The Fortune Teller (operetta)

The Fortune Teller (operetta)

Infobox Musical
name= The Fortune Teller
subtitle=


caption=
music= Victor Herbert
lyrics= Harry B. Smith
book= Harry B. Smith
basis=
productions= 1898 Broadway
1929 Broadway revival
awards=

"The Fortune Teller" is an operetta in three acts written by Victor Herbert, with a libretto by Harry B. Smith. After a brief tryout in Toronto, it premiered on Broadway on September 26 1898 at Wallack's Theatre and ran for 40 performances. It was revived on November 4 1929 at Jolson's 59th Street Theatre and ran for 16 performances.

Herbert wrote his sixth operetta for prima donna Alice Nielsen and her newly formed Alice Nielsen Opera Company. Nielsen having earned widespread praise in "The Serenade", requested and received not one but three roles in "The Fortune Teller". The story is set in Hungary and involves Irma, an heiress from Budapest, who is studying for the ballet. Irma is in love with a young Hussar captain but is being forced to marry the silly Count Barezowski. When a gypsy fortune teller, Musette, arrives, she is mistaken for Irma, a case of mistaken identity that fosters many complications.

Songs include the famous "Gypsy Love Song," ('Slumber on, my little gypsy sweetheart') and "Romany Life."

Roles and original cast

*Musette, a fortune teller* - Alice Nielsen
*Captain Ladislas, a Hussar - Frank Rushworth
*Fresco, a dance master (trouser role) - Richard Golden
*Count Berezowski, a composer of no renown - Joseph W. Herbert
*Irma, a ballet student* - Alice Nielsen
*Mlle Pompon, a fading prima donna - Marguerite Sylva
*Fedor, Irma's twin brother* - Alice Nielsen
*Sandor, a gypsy leader - Eugene Cowles
*Irene, Trina and Ruth, ballet students
*Corporal, a Hussar
*Chorus

The roles marked with an asterisk (*) are all played by the same woman.

Musical numbers

;Act 1
*Always Do as People Say You Should endash Musette and Ladies Chorus
*Hungaria's Hussars endash Captain Ladislas and Hussars
*Ho! Ye Townsmen endash Sandor
*Romany Life endash Musette, Sandor, Vaninka, Boris, Rafael and Chorus
*Czardas endash ;Act 2
*Signor Monsieur Moldoni endash Fresco and Chorus
*The Serenade of All Nations endash Musette, Count Berezowski, Fresco, Boris and Mixed Chorus
*Gypsy Love Song (Slumber On, My Little Gypsy Sweetheart) endash Sandor, Musette and Chorus
*Only in the Play endash Mlle. Pompom and Captain Ladislas ;Act 3
*Gypsy Jan endash Sandor and Chorus
*The Power of the Human Eye endash Boris and Count Berezowski
*The Lily and the Nightingale endash Musette

References

* [http://www.musicalheaven.com/Detailed/1742.html Information from Musical Heaven]

External links

* [http://www.ibdb.com/show.asp?ID=3683 "The Fortune Teller"] at the Internet Broadway Database
* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0DEFD91F3EF936A1575AC0A960948260 NY Times review of a 1986 production]
* [http://www.pdmusic.org/herbert.html Midi files, including two from "The Fortune Teller"]
* [http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mgillett/coghome.htm Information about an upcoming 2008 production of "The Fortune Teller"]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Fortune teller (disambiguation) — A fortune teller is someone who practices fortune telling, but the term may also refer to: Fine arts * The Fortune Teller , an operetta with music by Victor Herbert * The Fortune Teller , a painting by Caravaggio * The Fortune Teller , a painting …   Wikipedia

  • The Muny Repertory — The Muny, or the Municipal Opera Association of St. Louis, Missouri, in the United States, is a not for profit municipally owned outdoor theatre, the largest in the United States. It operates solely in the summer, and its first official season… …   Wikipedia

  • operetta —    The term operetta derives from French, German, and Italian sources, but in common usage it suggests a small or light opera. In America, operetta gained popularity when Jacques Offenbach s opéra bouffe works first appeared in the 1860s and, in… …   The Historical Dictionary of the American Theater

  • Operetta for the Theatre Organ — Studio album by Leonard MacClain Released …   Wikipedia

  • The opera corpus — is a list of nearly 2,500 works by more than 775 individual opera composers. Some of the works listed below are still being performed today   but many are not. The principal works of the major composers are given as well as those of historical… …   Wikipedia

  • The Wizard of Oz (1939 film) — The Wizard of Oz Theatrical release poster Directed by Victor Fleming Uncredited: Norman Taurog Richard Thorpe …   Wikipedia

  • Rose Marie (operetta) — Infobox Musical name =Rose Marie image size =230px caption =Sheet music cover music =Rudolf Friml and Herbert Stothart lyrics =Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein II book =Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein II productions =1924 Broadway 1925 West… …   Wikipedia

  • Harry B. Smith — Infobox Writer name = Harry B. Smith imagesize = caption = pseudonym = birthdate = birth date|1860|12|28 birthplace = Buffalo, New York deathdate = death date and age|1936|01|02|1860|12|28 deathplace = Atlantic City, New Jersey occupation =… …   Wikipedia

  • Musical theatre — The Black Crook (1866), considered by some historians to be the first musical[1] Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – …   Wikipedia

  • Victor Herbert — This article is about the musician (1859 1924). For the hematologist (1927 2002), see Victor Herbert (hematologist). Victor Herbert Victor August Herbert (February 1, 1859 – May 26, 1924) was an Irish born, German raised American composer,… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”