''Rosalie'' is a musical with music by

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

and

Sigmund Romberg Sigmund Romberg (July 29, 1887 – November 9, 1951) was a Hungarian-born American composer. He is best known for his musicals and operettas, particularly '' The Student Prince'' (1924), '' The Desert Song'' (1926) and '' The New Moon'' (1928). E ...

, lyrics by Ira Gershwin and

P.G. Wodehouse Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, ( ; 15 October 188114 February 1975) was an English author and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Jee ...

, and book by William Anthony McGuire and

Guy Bolton Guy Reginald Bolton (23 November 1884 – 4 September 1979) was an Anglo-American playwright and writer of musical comedies. Born in England and educated in France and the US, he trained as an architect but turned to writing. Bolton preferred ...

. The story tells of a princess from a faraway land who comes to America and falls in love with a

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

Lieutenant. It was first produced on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

in 1928 at the

New Amsterdam Theatre The New Amsterdam Theatre is a Broadway theater on 214 West 42nd Street, at the southern end of Times Square, in the Theater District of Manhattan in New York City. One of the oldest surviving Broadway venues, the New Amsterdam was built fro ...

. It was adapted in 1937 as a musical film with songs by Cole Porter.

Productions

Broadway

The musical, produced by Florenz Ziegfeld, premiered on

at the

on January 10, 1928 and ran for 335 performances. Directed by William Anthony McGuire, the cast starred

Marilyn Miller Marilyn Miller (born Mary Ellen Reynolds; September 1, 1898 – April 7, 1936) was one of the most popular Broadway musical stars of the 1920s and early 1930s. She was an accomplished tap dancer, singer and actress, and the combination of these ...

as the princess,

Frank Morgan Francis Phillip Wuppermann (June 1, 1890 – September 18, 1949), known professionally as Frank Morgan, was an American character actor. He was best known for his appearances in films starting in the silent era in 1916, and then numerous sound ...

as her father, King Cyril, Bobbe Arnst (Mary), Margaret Dale (the Queen), and Jack Donahue.Suskin, Steven.
"Chapter:George Gershwin"
'Show Tunes: The Songs, Shows of Broadway's Major Composers'' (4 ed.), Oxford University Press US, 2010, , pp. 57, 68 The set designer,

Joseph Urban Joseph Urban (May 26, 1872 – July 10, 1933) was an Austrian-American architect, illustrator, and scenic designer. Life and career Joseph Urban was born on May 26, 1872, in Vienna. He received his first architectural commission at age 19 wh ...

, and costume designer, John Harkrider "devised elaborate stage pictures ranging from a public square...to a West Point ballroom to a Paris nightclub."

Michel Fokine Michael Fokine, ''Mikhail Mikhaylovich Fokin'', group=lower-alpha ( – 22 August 1942) was a groundbreaking Imperial Russian choreographer and dancer. Career Early years Fokine was born in Saint Petersburg to a prosperous merchant an ...

choreographed the second act ballet, and there was a chorus of 64.Pollack, Howard.
"'Rosalie'"
''George Gershwin: His Life and Work'', University of California Press, 2006, , pp. 422, 425, accessed January 14, 2011 The musical was a mixture of operetta and a 1920s musical.Hyland, William.
"'Rosalie'"
''George Gershwin: A New Biography'', Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003, , p. 118

Subsequent productions

''Rosalie'' was performed in many regional theatres, including the

Paper Mill Playhouse Paper Mill Playhouse is a regional theater with approximately 1200 seats, located in Millburn, New Jersey on the Rahway River. Due to its relatively close location to Manhattan, it draws from the pool of actors (and audience members) who live i ...

Millburn, New Jersey Millburn is a suburban township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the township's population was 20,149, reflecting an increase of 384 (+1.9%) from the 19,765 counted in the 2000 Census, which had ...

in 1946 and 1948, and the St. Louis Municipal Opera (The Muny) six times between 1938 and 1960. These productions frequently used some Cole Porter songs from the film. There was a production of ''Rosalie'' in 1957 starring

Mimi Benzell Miriam Ruth "Mimi" Benzell (April 6, 1918 – December 23, 1970) was an American soprano who performed with the Metropolitan Opera before establishing herself as a Broadway musical theatre, television, and nightclub performer. Life and career ...

, David Brooks and

Henny Youngman Henry "Henny" Youngman (16 March 1906 – 24 February 1998) was a British-born American comedian and musician famous for his mastery of the " one-liner", his best known being "Take my wife... please". In a time when many comedians told ela ...

. The New Amsterdam Theatre Company presented a staged concert in April 1983 at The Town Hall in New York City. 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 ...

'' reviewer noted that, without its "lavish spectacle", the musical is "the giddiest of period operetta confections, buoyed by half a dozen memorable tunes." He further wrote that two of Gershwins' strongest songs, " 'Yankee Doodle Rhythm' and 'The Man I Love,' were cut from the show before it opened on Broadway."

Synopsis

In the kingdom of Romanza, the crowd assembles to await the arrival of the West Point flyer Lieutenant Richard Fay, coming to visit a girl whom he met in Paris. Mary O'Brien is waiting for her boyfriend, Bill, who she thinks is on the flight with Lt. Fay. When Dick and Rosalie meet, they realize they are in love ("Say So!"). Dick finds out that she is a Princess and he angrily leaves. King Cyril reluctantly goes to visit America to obtain a loan for his troubled country, accompanied by his daughter Princess Rosalie and the Queen. Princess Rosalie visits West Point, but she is disguised. The cadets welcome the royal family ("West Point March"), and Dick and Rosalie continue their romantic relationship ("Oh Gee-Oh Joy"). However, Rosalie agrees to marry Captain Carl, whose father is a Prince, to keep Dick from being tried in court ("Kingdom of Dreams"). At a dance at West Point, Mary and Bill, who had been fighting, make up ("Ev'rybody Knows I Love Somebody"). Rosalie attends the dance, disguised as a cadet ("Follow the Drum"). Mary wonders about the feelings she has for Bill ("How Long Has This Been Going On?"). Dick and Rosalie return to Romanza and start a revolution so that her royal duties will no longer keep them apart. Exiled to Paris, Rosalie and a group of dancers perform ("The Ballet of the Flowers"), and King Cyril happily announces the engagement of Rosalie and Dick.

