The Pink Lady is an Edwardian musical comedy composed by Ivan Caryll, which ran for a very successful 312 performances on Broadway in 1911 before becoming an ongoing favorite of regional producers in the Midwest.[1][2] The story and lyrics by C.M.S. McLellan, about an antiques dealer, were adapted from a French farce, The Satyr, by Georges Berr and Marcel Guiltemand[3][4]
The musical premiered at the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York, running for 312 performances from March 13, 1911 to December 9, 1911.[5] In the title role of Claudine, Hazel Dawn was nineteen years old when the show opened. She played the violin during the show.[6] Others in the cast included Maurice Hegeman as Dr. Mazou, Alice Dovey as Angele, Florence Walton as Minette, and Ida Adams as Desirée, and the production was directed by Herbert Gresham and choreographed by Julian Mitchell.[5] The run set the record for receipts and attendance at the theatre and soon toured successfully. The show was so popular that its costume designs inspired some ladies' fashions.[7]
After a brief London run at the Globe Theatre from April 11, 1912, the musical returned to the New Amsterdam for a further 24 performances from August 26, 1912 to September 14, 1912.[8]
Unlike most Edwardian musicals, wrote the New York Times critic, the show's "fun is developed logically out of its situations, and so are its songs. In the second act, for instance, not a musical number occurs which does not carry the plot along further, instead of halting it, and yet no songs in the piece were more persistently applauded than these."[3]