The Belle of New York (musical)

The Belle of New York
Vocal score
MusicGustave Kerker
LyricsHugh Morton
BookHugh Morton
Productions1897 Broadway
1898 West End

The Belle of New York is a musical comedy in two acts, with book and lyrics by Hugh Morton and music by Gustave Kerker, about a Salvation Army girl who reforms a spendthrift, makes a great sacrifice and finds true love.

Opening on Broadway at the Casino Theatre on 28 September 1897, it ran for only 64 performances.[1][2] After a more encouraging American tour,[3] it subsequently transferred to London at what was then called the Shaftesbury Theatre in 1898, where it was a major success, running for an almost unprecedented 674 performances, and became the first American musical to run for over a year in the West End.[4] The Standard stated that the entire Broadway cast "numbering sixty-three persons" was brought over to London, "the largest stage troupe from the other side of the Atlantic that has ever professionally visited this country."[5] The uniquely American plot and quirky characters were viewed as refreshing by London critics.[3]

The show starred Edna May, whose performance as Violet made her a star in New York and London. Postcards of her in costume became ubiquitous; more photographs of her were sold in London than of any other actress in 1898.[6] In London, the piece opened on 12 April 1898, produced by J. C. Williamson and George Musgrove.[6] The composer conducted at the opening night.[7] Painter Ernest Albert designed the production's sets.[1] The work had stiff competition in London in 1898, as other successful openings included A Greek Slave and A Runaway Girl.[4]

Long runs in Paris, Berlin and elsewhere followed,[3] and there were nine West End revivals over the next four decades. The musical was also produced regularly by amateur groups from 1920 until about 1975.[8] Two film versions were made, in 1919 with Marion Davies, Etienne Girardot and L. Rogers Lytton, and in 1952 with Fred Astaire, Vera-Ellen, Marjorie Main and Keenan Wynn that replaced the original songs with a score by Johnny Mercer and Harry Warren.[9]

In 1921, a rewritten version of the musical called The Whirl of New York premiered on Broadway.

  1. ^ a b Ken Bloom (1996). "The Belle of New York". American Song: A-S. Schirmer Books. p. 90. ISBN 9780028645735.
  2. ^ Sources differ. The Internet Broadway database says 64, while others say 56
  3. ^ a b c Miller, Scott. "Curtain Up, Light the Lights: 1874–1900", New Line Theatre, 2008, accessed 7 July 2024
  4. ^ a b Gillan, Don. Longest running plays in London and New York. Stage Beauty, 2007, accessed 31 March 2011
  5. ^ The Standard, 13 April 1989, p. 3
  6. ^ a b "Flashes from the Footlights", English Illustrated Magazine, February 1899, p. 509
  7. ^ "Shaftesbury Theatre", Monthly Music Record, May 1898, p. 112
  8. ^ Bond, Ian. "Rarely Produced Shows" Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine. St. David's Players, accessed 22 July 2010
  9. ^ Munsey's Magazine, Volume 343 (Google Books)