The Orchid - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Orchid is a musical play

Musical theatre

Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...

in two acts by James T. Tanner

James T. Tanner

James Tolman Tanner was an English stage director and dramatist who wrote many of the successful musicals produced by George Edwardes.-Life and career:...

, with 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...

and Percy Greenbank

Percy Greenbank

Percy Greenbank was an English lyricist, best known for his contribution of lyrics to a number of successful Edwardian musical comedies in the early years of the 20th century. His older brother, lyricist Harry Greenbank, had a brilliant career in the 1890s that was cut short by his death at the...

and 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 Lionel Monckton

Lionel Monckton

Lionel John Alexander Monckton was an English writer and composer of musical theatre. He was Britain's most popular musical theatre composer of the early years of the 20th century.-Early life:...

and additional numbers by Paul Rubens

Paul Rubens (composer)

Paul Alfred Rubens was an English songwriter and librettist who wrote some of the most popular Edwardian musical comedies of the early twentieth century. He contributed to the success of dozens of musicals....

. It opened at Gaiety Theatre

Gaiety Theatre, London

The Gaiety Theatre, London was a West End theatre in London, located on Aldwych at the eastern end of the Strand. The theatre was established as the Strand Musick Hall , in 1864 on the former site of the Lyceum Theatre. It was rebuilt several times, but closed from the beginning of World War II...

in London on 26 October 1903 and ran for 559 performances. It starred Gertie Millar

Gertie Millar

Gertrude "Gertie" Millar was one of the most famous English singer-actresses of the early 20th century, known for her performances in Edwardian musical comedies....

, Gabrielle Ray

Gabrielle Ray

Gabrielle Ray , was an English stage actress, dancer and singer, best known for her roles in Edwardian musical comedies....

, Harry Grattan

Harry Grattan

Harry Grattan was a British stage actor, singer, dancer and writer best known for his performances in musical comedies around 1900.- Life and career :...

, Edmund Payne

Edmund Payne

Edmund Payne , was an actor, comedian, singer and dramatist best known for his comic appearances in Edwardian Musical Comedy. His father was Edmund Payne, a master cabinet builder and his mother was Eliza Payne née Ince....

and George Grossmith, Jr.

George Grossmith, Jr.

George Grossmith, Jr. was a British actor, theatre producer and manager, director, playwright and songwriter, best remembered for his work in and with Edwardian musical comedies...

The show also had a successful Broadway run, revivals and a U.S. tour.

The Orchid was the first show played in the renovated Gaiety Theatre. King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra were both there for the opening night.

Some of the show's successful songs were "Liza Ann", "Little Mary", "Pushful", and "Fancy Dress".

Synopsis

The story concerns the quest of a wealthy American for a $2,000 Peruvian orchid to be sent, for obscure reasons, to Nice, France. When foul play keeps the flower from reaching its destination, it is discovered that a nearly identical orchid is growing in the garden of the horticultural college.

Roles and original cast

Lady Violet Anstruther (principal pupil at the horticultural college) – Gertie Millar
Gertie Millar
Gertrude "Gertie" Millar was one of the most famous English singer-actresses of the early 20th century, known for her performances in Edwardian musical comedies....
Caroline Twining (of a matrimonial turn) – Connie Ediss
Zelie Rumbert (an adventuress) – Hilda Jacobsen
Thisbe (private secretary to Mr. Chesterton) – Gabrielle Ray
Gabrielle Ray
Gabrielle Ray , was an English stage actress, dancer and singer, best known for her roles in Edwardian musical comedies....
Countess Anstruther (Violet's mother) – Phyllis Blair
Billy (Dr. Fausset's "Buttons") – Lydia West
Lady Warden (of the horticultural college) – Gertrude Aylward
Josephine Zaccary (pupil teacher at the horticultural college) – Ethel Sydney
The Hon. Guy Scrymgeour (Mr. Chesterton's nephew) – George Grossmith, Jr.
George Grossmith, Jr.
George Grossmith, Jr. was a British actor, theatre producer and manager, director, playwright and songwriter, best remembered for his work in and with Edwardian musical comedies...
Dr. Ronald Fausset (a country practitioner) – Lionel Mackinder
Mr. Aubrey Chesterton (Minister Of Commerce, and Guy's uncle) – Harry Grattan
Harry Grattan
Harry Grattan was a British stage actor, singer, dancer and writer best known for his performances in musical comedies around 1900.- Life and career :...
Comte Raoul De Cassignat (of the Quai d'Orsay) – Robert Nainby
Zaccary (a professional orchid hunter) – Fred Wright, junr.
M. Frontenbras, M. Merignac (Comte Raoul's seconds) – George Gregory and Charles A. Brown
Registrar – Arthur Hatherton
Master Of Ceremonies – Will Bishop
M. D'auville (French minister of state) – H. Lewis
Meakin (gardener at the horticultural college) – Edmund Payne
Edmund Payne
Edmund Payne , was an actor, comedian, singer and dramatist best known for his comic appearances in Edwardian Musical Comedy. His father was Edmund Payne, a master cabinet builder and his mother was Eliza Payne née Ince....
Debutantes

