''Wildflower'' or ''The Wildflower'' (as styled on the sheet music), is a musical in three acts with book and lyrics by

Otto Harbach Otto Abels Harbach, born Otto Abels Hauerbach (August 18, 1873 – January 24, 1963) was an American lyricist and librettist of nearly 50 musical comedies and operettas. Harbach collaborated as lyricist or librettist with many of the leading B ...

and Oscar Hammerstein II and music by

Herbert Stothart Herbert Pope Stothart (September 11, 1885February 1, 1949) was an American songwriter, arranger, conductor, and composer. He was also nominated for twelve Academy Awards, winning Best Original Score for '' The Wizard of Oz''. Stothart was widel ...

and

Vincent Youmans Vincent Millie Youmans (September 27, 1898 – April 5, 1946) was an American Broadway composer and producer. A leading Broadway composer of his day, Youmans collaborated with virtually all the greatest lyricists on Broadway: Ira Gershwin, ...

. The plot concerns a pretty Italian farmgirl, Nina, who has a fiery temper. She stands to inherit a fortune provided that she can keep her temper under control for six months. If she fails, the money goes to her cousin Bianca, who tries to provoke her. She manages to do it, and gets the money, as well as her man, Guido. Several of the songs were published, among which "Bambalina" and the title song were the most popular. The musical proved to be Day's last Broadway show before moving to London.Hischak, p. 314 The original Broadway production at the Casino Theatre on February 7, 1923Mantle, p. 529 and ran for 477 performances, closing on March 29, 1924.''Wildflower''
Internet Broadway Database, The Broadway League, accessed February 3, 2016 "''Wildflower'' was one of the biggest successes of the Twenties." It was directed by Oscar Eagle and choreographed by David Bennett, with orchestration by Robert Russell Bennett. Costumes were by

Charles LeMaire Charles LeMaire (April 22, 1897 – June 8, 1985) was an American costume designer. He was born in Chicago. LeMaire's early career was as a vaudeville performer, but he became a costume designer for such Broadway productions as '' Ziegfeld Fo ...

. Arthur Hammerstein produced the production. The cast starred

Edith Day Edith Day (born Edith Marie Day; April 10, 1896 – May 1, 1971) was an American actress and singer best known for her roles in Edwardian musical comedies and operettas, first on Broadway and then in London's West End. Life and career Born ...

as Nina,

Charles Judels Charles Judels (August 17, 1882 - February 14, 1969) was a Dutch-born American actor. Early years Judels was born on August 17, 1882, in Amsterdam as a third generation in a family of actors. His grandfather owned several theatres throughout t ...

as Gaston and

Esther Howard Esther Howard (April 4, 1892 – March 8, 1965) was an American stage and film character actress who played a wide range of supporting roles, from man-hungry spinsters to amoral criminals, appearing in 108 films in her 23-year screen career ...

as Lucrezia. The musical then toured for two seasons and was given an Australian production in 1924 and a London West End production, opening on February 17, 1926 and running for 114 performances, starring Kitty Reidy as Nina, with

Peter Gawthorne Peter Gawthorne (1 September 1884 – 17 March 1962) was an Anglo-Irish actor, probably best known for his roles in the films of Will Hay and other popular British comedians of the 1930s and 1940s. Gawthorne was one of Britain's most called-upo ...

as Alberto and

Mark Daley Mark Daley is a Northern Irish-born American broadcaster. Recent career Since 2015, Daley has been a contributor to NPR network news shows on new music. Early career Daley’s radio career began at the BBC in Northern Ireland in 1983 as a r ...

as Gabrielle. Its London run was hampered by the 1926 national strike in Britain. ''Wildflower'' was Oscar Hammerstein's first successful musical and Vincent Youmans' second show. It ran over a year because of its ''simple-minded story''.Lombardi, Laur
"Oscar Hammerstein II"
Pennsylvania Center for the Book, 2005, accessed February 3, 2016 ''

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 d ...

'' opening night review stated erroneously that the show "contains the most tuneful score that Rudolph Friml has written in a number of seasons" and never mentions Youmans or Stothart. The review goes on to say: "To be sure, it is practically never funny, and now and then even a little dull." Other critics also dismissed the show, although they conceded that the songs were good.Green, p. 104 Notwithstanding the reviews, ''Wildflower'' was an instant success for its operetta-like score, Edith Day's performance, and the singing, dancing and Italian setting.

Plot

Pretty Nina Benedetto is a simple Italian farmgirl. Called "Wildflower" by her friends for her delightful, sunny disposition, she is nevertheless well known for her fiery temper (a family trait). She is set to marry her boyfriend, Guido, with whom she shares a tempestuous relationship. She hears that an elderly relative has left her a fortune, although the will specifies conditions: she must live for six months with her relatives on their estate at Lake Como, and if she loses her temper even once, the money falls to her scheming cousin Bianca. While there, Bianca taunts and provokes Nina and plots with her free-spending fiancé, Alberto, to make Nina melt down. Lawyer Gaston La Roche and his flirtatious wife Lucrezia would also benefit from Nina losing the inheritance. Astonishingly, Nina smiles and keeps her temper under control, defeating all their plots. So Alberto woos her, telling her that Guido is unfaithful, and tricks her into agreeing to marry him. Her loyal friend Gabriele, and the faithful Guido, help her to overcome all of this and to hold her temper, and she gets the money and her man.

Roles and original cast

*Nina Benedetto –

*Gaston La Roche –

*Lucrezia La Roche –

*Luigi – Jerome Daly *Bianca Benedetto – Evelyn Cavanaugh *Gabrielle –

Olin Howland Olin Ross Howland (February 10, 1886 – September 20, 1959) was an American film and theatre actor. Life and career Howland was born in Denver, Colorado, to Joby A. Howland, one of the youngest enlisted participants in the Civil War, an ...

*Count Alberto – James Doyle *Guido – Guy Robertson

Songs

Act I * Prelude ("Jamo, Jamo") - Chorus * "I Love You, I Love You, I Love You!" – Gabrielle and Girls * "Some Like to Hunt" – Gaston and Girls * '"Wildflower" – Nina and Ensemble * "Bambalina" – Lucrezia and Gabrielle * "April Blossoms" – Nina and Guido * "Finale Act I" - Entire Company Act II * "The Best Dance I’ve Had Tonight" – Bianca and Chorus * "Course I Will" – Nina, Count Alberto and Gabrielle * "(Girl From) Casimo" – Guido and Chorus * "If I Told You" – Nina and Boys * "You Never Can Blame a Girl for Dreaming" – Nina and Boys * "Finale Act II" - Entire Company Act III * "Bambalina" (reprise) – Nina, Count Alberto and Ensemble * "The World’s Worst Women" – Lucrezia and Gabrielle * "You Can Always Find Another Partner" – Nina and Ensemble * "Finale Act III" (Letter Scene) - Nina and Guido

References

Sources

* Green, Stanley. ''The World of Musical Comedy'', Da Capo Press (1980) * Hischak, Thomas S. ''The Rodgers and Hammerstein Encyclopedia''. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Publishing Group (2007) . * Mantle, Burns. ''The Best Plays of 1922–1923'', Boston: Small, Maynard and Co. (1923) * Boardman, Gerald. ''Days to Be Happy, Years to Be Sad'', New York: Oxford University Press(1982) {{Vincent Youmans 1923 musicals Broadway musicals Original musicals Musicals by Oscar Hammerstein II Musicals by Otto Harbach