Kissing Time
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Kissing Time, an earlier version of which was titled The Girl Behind the Gun, is a musical comedy
with music by Ivan Caryll
, book and lyrics by Guy Bolton
and P.G. Wodehouse, and additional lyrics by Clifford Grey
. It is based on the 1910 play, Madame et son Filleul ("Madame and her Godson") by Maurice Hennequin, Pierre Véber
and Henry de Gorsseis. The story is set in contemporary France, with a glamorous actress at the centre of a farcical plot of imposture, intrigue and mistaken identity.
The piece ran for 160 performances on Broadway
in 1918 with its former name, and, after substantial revision, for 430 performances in London in 1919–20 as Kissing Time, to catch the post-war mood. This was followed by a touring production. The New York cast included Donald Brian
. The star-studded London cast included Stanley Holloway
, Yvonne Arnaud
, Leslie Henson
, George Grossmith, Jr.
and Phyllis Dare
.
and Henry de Gorsse. The musical opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre
in New York 16 September 1918, running until 1 February 1919, and at the Winter Garden Theatre
, London, on 20 May 1919, running until 3 July 1920. The Observer
calculated that a million people saw the show during the 13 months of its run. A touring company took the production to the British provinces, led by George Gregory and Maidie Adams.
The J.C. Williamson company toured the piece in Australia in 1920 with a company headed by Gladys Moncrieff
. In October 1920, a musical called Kissing Time, with a score by Caryll, played in New York beginning at the Lyric Theatre
, but the book was by George V. Hobart and the lyrics were by Philander Johnson, Clifford Grey and Irving Caesar
. It starred Edith Taliaferro
.
. First, her godson, Brichoux, whom she has not seen for many years; he is now the cook to a regiment of the French army. Second, her friend Lucienne Touquet. Third, Georgette's former guardian, Colonel Bolinger. Fourth, Lucienne's husband, Max Touquet, temporarily absenting himself from his military service; he is unaware that his wife is to visit Georgette, whom he hopes to interest in a play that he has written.
Max and Brichoux meet as they approach the house. To gain access, Max persuades his comrade to exchange army papers, and Georgette allows him in, believing him to be her godson. Partly in revenge for her husband's roving eye and partly because she finds Max attractive, she does not discourage his evident interest in her.
The sudden arrival of Max's wife sets off a series of impersonations and swapped identities. Max, to avoid discovery by Lucienne, shaves off his moustache and beard and continues to maintain that he is Brichoux. Lucienne is not deceived, and she retaliates by a vigorous flirtation with Colonel Bolinger. To prevent the embarrassment of Georgette's exposure, her husband, Bibi, finds himself having to pose as a servant in his own house, while the Colonel assumes Max is Georgette's husband. Max, meanwhile, has to keep silent while his real wife receives the attentions of the Colonel. The real Brichoux intermittently appears and has to be explained away.
Max, still unaware of Bibi's real identity, finds himself attending an evening event in his company. Bibi's indignation at his position breaks out continually. Eventually, Max confesses to Georgette that he is not her godson, and the chain of imposture unravels. The Colonel, finding that he has been flirting with Max's wife, hastily overlooks Max's deception and breach of military rules, and all ends happily.
Act I
Act II
on wartime service in the navy and army respectively, and reviewers devoted further space to welcoming them back. As to the show itself, The Manchester Guardian commented, "Kissing Time has a story, so that the old reproach of musical comedy cannot be made here. … Mr. Caryll's music was reminiscent of Mr. Caryll. And very nice too." The Observer
wrote of "a constant state of merriment", and praised all the principal performers, remarking on Henson's "inexhaustible humour", and describing Grossmith as "cheery, good natured, as in the old days", Phyllis Dare as "wholly delightful", and the other female leads as "charming".
Kissing Time, an earlier version of which was titled The Girl Behind the Gun, is a musical comedy
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...
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...
, book and lyrics by Guy Bolton
Guy Bolton
Guy Reginald Bolton was a British-American playwright and writer of musical comedies. Born in England and educated in France and the U.S., he trained as an architect but turned to writing. Bolton preferred working in collaboration with others, principally the English writers P. G...
and P.G. Wodehouse, and additional lyrics by Clifford Grey
Clifford Grey
Clifford Grey was an English songwriter, actor, librettist and Olympic medalist. His birth name was Percival Davis, and he was also known as Clifford Gray, Tippi Gray, Tippi Grey, Tippy Gray and Tippy Grey.As a writer, Grey contributed prolifically to West End and Broadway shows, as librettist and...
. It is based on the 1910 play, Madame et son Filleul ("Madame and her Godson") by Maurice Hennequin, Pierre Véber
Pierre Véber
Pierre-Eugène Veber was a French playwright and writer.-Theatre 1897–1910:*1897: Dix ans après, comedy in one act, with Lucien Muhlfeld, premiered in Paris at the Théâtre de l'Odéon 5 April 1897...
and Henry de Gorsseis. The story is set in contemporary France, with a glamorous actress at the centre of a farcical plot of imposture, intrigue and mistaken identity.
