''Rob Roy'' is an operetta by composer

Reginald De Koven Henry Louis Reginald De Koven (April 3, 1859January 16, 1920) was an American music critic and prolific composer, particularly of comic operas. Biography De Koven was born in Middletown, Connecticut, and moved to Europe in 1870, where he recei ...

and lyricist

Harry B. Smith Harry Bache Smith (December 28, 1860 – January 1, 1936) was a writer, lyricist and composer. The most prolific of all American stage writers, he is said to have written over 300 librettos and more than 6000 lyrics. Some of his best-known works ...

, frequent collaborators, loosely based upon the life of Scottish folk hero Robert Roy MacGregor, better known as Rob Roy, and the Walter Scott novel about him. ''Rob Roy'', designated "A Romantic-Comic Opera in 3 Acts", opens with a formal overture. The history-conflating plot covers the adventures of Rob Roy, a highland chieftain secretly married to the daughter of the mayor of

Perth Perth is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the Australian states and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth most populous city in Aust ...

, and Bonnie Prince Charlie, the young pretender to the throne of Scotland, who in reality didn't set foot in Scotland until 11 years after the MacGregor's death. It included several songs in imitation of Scottish folk tunes.

Performance history

''Rob Roy'' premiered in Detroit on October 1, 1894. It opened in New York on October 29, 1894, at the

Herald Square Theatre The Herald Square Theatre was a Broadway theatre in Manhattan, New York City, built in 1883 and closed in 1914. The site is now a highrise designed by H. Craig Severance. History The Park Theatre opened in 1883 (also known as the New Park Thea ...

and ran for 235 performances, closing on March 23, 1895. A review in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' faulted it only for failing to match the high standard its creators set for themselves in their earlier ''

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is de ...

'' (1890), though it identified the first act finale and Flora's song in the second act as De Koven and Smith's best work to date. It called ''Rob Roy'' "a thoroughly good operetta ... clean, frank, manly, bright, and winsome ... a right good comedy".

Roles

* Rob Roy MacGregor, a Highland Chief, tenor *Janet, daughter of the Mayor * Prince Charles Edward Stuart, called the 'Young Pretender' *

Flora MacDonald Flora MacDonald (Gaelic: ''Fionnghal nic Dhòmhnaill'', 1722 - 5 March 1790) was a member of Clan Macdonald of Sleat, best known for helping Charles Edward Stuart evade government troops after the Battle of Culloden in April 1746. Her family ...

, heiress of a Chief of the Clan MacDonald, a partisan of the Pretender *Dugald MacWheeble, Mayor of Perth *Lochiel, a Highlander, otherwise Donald Cameron of the Cameron Clan *Captain Ralph Sheridan, of King George's Grenadiers *Sandy MacSherry, town crier *Tammas MacSorlie, the Mayor's henchman * Lieut. Cornwallis, of King George's Grenadiers *Lieut. Clinton *Angus MacAllister *Duncan Campbell *Stuart MacPherson *Donald MacAlpine *Nelly, bar-maid of 'The Crown and Thistle' *Highlanders, Lowland townsmen, Watchmen, English Grenadiers, Drummer boys etc.

Show cocktail

A whisky-based

Rob Roy cocktail The Rob Roy is a cocktail consisting primarily of whisky and vermouth, created in 1894 by a bartender at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan, New York City. The drink was named in honor of the premiere of '' Rob Roy'', an operetta by composer Regin ...

, created on the occasion of the operetta's 1894 New York premiere by a bartender at the Waldorf Hotel, imitates the reddish colour of Rob Roy's hair.Cocktail Musings page on the 'Rob Roy', accessed 21 June 2013
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References

External links

Vocal score
includes plot summary {{Authority control English-language operettas Operas set in Scotland Operas set in the 18th century Operas based on real people 1894 operas Operas Cultural depictions of Rob Roy MacGregor Operas based on works by Walter Scott