|
1938 London
Operette the Musical - Prologue Lyrics
The song is written by Noël Coward.
The period is 1906.
The scene is a row of six hansom cabs in
which are seated Six Ladies
and Six Gentlemen.
The rhythm of the horses' hooves
and the jingling of the bells
are sustained in the orchestra .
Ladies and Gentlemen,
With your very kind permission
In accordance with tradition
We appear.
Unsentimental men
May declare us nauseating.
But by clear articulating
We are bent upon creating
Atmosphere.
We represent those carefree days
That still retained a bland hypocrisy
And looked upon Democracy
As quaint—
A certain transitory phase
Which every accurate historian
Has blamed upon Victorian
Restraint.
Our life was gay,
Champagne adorning it,
It passed away
And left us mourning it.
We've run our race,
Time can’t replace
These years of grace.
Non-temperamental men.
We implore you to surrender
To a mood of gay and tender
Sentiment.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Tho’ we wish our words were clearer.
If they’ve brought your memory nearer
To the light Edwardian Era
We’re content—
We’ve said our fill
Without much skill,
But thank you very very much for keeping still.
The curtain is down and the overture
to The Model Maid is playing.
The house lights are out and there is a
glow from the footlights on the curtain.
The Model Maid is a modern Musical Comedy,
that is to say , it is of the period of 1905,
having been produced in the preceding September.
It is a Charles Hobson Production,
which means that it is the best
that London has to offer .
Charles Hobson is the King of Theatrical
Producers, He owns several theatres
and the most important of these is the Jubilee,
His flair for discovering
talent and making stars is famous the world over.
The Press, in referring to his discoveries,
invariably and monotonously describe
them as “ Hobson’s Choice.”
This slightly threadbare slogan has come
in handy for many years
and shows every indication
of continuing indefinitely.
The Model Maid is planned according to the usual
Hobson-Jubilee formula. That is to say,
it is sprightly in tone with an elastic story
providing opportunities for such
well-known London favourites as Elsie Jewell
(a gracious soprano),
Maisie Welbey (a charming light
soubrette and dancer,
notable for her overnight triumph
in The Girl from Brazil in 1903),
Paul Trevor, a fine upstanding tenor
(whose performances in the Gilbert
and Sullivan Operas were much commented upon),
and Eddie Gosling, the famous comedian.
(Eddie Gosling, after years in the provinces,
finally achieved his first London success
in The Girl from Yokohama in 1901.)
In addition to these glittering luminaries ,
the sagacious Charles Hobson has imported
from the Continent a famous Viennese star,
Liesl Haren (whose performance in Eine Frau
von Zurich took Central Europe by storm).
The famous “ Hobson’s Choice”
Sextette of singing
Show-Girls is, of course ,
a principal feature of the show ,
and the Ladies and Gentlemen of the Chorus,
the singing and dancing,
the music and scenery and dresses
are all above reproach.
The curtain rises on the Opening Chorus
of The Model Maid.
The scene is TrouviJle.
On the right is the terrace of
the Hotel de la Plage.
On the left is the 199
Casino.
At the hack there is the bright blue sea .
The Ladies and Gentlemen
of the Chorus are attired in various light
sporting costumes as befit the climate
and atmosphere.
Review: Operette the Musical Lyrics
Operette the Musical Lyrics
Prologue
The Opening Chorus
Countess Mitzi
Dearest love
Foolish virgins
The stately homes of England
Where are the songs we sung?
The island of Bollamazoo
Prologue, Act II
Sing for joy
My dear Miss Dale
Operette
|