Musical numbers

ACT I – The Countess of Barwick's Horticultural College

No. 1 – Opening Chorus – "This high horticultural college is formed with the excellent plan..."
No. 2 – Song – Thisbe & Chorus – "A statesman in the Cabinet wants plenty of assistance..."
No. 3 – Song – Jo & Chorus – "If I could be a girl in high society, whose pedigree included a peer or two..."
No. 4 – Song – Meakin & Chorus – "You amateurs who try to run a garden..."
No. 5 – Quintet – Jo, Lady Violet, Guy, Ronald & Meakin – "For a stylish and up-to-date wedding..."
No. 6 – Chorus & Scene (with Débutantes) – "Come! come! come! Come for confidential talks in the arbours and the walks..."
No. 7 – Song – Chesterton & Chorus – "From the start of my existence I was noted for persistence..."
No. 8 – Quartet – Lady Violet, Jo, Guy & Ronald – "Our marriage lines! our marriage lines! The magic in those simple signs..."
No. 9 – Duet – Caroline & Meakin – "The cuckoo is calling aloud to his mate, the turtle dove coos in its nest..."
No. 10 – Chorus – "Now the speechifying's done, and the prizes we have won have been given for our labour and invention..."
No. 11 – Song – Zaccary & Chorus – "I've travelled far where panthers are that jump on you and catch you! ..."
No. 12 – Song – Caroline & Chorus – "I was tired of living single, never putting up the banns..."
No. 13 – Finale Act I – "What a most romantic history! Solving all the recent mystery! Violet has played the run-away..."

ACT II – Various locations in Nice: Black Massena, Promenade des Anglais, & Interior of the Opera House

No. 14 – Opening Chorus – "Up and down, over the town, motley and merriment speed along..."
No. 14a – Pas de Trois
No. 15 – Song – Caroline & Chorus – "I've a passion for fancy dress, more or less! ..."
No. 16 – Song – Lady Violet & Chorus – "There's a certain little lady who's already known to fame as Little Mary..."
No. 17 – Duet – Guy & Meakin – "We're true British labourers honest and free, but, alas, we are both unemployed..."
No. 18 – Song – Zaccary & Chorus – "I'm monarch of many a million, especially put in francs..."
No. 19 – Duet – Ronald & Jo – "I never was so thoroughly wretched and sad in all my life..."
No. 20 – Song – Lady Violet & Zaccary – "There's a Yorkshire town, very bleak and brown, where your life is not too gay..."
No. 21 – Song – Guy – "There's a charming little lady who's a patron of the play..."
No. 22 – Song – Jo – "I've been waiting for some sort of sign that you want this little heart of mine..."
No. 23 – Chorus – "We are going to the Ball all in white..."
No. 24 – Song – Thisbe – "There's a girl I want you all to know, Rose-a-Rubie is her name..."
No. 25 – Octet – "Oh dear! have you heard of it? There's a ball we ought to see..."
No. 26 – Chorus – Bal Blanc – "Carnival is nearly ended, now we drop our colours splendid..."
No. 27 – Duet – Jo & Guy, with Chorus – "When I go to a ball, although I'm the keenest of the dancers..."
No. 28 – Song – Lady Violet & Chorus – "When I was extremely small, only three or four..."
No. 29 – Song – Ronald – "There are lots of fellows in the world today, but ther're very few about like me..."
No. 30 – Finale Act II – "At the fancy, fancy ball, happiness has come to all..."

External links

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