The piece ran for 160 performances on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in 1918 with its former name, and, after substantial revision, for 430 performances in London in 1919–20 as Kissing Time, to catch the post-war mood. This was followed by a touring production. The New York cast included Donald Brian
Donald Brian
Donald Brian was an actor, dancer and singer born St. John's, Newfoundland , at the age of eighteen was crowned "King of Broadway" by the New York Times in 1907. Brian is noted for helping President Theodore Roosevelt act more relaxed in public and teaching Frank Sinatra to dance and entertain U.S...
. The star-studded London cast included Stanley Holloway
Stanley Holloway
Stanley Augustus Holloway, OBE was an English stage and film actor, comedian, singer, poet and monologist. He was famous for his comic and character roles on stage and screen, especially that of Alfred P. Doolittle in My Fair Lady...
, Yvonne Arnaud
Yvonne Arnaud
Yvonne Arnaud was a French-born pianist, singer and actress.Germaine Yvonne Arnaud was born in 1892. She entered the Paris Conservatoire at age 9, studying piano under Alphonse Duvernoy and other teachers...
, Leslie Henson
Leslie Henson
Leslie Lincoln Henson was an English comedian, actor, producer for films and theatre, and film director. He initially worked in silent films and Edwardian musical comedy and became a popular music hall comedian who enjoyed a long stage career...
, 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...
and Phyllis Dare
Phyllis Dare
Phyllis Dare born Phyllis Constance Haddie Dones was an English singer and actress who was famous for her performances in Edwardian musical comedy and other musical theatre in the first half of the 20th century....
.
History
The plot of the musical was adapted by Bolton and Wodehouse from the 1910 play, Madame et son Filleul ("Madame and her Godson") by Maurice Hennequin, Pierre VéberPierre Véber
Pierre-Eugène Veber was a French playwright and writer.-Theatre 1897–1910:*1897: Dix ans après, comedy in one act, with Lucien Muhlfeld, premiered in Paris at the Théâtre de l'Odéon 5 April 1897...
and Henry de Gorsse. The musical opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre
New Amsterdam Theatre
The New Amsterdam Theatre is a Broadway theater located at 214 West 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in the Theatre District of Manhattan, New York City, off of Times Square...
in New York 16 September 1918, running until 1 February 1919, and at the Winter Garden Theatre
New London Theatre
The New London Theatre is a West End theatre located on the corner of Drury Lane and Parker Street in Covent Garden, in the London Borough of Camden...
, London, on 20 May 1919, running until 3 July 1920. The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
calculated that a million people saw the show during the 13 months of its run. A touring company took the production to the British provinces, led by George Gregory and Maidie Adams.
The J.C. Williamson company toured the piece in Australia in 1920 with a company headed 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:...
. In October 1920, a musical called Kissing Time, with a score by Caryll, played in New York beginning at the Lyric Theatre
Lyric Theatre (New York)
The Lyric Theatre was a prominent Broadway theatre built in 1903 in Manhattan, New York City in the 42nd Street Theatre District. It had two entrances, one at 213 West 42nd Street and another at 214-26 West 43rd Street and was one of the few New York houses that had two formal entrances. In 1934,...
, but the book was by George V. Hobart and the lyrics were by Philander Johnson, Clifford Grey and Irving Caesar
Irving Caesar
Irving Caesar was an American lyricist and theater composer who wrote lyrics for "Swanee," "Sometimes I'm Happy," "Crazy Rhythm," and "Tea for Two," one of the most frequently recorded tunes ever written. He was born and died in New York.Caesar, the son of Morris Keiser, a Romanian Jew, was...
. It starred Edith Taliaferro
Edith Taliaferro
Edith Taliaferro was a popular Broadway actress of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was active on the stage until 1935 and she had roles in three silent films. She is best known for her 1913 performance in Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm...
.
Roles and London cast
- Captain Wentworth – Stanley HollowayStanley HollowayStanley Augustus Holloway, OBE was an English stage and film actor, comedian, singer, poet and monologist. He was famous for his comic and character roles on stage and screen, especially that of Alfred P. Doolittle in My Fair Lady...
- Georgette St. Pol – Yvonne ArnaudYvonne ArnaudYvonne Arnaud was a French-born pianist, singer and actress.Germaine Yvonne Arnaud was born in 1892. She entered the Paris Conservatoire at age 9, studying piano under Alphonse Duvernoy and other teachers...
- Lady Mercia Merivale – Isabel JeansIsabel JeansIsabel Jeans was an English stage and film actress known for her roles in several Alfred Hitchcock films, among others.-Career:...
- Zelie – Avice Kelham
- Bibi St. Pol – Leslie HensonLeslie HensonLeslie Lincoln Henson was an English comedian, actor, producer for films and theatre, and film director. He initially worked in silent films and Edwardian musical comedy and became a popular music hall comedian who enjoyed a long stage career...
- Brichoux – George Barrett
- Max Touquet – 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...
