Chris and the Wonderful Lamp
Encyclopedia
Chris and the Wonderful Lamp is an operetta
in four acts by John Philip Sousa
with libretto and song lyrics by Glen MacDonough
(best remembered as the librettist for Victor Herbert's
Babes in Toyland
). Of the nine operettas that Sousa wrote between 1885 and 1909, Chris and the Wonderful Lamp is number 7, chronologically. It was composed in 1899 and was based on a popular book of the same name by Albert Stearns, and retells the story of a young man from Connecticut who buys Aladdin’s lamp at an auction and employs the genie to help him see his love, Fanny, who is sequestered in a school for girls. (Stearns later wrote the script for a 1917 film of the same name, based on his story.) Sousa's Chris... is the only one of his operettas specifically written to appeal to children, was immediately popular, and has remained in the repertoire even today, undergoing periodic revivals.
Chris and the Wonderful Lamp was first produced at the Hyperion Theatre in New Haven, beginning on October 23, 1899. After this tryout, it moved to Oscar Hammerstein's
Victoria Theater in New York, opening on January 1, 1900. where it ran for 58 performances. The cast featured Jerome Sykes and Edna Wallace Hopper
. Reviews of the opening were extraordinarily favorable. The World (New York) (January 2, 1900) said: “Chris and the Wonderful Lamp did miracles at Hammersteins Victoria last night...[it] will be a huge success. Everything in it is good...Sousa did not spare his muse in its composition, nor Hammerstein his money in its production.”
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 four acts by John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era, known particularly for American military and patriotic marches. Because of his mastery of march composition, he is known as "The March King" or the "American March King" due to his British counterpart Kenneth J....
with libretto and song lyrics by Glen MacDonough
Glen MacDonough
Glen MacDonough was a US American writer, lyricist and librettist. He was the son of theater manager Thomas B. MacDonough and actress/author Laura Don...
(best remembered as the librettist for Victor Herbert's
Victor Herbert
Victor August Herbert was an Irish-born, German-raised American composer, cellist and conductor. Although Herbert enjoyed important careers as a cello soloist and conductor, he is best known for composing many successful operettas that premiered on Broadway from the 1890s to World War I...
Babes in Toyland
Babes in Toyland
Babes in Toyland may refer to:* Babes in Toyland , an American punk rock band* Babes in Toyland , a 1903 operetta by Victor Herbert* Babes in Toyland , a musical comedy starring Laurel and Hardy...
). Of the nine operettas that Sousa wrote between 1885 and 1909, Chris and the Wonderful Lamp is number 7, chronologically. It was composed in 1899 and was based on a popular book of the same name by Albert Stearns, and retells the story of a young man from Connecticut who buys Aladdin’s lamp at an auction and employs the genie to help him see his love, Fanny, who is sequestered in a school for girls. (Stearns later wrote the script for a 1917 film of the same name, based on his story.) Sousa's Chris... is the only one of his operettas specifically written to appeal to children, was immediately popular, and has remained in the repertoire even today, undergoing periodic revivals.
Chris and the Wonderful Lamp was first produced at the Hyperion Theatre in New Haven, beginning on October 23, 1899. After this tryout, it moved to Oscar Hammerstein's
Oscar Hammerstein I
Oscar Hammerstein I was a businessman, theater impresario and composer in New York City. His passion for opera led him to open several opera houses, and he rekindled opera's popularity in America...
Victoria Theater in New York, opening on January 1, 1900. where it ran for 58 performances. The cast featured Jerome Sykes and Edna Wallace Hopper
Edna Wallace Hopper
Edna Wallace Hopper , was an American actress on stage and in silent films.- Early life :Born Edna Wallace in San Francisco, California to Waller Wallace and Josephine...
. Reviews of the opening were extraordinarily favorable. The World (New York) (January 2, 1900) said: “Chris and the Wonderful Lamp did miracles at Hammersteins Victoria last night...[it] will be a huge success. Everything in it is good...Sousa did not spare his muse in its composition, nor Hammerstein his money in its production.”