The Naughty Princess
Encyclopedia
The Naughty Princess is an opéra bouffe
with music by Charles Cuvillier
, book by J. Hastings Turner, and lyrics by Adrian Ross
. The work, adapted from La reine joyeuse by Cuvillier and Andre Barde, depicts a princess with very modern ideas, who rebels against arranged marriage and court etiquette. It was first produced in London in 1920 and 1921.
La reine joyeuse (also known as La reine s'amuse) by Cuvillier and André Barde
, was presented under the management of George Grossmith, Jr.
and Edward Laurillard
at the Adelphi Theatre
, London, on 7 October 1920, and ran until 28 May 1921, 280 performances. A production toured Australia in 1922, under the J.C. Williamson management.
. It is agreed that he will pose as the well-known painter Hippolyte Flaméche, and in that guise he is introduced to the princess. She is delighted, and invites the false Flaméche to paint her portrait. Unfortunately Ladislas is no painter and his picture is not a success. Nevertheless, Sophia insists that he should take her to Paris. With Ladislas and a lady-in-waiting, and all the royal jewels, Sophia departs for Paris. The king, attracted by the chance of revisiting the scenes of his own youth, also decides to go to Paris incognito.
In Paris, they all converge at the famous festivities at the Bal des Quat'z' Arts, where the theme is "ancient Egypt", with spectacular costumes and tableaux. Ladislas meets an old flame, Chiquette, who has become the wife of the real Hippolyte Flaméche. Flamméche is much taken with Sophia, but Chiquette is concerned for Sophia's innocence and takes her under her protective wing. Ladislas has by now come to love Sophia, and for her own good gives a feigned display of drunkenness and violent protestations of love under the plea that this is the thoroughly Bohemian behaviour that she craves. King Michael is enjoying himself too much to pay any attention to an urgent message brought by a courier from his capital.
At Ladislas's studio in the rue du Diable, the revellers are gathered after leaving the bal. The messenger finally manages to get Michael to attend to his message. There has been a revolution in Panoplia, Michael is deposed, and Sophia has been proclaimed queen. Sophia learns that the Bohemian who kissed her so passionately at the bal is Prince Ladislas, and gladly accepts his proposal of marriage.
praised Grossmith's subtlety of performance, but thought "Mr. Cuvillier's music will make the play go, Mr. Berry's humour will make the play go, Miss Lily St. John's clear voice, and her delightful embarrassment at the applause she gets, will make the play go – and the setting and the costumes were thought tremendously fine." The Times praised the production: "As a riot of fantastic colour it was one of the most exhilarating that we have seen on the London stage for a long time." Of the music, the paper commented, "The official label of The Naughty Princess is opéra bouffe. Now and again certainly Cuvillier's music seemed to justify the description. … The waltz song and its Egyptian splendours will carry it far."
Opéra bouffe
Opéra bouffe is a genre of late 19th-century French operetta, closely associated with Jacques Offenbach, who produced many of them at the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens that gave its name to the form....
with music by Charles Cuvillier
Charles Cuvillier
Charles Cuvillier was a French composer of operetta. He won his greatest successes with the operettas La reine s'amuse and with The Lilac Domino, which became a hit in 1918 in London.-Biography:Cuvillier was born in Paris, and studied at the Paris Conservatoire with Gabriel Fauré and...
, book by J. Hastings Turner, and 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...
. The work, adapted from La reine joyeuse by Cuvillier and Andre Barde, depicts a princess with very modern ideas, who rebels against arranged marriage and court etiquette. It was first produced in London in 1920 and 1921.
History
The piece, adapted from the 1912 opéra bouffeOpéra bouffe
Opéra bouffe is a genre of late 19th-century French operetta, closely associated with Jacques Offenbach, who produced many of them at the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens that gave its name to the form....
La reine joyeuse (also known as La reine s'amuse) by Cuvillier and André Barde
André Barde
André Barde was the pseudonym of André Bourdonneau , a French writer best known for his librettos for operettas. He was active from 1899-1936. He frequently collaborated with Charles Cuvillier - Son petit frère , Afgar , La Reine joyeuse , Florabella , and Nonnette being some examples...
, was presented under the management of 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 Edward Laurillard
Edward Laurillard
Edward Laurillard was a cinema and theatre producer in London and New York during the first third of the 20th century...
at the Adelphi Theatre
Adelphi Theatre
The Adelphi Theatre is a 1500-seat West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiving house for a variety of productions, including many musicals...