- Lucienne Touquet – Phyllis DarePhyllis DarePhyllis Dare born Phyllis Constance Haddie Dones was an English singer and actress who was famous for her performances in Edwardian musical comedy and other musical theatre in the first half of the 20th century....
- Colonel Bolinger – Tom WallsTom WallsTom Kirby Walls was a popular English stage and motion-pictures character actor, and film director. He has claim to be one of the most influential figures in British comedy.-Early career:...
Synopsis
Four people are separately travelling to visit the glamorous actress Georgette St. Pol at her country house at FontainebleauFontainebleau
Fontainebleau is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the arrondissement of Fontainebleau...
. First, her godson, Brichoux, whom she has not seen for many years; he is now the cook to a regiment of the French army. Second, her friend Lucienne Touquet. Third, Georgette's former guardian, Colonel Bolinger. Fourth, Lucienne's husband, Max Touquet, temporarily absenting himself from his military service; he is unaware that his wife is to visit Georgette, whom he hopes to interest in a play that he has written.
Max and Brichoux meet as they approach the house. To gain access, Max persuades his comrade to exchange army papers, and Georgette allows him in, believing him to be her godson. Partly in revenge for her husband's roving eye and partly because she finds Max attractive, she does not discourage his evident interest in her.
The sudden arrival of Max's wife sets off a series of impersonations and swapped identities. Max, to avoid discovery by Lucienne, shaves off his moustache and beard and continues to maintain that he is Brichoux. Lucienne is not deceived, and she retaliates by a vigorous flirtation with Colonel Bolinger. To prevent the embarrassment of Georgette's exposure, her husband, Bibi, finds himself having to pose as a servant in his own house, while the Colonel assumes Max is Georgette's husband. Max, meanwhile, has to keep silent while his real wife receives the attentions of the Colonel. The real Brichoux intermittently appears and has to be explained away.
Max, still unaware of Bibi's real identity, finds himself attending an evening event in his company. Bibi's indignation at his position breaks out continually. Eventually, Max confesses to Georgette that he is not her godson, and the chain of imposture unravels. The Colonel, finding that he has been flirting with Max's wife, hastily overlooks Max's deception and breach of military rules, and all ends happily.
Musical numbers
The musical numbers in the London production were as follows:Act I
- No. 1 - Chorus of Girls, with Capt. Wentworth - "Here's another godson, girls, we found him in the street; he belongs to us."
- No. 2 - Georgette and Chorus - "Godmothers who are as young and fair as you must be circumspect"
- No. 3 - Bibi and Chorus - "Ever since I owned a car, with the girls I'm popular"
- No. 4 - Georgette, Max and Bibi - "When far from the din of the battle, our heroes come home for a rest"
- No. 5 - Lucienne and Chorus - "Tho' weary and dreary life seems today, and tho' the man I love is far away"
- No. 6 - Max - "You wouldn't call me fickle, I've too much sense of duty, but corn before the sickle is my attitude to beauty."
- No. 7 - Georgette, Colonel, Max and Bibi - "So many, who have married unhappily, you meet, that when you see a couple so devoted, it's a treat..."
- No. 8 - Lucienne and Bibi - "Love I fear is very complex, most find once they begin it."
- No. 9 - Finale Act I - "I've just come back from Paris to spend a week at home"
Act II
- No. 10 - Chorus - "Wouldn't you like us all to help you?"
- No. 11 - Georgette, Colonel and Max - "Oh, how wonderful 'twould be, you must agree"
- No. 12 - Bibi - "Gosh! women are the hardest propositions!"
- No. 13 - Lucienne and Max - "Joan and Peter met one night and thought they'd take the floor."
- No. 14 - Company - "Some day never forget I may marry you yet"
- No. 15 - Lucienne - "Won't you tell me 'love' in your realm above"
- No. 16 - Dance - "The Hudson Belle"
- No. 17 - Georgette and Chorus - "When I play in Paris the fellows I know, all are crazy, don't know why"
- No. 18 - Lucienne and Max - "Since first, my dear, I met you"
- No. 19 - Finale Act II - "There's a light in your eyes, on your lips there's a smile"
Critical reception
For the London opening at the new Winter Garden Theatre, reviewers devoted up to half their allotted column-space to remarks about the interior of the new building. Moreover, the two male leads, Grossmith and Henson, had both been away from the West EndWest End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
on wartime service in the navy and army respectively, and reviewers devoted further space to welcoming them back. As to the show itself, The Manchester Guardian commented, "Kissing Time has a story, so that the old reproach of musical comedy cannot be made here. … Mr. Caryll's music was reminiscent of Mr. Caryll. And very nice too." The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
wrote of "a constant state of merriment", and praised all the principal performers, remarking on Henson's "inexhaustible humour", and describing Grossmith as "cheery, good natured, as in the old days", Phyllis Dare as "wholly delightful", and the other female leads as "charming".
External links
- The Girl Behind the Gun at the IBDB database
- Kissing Time at the IBDB database
- Links to midi files and cast list of Kissing Time in London