| A Chinese Honeymoon | |
|---|---|
 2nd Anniversary Souvenir Program | |
| Music | Howard Talbot Ivan Caryll Others |
| Lyrics | Harry Greenbank Others |
| Book | George Dance |
| Productions | 1899 West End 1902 Broadway |
A Chinese Honeymoon is a musical comedy in two acts by George Dance, with music by Howard Talbot and additional music by Ivan Caryll and others, and additional lyrics by Harry Greenbank and others. One song that originated in the show was "Mister Dooley" which became famously associated with The Wizard of Oz for decades, when John Slavin, in the title role, interpolated the song for much of the first year of its run.
The piece opened at the Theatre Royal in Hanley, England on 16 October 1899 and then toured extensively. After that, it played at the Royal Strand Theatre in London, managed by Frank Curzon, opening on 5 October 1901 for an astonishing run of 1,075 performances. It also played at the Casino Theatre, in New York, opening on 2 June 1902 for a run of 376 performances. In London, Lily Elsie took over the role of Princess Soo-Soo from Beatrice Edwards in early 1903 and was in turn succeeded by Kate Cutler. It also starred Louie Freear, and Arthur Williams took over the role of Mr. Pineapple.
A Chinese Honeymoon was the first musical to run for 1,000 performances.[1] The story concerns couples who honeymoon in China and inadvertently break the kissing laws (reminiscent of The Mikado).[2]
- ^ Gänzl, Kurt. "Talbot, Howard (1865–1928)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 18 September 2008
- ^ Hicks, William. Thesis on British imperialism and musical theatre