, London, on 7 October 1920, and ran until 28 May 1921, 280 performances. A production toured Australia in 1922, under the J.C. Williamson management.
Cast
- King Michael of Panoplia – W. H. BerryW. H. BerryWilliam Henry Berry , always billed as W. H. Berry, was an English comic actor. After learning his craft in pierrot and concert entertainments, he was spotted by the actor-manager George Grossmith Jr., and appeared in a series of musical comedies in comic character roles. His greatest success was...
- Princess Sophia – his daughter – Lily St. John
- Prince Ladislas – his 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...
- Prince Gospodar – Leon Morton
- Countess Kittisch – Lady in waiting to Sophia – Amy Augarde
- Hyppolyte Flaméche – a painter – Philip Simmons
- Chiquette – Flaméche's latest wife – 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...
- King Michael's ministers
- Lascar Catargi – Frank Parfitt
- Nitchevo – Alfred Beers
- Phillippopoli – Leigh Ellis
- Babadagh – Strafford Moss
- Crebadat – Ralph Coram
- Salome – Heather ThatcherHeather ThatcherHeather Thatcher was an English actress in theatre and motion pictures. She was from London.-Dancer:By 1922 Thatcher was a dancer. She was especially noted for her interpretation of an Egyptian harem dance. Her exotic clothes were designed in Russia. They featured stencil slits in the waist,...
- Seraphine – Silvia Leslie
- Messenger – E. Trimming Law
- Guests at the Bal des Quat'z' Arts – Miss Elaine, Miss Sabbage
Synopsis
King Michael of Panoplia is driven to distraction by the behaviour of his daughter, Princess Sophia. She refuses to consent to the marriage with Prince Gospodar that, for political reasons, the king earnestly desires for her. She announces her intention of leaving the court and becoming a painter. The king calculates that if she can be manoeuvred into a flirtation with an undesirable, Gospodar may then seem a better prospect. The king's nephew, Prince Ladislas, is recruited to help in this scheme. He has been away in Paris for ten years, studying hard at the SorbonneSorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
. It is agreed that he will pose as the well-known painter Hippolyte Flaméche, and in that guise he is introduced to the princess. She is delighted, and invites the false Flaméche to paint her portrait. Unfortunately Ladislas is no painter and his picture is not a success. Nevertheless, Sophia insists that he should take her to Paris. With Ladislas and a lady-in-waiting, and all the royal jewels, Sophia departs for Paris. The king, attracted by the chance of revisiting the scenes of his own youth, also decides to go to Paris incognito.
In Paris, they all converge at the famous festivities at the Bal des Quat'z' Arts, where the theme is "ancient Egypt", with spectacular costumes and tableaux. Ladislas meets an old flame, Chiquette, who has become the wife of the real Hippolyte Flaméche. Flamméche is much taken with Sophia, but Chiquette is concerned for Sophia's innocence and takes her under her protective wing. Ladislas has by now come to love Sophia, and for her own good gives a feigned display of drunkenness and violent protestations of love under the plea that this is the thoroughly Bohemian behaviour that she craves. King Michael is enjoying himself too much to pay any attention to an urgent message brought by a courier from his capital.
At Ladislas's studio in the rue du Diable, the revellers are gathered after leaving the bal. The messenger finally manages to get Michael to attend to his message. There has been a revolution in Panoplia, Michael is deposed, and Sophia has been proclaimed queen. Sophia learns that the Bohemian who kissed her so passionately at the bal is Prince Ladislas, and gladly accepts his proposal of marriage.
Critical reception
The ObserverThe 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,...
praised Grossmith's subtlety of performance, but thought "Mr. Cuvillier's music will make the play go, Mr. Berry's humour will make the play go, Miss Lily St. John's clear voice, and her delightful embarrassment at the applause she gets, will make the play go – and the setting and the costumes were thought tremendously fine." The Times praised the production: "As a riot of fantastic colour it was one of the most exhilarating that we have seen on the London stage for a long time." Of the music, the paper commented, "The official label of The Naughty Princess is opéra bouffe. Now and again certainly Cuvillier's music seemed to justify the description. … The waltz song and its Egyptian splendours will carry it far."