catherine Maréchale Lefebvre (Madame Sans-Gêne) – Evie Greene
- Renée de Saint Mézard (An Imperial Ward) – Adrienne Augarde
- Mme. De Beauffremont (of the Imperial Court) – Mabel Lorrell
- Mme. De Chatel (of the Imperial Court) – Mina Green
- Lisette (Maréchale Lefebvre's Maid) – Claire Greet
- Napoleon I (Emperor of the French) – Holbrook Blinn
- Comte de Narbonne (A Courtier) – Barry Neame
- M. D'alégre (Chamberlain to the Grand Duchess of Berg) – Philip H. Bracy
- Adhémar, Vicomte de Bethune – Lawrence Rea
- Papillon (Court Milliner) – Courtice Pounds
Synopsis
Act IAt the height of the French revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, Catherine, nicknamed Madame Sans-Gêne ("without embarrassment"), a laundress, pursues her job, unimpressed by the revolutionary comings and goings. Her fiancé, Lefebvre, is absent, taking part in the storming of the royal palace. She concentrates on her job, in the course of which she is visited by Lieutenant Napoleon Bonaparte. He is too short of money to pay his laundry bill, and touched by his description of the calls on his modest income in supporting his family she lets him off his debts and even offers him some money to help him. However, she holds on to his unpaid bill.
As soon as Bonaparte has left, a young aristocrat, Philippe de Béthune, dashes in, to seek sanctuary from a pursuing revolutionary mob. Catherine takes pity on him, and, aided by the sympathetic pedlar
Peddler
A peddler, in British English pedlar, also known as a canvasser, cheapjack, monger, or solicitor , is a travelling vendor of goods. In England, the term was mostly used for travellers hawking goods in the countryside to small towns and villages; they might also be called tinkers or gypsies...
Papillon, she hides Béthune in her bedroom. Her fiancé, Lefebvre, searches the place on behalf of the mob and publicly declares that she is not concealing anyone. Left alone he accuses her of hiding a lover. Béthune emerges from hiding to defend Catherine's honour, and Lefebvre is won over. He and Catherine help Béthune make his escape, leaving his young son and heir under their protection. Lefebvre gains a commission in the army and is appointed a lieutenant. Catherine is appointed vivandière (supplier of goods and victuals) to the regiment.
Act II
Fifteen years elapse. Bonaparte is now Emperor of the French, and all his old colleagues have been rewarded with titles and places at court. Lefebvre is now a Marshal of France, but his free-minded wife, Catherine, despite her new title of Duchess of Dantzic, not to mention her adopted son Adhèmar (Béthune's son), does not fit in with court etiquette, and Napoleon indicates to Lefebvre that he should divorce her and marry Mademoiselle Renée, whom the emperor considers more suitable. As Adhèmar is in love with Renée, he rebels against the emperor's cruel command and is arrested.
Act III
Adhèmar is liable to execution for rebellion. His pardon is dependent on his adopted parents' obeying Napoleon's orders and divorcing. Catherine confronts the emperor with the unpaid laundry bill from the days of his youthful poverty, and, reminded of her unselfish kindness to him, he relents, allows Catherine and Lefebvre to stay together, and blesses the marriage of Adhèmar and Renée.
Musical numbers
Act 1- Here you may gaze upon a bevy of beauty – Lisette, Jacqueline, Mathilde and Laundresses
- When the trumpets sound "To arms" – Soldiers
- Wine of France! – Sergeant Francoise Lefebvre and All
- Catherine Upscher, licensed laundress – Catherine Üpscher
- Are you wanting silk or satin? – Papillon and Chorus
- Fricassée (dance)
- My Sabots – Catherine
- Do You Remember? – Francoise and Catherine
- Dear Francois – Catherine Upscher, Sergeant Francoise Lefebvre, Papillon and Phillipe
- Forgive me, pray – Phillipe (New York production only)
- Finale Act I
- The tyrant is shaken – Soldiers, Mob, Laundresses and Chorus
- Aha, my boy, I give you joy – Captain Reignier
- Brothers in Arms – Catherine
- Then haste to the wedding – All
Act 2
- Old days have come again – Reignier, Pauline, Caroline Murat, Ladies and Courtiers
- When lurid terror ruled the land – Adhémar
- His Majesty orders that ladies at court – Ensemble
- You know the legend olden – Adhémar and Renée de Saint Mezard
- La Petit Caporal (Lyrics by Ross) – Renée and Chorus
- Here in big boxes we bear – Chorus
- I'm the Milliner Monarch of Paris – Papillon and Chorus
- First right, then left – Catherine and Papillon, with Chorus
- Vivat! Vivat! Imperator Salve – Entrance of Napoleon I
- La Midinette – Lisette and Chorus (New York production only)
- Finale Act II: Assent to no divorce I can – Catherine , Francois, Napoleon I, Adhemar and Courtiers
Act 3
- Mirror, in thy glass we scan – Catherine
- A real good cry together – Catherine, Renée and Babette
- Though many a happy year hath flown – Catherine and Lefebvre
- Once the lips the Bourbon owned – Ladies and Courtiers
- Menuet
- The Legend Olden – Catherine and Napoleon I
- Finale Act III: Gavotte de Vestris – All
Critical reception
PunchPunch (magazine)
Punch, or the London Charivari was a British weekly magazine of humour and satire established in 1841 by Henry Mayhew and engraver Ebenezer Landells. Historically, it was most influential in the 1840s and 50s, when it helped to coin the term "cartoon" in its modern sense as a humorous illustration...
magazine found the musical "well-balanced", although the action was "somewhat hindered" by the interpolated numbers. Everybody's magazine declared that the music of Ivan Caryll has dignity and value and real melody with breadth and colour." The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
wrote that "From start to finish the whole piece went with a swing which delighted and held the audience."