The Girl in the Taxi
Encyclopedia
The Girl in the Taxi is the English-language adaptation by Frederick Fenn and Arthur Wimperis
of the operetta
Die keusche Susanne
(1910 in Magdeburg), with music by Jean Gilbert
. The German original had a libretto
by Georg Okonkowski. The story begins with a man and a woman, both married, who flag the same taxi and then decide to share it, as they have the same restaurant destination. Various naughty supper rendezvous, and much hiding under tables or behind screens, ensue.
The musical opened at the Lyric Theatre
in London, produced by Philip Michael Faraday
, on 5 September 1912 and ran for 385 performances. It starred Yvonne Arnaud
as Suzanne, Arthur Playfair
as Baron Dauvray, and Charles H. Workman
as M. Pomarel. B. W. Findon, writing in The Play Pictorial
called this "The merriest of musical farces" The piece toured internationally, including a production by J. C. Williamson
's opera company in Australasia in 1915, starring Workman.
Film versions were made in 1921 (an American film) and in 1937
(a British film). The show was adapted back into French by Mars and Desvallières and produced in Paris and then Lyon
in 1913 as La chaste Suzanne. It was also successful in South America in Italian (La casta Susana) and in Spanish (La chasta Suzanna).
Mme Pomarel is an old flame of Réné and has agreed to have supper with him, but Hubert, who is much smitten by her, has persuaded Réné to let him take his place. The Baron, dining with Mme Charcot, has to hide under his table to avoid his wife. Pomarel arrives, quite tipsy, and greets Hubert. He does not suspect that the lady who has concealed herself behind a curtain, and whose outstretched hand he kisses with bibulous gallantry, is his own wife. Hubert does not have sufficient funds to pay the bill. In the ensuing flurry, the Baron discovers to his delight that his son is as immoral as he. Everyone narrowly avoids detection by his or her proper partner.
Unfortunately for the errant men and women, the head waiter of the restaurant has been engaged as butler by Baroness Dauvray. All the main characters are present at breakfast at the Baron's house the next morning. They are horrified that the new butler knows everything about their escapades of the previous evening. In order to avoid being recognised by him, the Baron, Hubert and Réné all try to get under the table at the same time. In the end they manage to convince Pomarel that all the confusion was his fault for coming to the restaurant drunk. He apologises, and everyone is safe.
took a dim view of the morality of the piece:
The paper thought much more highly of the farcical scenes in Act 3, "which gave us some of the 'knock-about' business which we hope to find funny till we die". The paper singled out the newcomer, Yvonne Arnaud
, for special praise.
The Manchester Guardian expressed no moral qualms about the piece and thought the themes of the plot were handled tactfully and amusingly. It too singled out Arnaud for praise. It called the music "tuneful and scored with refinement, if not very original. There is a waltz of which (as the audience was whistling it before the play was half finished) we shall probably have a surfeit." The Academy thought the piece "gay, sportive and irresponsible … a delightful structure, an alluring entertainment".
Arthur Wimperis
Arthur Harold Wimperis was an English illustrator, playwright, lyricist and Academy Award-winning screenwriter....
of the operetta
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:...
Die keusche Susanne
Die keusche Susanne
Die keusche Susanne is an operetta in three acts by Jean Gilbert. The German libretto was by Georg Okonkowski, based on the play Le fils à papa by Antony Mars and Maurice Desvallières. Jean Gilbert's son, Robert Gilbert prepared a revised version in 1953.-Performance history:It was first performed...
(1910 in Magdeburg), with music by Jean Gilbert
Jean Gilbert
Jean Gilbert was a German operetta composer and conductor. His real name was Max Winterfeld. He adopted the name of Jean Gilbert for the production of his first operetta in 1901.Gilbert was born in Hamburg...
. The German original had a libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by Georg Okonkowski. The story begins with a man and a woman, both married, who flag the same taxi and then decide to share it, as they have the same restaurant destination. Various naughty supper rendezvous, and much hiding under tables or behind screens, ensue.
The musical 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, produced by Philip Michael Faraday
Philip Michael Faraday
Philip Michael Faraday was an English lawyer, surveyor, composer, organist and theatrical producer. He composed one of the last Savoy operas, staged several long-running shows in the West End of London, and wrote a book about local taxation that was for many years the standard work on the subject...
, on 5 September 1912 and ran for 385 performances. It starred 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...
as Suzanne, Arthur Playfair
Arthur Playfair
Arthur Wyndham Playfair was an English actor and singer. Beginning in Victorian burlesque and comic operas, Playfair became known for his roles in Edwardian musical comedy and, later, in musical revues.-Biography:...
as Baron Dauvray, and Charles H. Workman
Charles H. Workman
Charles H. Workman was a singer and actor best known as a successor to George Grossmith in the comic baritone roles in Gilbert and Sullivan operas. He was sometimes credited as C. Herbert Workman or C. H...
as M. Pomarel. B. W. Findon, writing in The Play Pictorial
The Play Pictorial
The Play Pictorial was an English theatrical magazine which was published in London between 1902 and 1939. It concentrated on providing a pictorial record of West End theatrical productions, each issue being devoted to a single show, with descriptions of the plot, the costumes and the sets, and...
called this "The merriest of musical farces" The piece toured internationally, including a production by J. C. Williamson
J. C. Williamson
James Cassius Williamson was an American actor and later Australia's foremost theatrical manager, founding J. C. Williamson Ltd....