Musical numbers

;Act I * Here They Are * Show Me the Town ±± * Entrance of the Hussars * Hussar March * Say So! * Let Me Be a Friend to You * West Point Bugle * West Point March * Oh Gee-Oh Joy * Say So! (reprise) * Kingdom of Dreams ;Act II * New York Serenade * The King Can Do No Wrong * Everybody Knows * Follow the Drums±±± *

How Long Has This Been Going On? "How Long Has This Been Going On?" is a song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin, for the musical '' Funny Face'' in 1927. History According to Ira Gershwin in his book ''Lyrics on Several Occasions'', after the premiere of ...

± * Setting-Up Exercises * Oh Gee-Oh Joy (Reprise) * (At) The Ex-Kings' Club * The Goddesses of Crystal * The Ballet of the Flowers ± Originally used in ''

Funny Face ''Funny Face'' is a 1957 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Stanley Donen and written by Leonard Gershe, containing assorted songs by George and Ira Gershwin. Although having the same title as the 1927 Broadway musical ''Funny ...

'' but was cut from that musical; ±± originally used in, and cut from, '' Oh, Kay!'';±±± added after opening, revised version of "Heaven on Earth" from ''Oh, Kay!''.

Reception

Brooks Atkinson Justin Brooks Atkinson (November 28, 1894 – January 14, 1984) was an American theatre critic. He worked for '' The New York Times'' from 1922 to 1960. In his obituary, the ''Times'' called him "the theater's most influential reviewer of hi ...

wrote that Marilyn Miller was "engaging", but ''Rosalie'' "did not match her ''Sunny'' or the 'perfection' of ''Show Boat.''

Alexander Woollcott Alexander Humphreys Woollcott (January 19, 1887 – January 23, 1943) was an American drama critic and commentator for ''The New Yorker'' magazine, a member of the Algonquin Round Table, an occasional actor and playwright, and a prominent radio ...

commented "The house holds its breath and in walks Marilyn Miller."

Film adaptation

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

produced a film version of the musical in 1937."'Rosalie', Film Production, Cast, Synopsis"
sondheimguide.com, accessed January 14, 2011 The film follows the story of the musical but replaces most of the score with new songs by Cole Porter. MGM's top tap dancer at the time,

Eleanor Powell Eleanor Torrey Powell (November 21, 1912 – February 11, 1982) was an American dancer and actress. Best remembered for her tap dance numbers in musical films in the 1930s and 1940s, she was one of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's top dancing stars du ...

, was cast as the princess opposite

Nelson Eddy Nelson Ackerman Eddy (June 29, 1901 – March 6, 1967) was an American actor and baritone singer who appeared in 19 musical films during the 1930s and 1940s, as well as in opera and on the concert stage, radio, television, and in nightclub ...

as Dick Thorpe (Lieutenant Fay in the musical). Morgan reprised his Broadway role as King Fredrick (King Cyril in the stage version). Also appearing in the film were Ray Bolger (Bill),

Edna May Oliver Edna May Oliver (born Edna May Nutter, November 9, 1883 – November 9, 1942) was an American stage and film actress. During the 1930s, she was one of the better-known character actresses in American films, often playing tart-tongued spinsters. ...

(the Queen),

Ilona Massey Ilona Massey (born Ilona Hajmássy, June 16, 1910 – August 20, 1974) was a Hungarian-American film, stage and radio performer. Early life and career She was born in Budapest, Kingdom of Hungary (now in Hungary). Billed as "the new Die ...

(Brenda) and

Reginald Owen John Reginald Owen (5 August 1887 – 5 November 1972) was a British actor. He was known for his many roles in British and American films and television programs. Career The son of Joseph and Frances Owen, Reginald Owen studied at Sir Herbert ...

(Chancellor).Green, Stanley; Schmidt, Elaine.
"'Rosalie'"
''Hollywood Musicals Year By Year'', Hal Leonard Corporation, 2000, , p. 77, accessed January 14, 2011"'Rosalie' Cast, Crew, Production and Plot"
tcm.com, accessed January 15, 2011

Marjorie Lane Marjorie Lane (February 21, 1912 – October 2, 2012) was an American singer of the 1930s who is best known for providing the singing voice of actress Eleanor Powell's characters in the movies ''Born to Dance'' (1936), ''Broadway Melody of 1936'', ...

dubbed the singing voice for Powell. In order to capitalize upon Powell's renown as a dancer, the film was retooled to allow her several showcase musical numbers. Songs included " In the Still of the Night". The reviewer at ''allmovie.com'' called the film an "overproduced musical extravaganza", and noted that "The flimsy plot all but collapses under the weight of Gibbons' enormous sets and dance director David Gould's ditto choreography."Wollstein, Hans J
"'Rosalie'"
allmovie.com, accessed January 15, 2011

References

External links

* {{Authority control Musicals by George and Ira Gershwin Musicals by Sigmund Romberg 1928 musicals Broadway musicals Original musicals 1930s musical films Works set in fictional countries United States Military Academy in fiction Plays set in New York (state)