's opera company in Australasia in 1915, starring Workman.
Film versions were made in 1921 (an American film) and in 1937
The Girl in the Taxi (1937 film)
The Girl in the Taxi is a 1937 British musical comedy film directed by André Berthomieu and starring Frances Day, Henri Garat and Lawrence Grossmith...
(a British film). The show was adapted back into French by Mars and Desvallières and produced in Paris and then Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
in 1913 as La chaste Suzanne. It was also successful in South America in Italian (La casta Susana) and in Spanish (La chasta Suzanna).
Synopsis
In Paris, Baron Dauvray enters a taxi from one side, and Mme. Charcot simultaneously enters it from the other. They do not know each other, but agree to share the taxi. They are both on their way to the famous Jeunesse Dorée restaurant and enjoy each other's company so much that they agree to dine together. The restaurant is full of private rooms, ideal for intimate suppers. Others who come to the restaurant, mostly in pursuit of amatory enterprise, are the Baron's son Hubert; the Baron's daughter, Jacqueline; Réné, her fiancé and cousin; Suzanne Pomarel, wife of a provincial merchant, whom the Baron has awarded a prize for virtue; Mme Charcot's husband; and finally M. Pomarel.Mme Pomarel is an old flame of Réné and has agreed to have supper with him, but Hubert, who is much smitten by her, has persuaded Réné to let him take his place. The Baron, dining with Mme Charcot, has to hide under his table to avoid his wife. Pomarel arrives, quite tipsy, and greets Hubert. He does not suspect that the lady who has concealed herself behind a curtain, and whose outstretched hand he kisses with bibulous gallantry, is his own wife. Hubert does not have sufficient funds to pay the bill. In the ensuing flurry, the Baron discovers to his delight that his son is as immoral as he. Everyone narrowly avoids detection by his or her proper partner.
Unfortunately for the errant men and women, the head waiter of the restaurant has been engaged as butler by Baroness Dauvray. All the main characters are present at breakfast at the Baron's house the next morning. They are horrified that the new butler knows everything about their escapades of the previous evening. In order to avoid being recognised by him, the Baron, Hubert and Réné all try to get under the table at the same time. In the end they manage to convince Pomarel that all the confusion was his fault for coming to the restaurant drunk. He apologises, and everyone is safe.
Roles and original cast
- Baron Dauvray – Arthur PlayfairArthur PlayfairArthur Wyndham Playfair was an English actor and singer. Beginning in Victorian burlesque and comic operas, Playfair became known for his roles in Edwardian musical comedy and, later, in musical revues.-Biography:...
- Baroness Delphine Dauvray – Amy Augarde
- Jacqueline – Margaret Paton
- Hubert – Robert Averell
- Réné – Alec Fraser
- M. Pomarel – C. H. Workman
- Suzanne Pomarel – 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...
- Professor Charcot – Louis Goodrich
- Rose Charcot – Cecily Stuckey
- Alexis (head waiter) – Frederick Volpe
- Waiter – George Carroll
- Diners, waiters etc
Critical reception
The TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
took a dim view of the morality of the piece:
If your notion of Paris is the "gay" city (in the technical sense); if you like the kind of farce that takes you to a rowdy night-restaurant, where you find husbands and lovers, cocottes, girls and wives, mixed up in total confusion amid noise, paper streamers, and "penny teasers"; if you are amused by drunkenness; if you like to see an elderly member of the FortyAcadémie françaiseL'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
a prude by day and a goat by night; his son receiving his "education" from a young married woman, and his daughter going with her betrothed to spy upon her father's escapades; if you like to see father and son dancing round together in delight at having found one another out; and if you like to enjoy all this rather heavily told, and spread, with catchy music, then The Girl in the Taxi is the very piece for you.
The paper thought much more highly of the farcical scenes in Act 3, "which gave us some of the 'knock-about' business which we hope to find funny till we die". The paper singled out the newcomer, 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...
, for special praise.
The Manchester Guardian expressed no moral qualms about the piece and thought the themes of the plot were handled tactfully and amusingly. It too singled out Arnaud for praise. It called the music "tuneful and scored with refinement, if not very original. There is a waltz of which (as the audience was whistling it before the play was half finished) we shall probably have a surfeit." The Academy thought the piece "gay, sportive and irresponsible … a delightful structure, an alluring entertainment".