''A Persian Princess'' is an oriental-themed

Edwardian musical comedy Edwardian musical comedy was a form of British musical theatre that extended beyond the reign of King Edward VII in both directions, beginning in the early 1890s, when the Gilbert and Sullivan operas' dominance had ended, until the rise of the Am ...

in two acts, with a book by Leedham Bantock and P. J. Barrow, lyrics by

Percy Greenbank Percy Greenbank (24 January 1878 – 9 December 1968) was an English lyricist and librettist, best known for his contribution of lyrics to a number of successful Edwardian musical comedies in the early years of the 20th century. His older broth ...

and music by Sidney Jones, with additional numbers by Marie Horne. It premiered on 27 April 1909 at the Queen's Theatre in London."''A Persian Princess'', The New Musical Play, by Sydney Jones, at the Queen's Theatre", ''

The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News The ''Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News'' was a British weekly magazine founded in 1874 and published in London. In 1945 it changed its name to the ''Sport and Country'', and in 1957 to the ''Farm and Country'', before closing in 1970. Hi ...

'', 1 May 1909, p. 326 Despite its experienced and highly regarded cast the show opened to poor reviews and had a short run of 68 performances, closing on 3 July 1909.

Roles and original cast

*Princess Yolene (King Khayyam's Daughter) – Ruth Vincent *King Khayyam – George Graves *Zingarie (a Clove Gatherer) –

Carrie Moore Carrie Moore (31 July 1882 – 5 September 1956) was an Australian actress who achieved fame on the Australian and British stage. She was born Caroline Ellen Moore in Geelong, Victoria, on 31 July 1882, the third of the nine children of R ...

Richards, Leann
''The First Merry Widow: a biography of Carrie Moore''
(2011), Google Books, accessed 16 April 2019 *Prince Hassan (Son of King Khayyam) – Clarence Blakiston *Prince Omar (Son of King Khayyam) – Noel Fleming *Ujujube (King Khayyam's Favourite Dancer) – Vivienne Tailleur *Selim (a Coffee Bearer) – Master George Burns *The Lady Ayala (The Royal Housekeeper) – Lily Iris *Swaak (The Keeper of the Royal Camels) – Horace Mills *Amm Zad (The Keeper of the Slaves) – John Morley *El Tabloid (The Court Physician) – Aubrey Fitzgerald *Akbar (The Captain of the Guard) – J. Warren Foster *Mustapha (The Old Man of the Desert) –

Sidney Bracey Sidney Bracey (born Sidney Bracy; 18 December 1877 – 5 August 1942) was an Australian-born American actor. After a stage career in Australia, on Broadway and in Britain, he performed in more than 320 films between 1909 and 1942. Early li ...

*Lulu (a Slave Girl) – Beatrice Harrington *Xya-La (a Townswoman) – Isabel Agnew *King Khalifah –

M. R. Morand Marcellus Raymond Morand (17 December 1860 – 5 March 1922) was an English actor and operatic baritone who, after a career in the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, appeared in Edwardian musical comedy, among other theatrical genr ...

Stone, Davi
M. R. Morand
Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, accessed 15 April 2019 Chorus of Courtiers, Musicians, Bodyguards, Merchants, Turtle Fishers, Egg Seekers, Ivory Carvers, Guards and Slaves, etc.Jones, Sidney
Score of ''A Persian Princess''
Keith Prowse (1909),

University of Rochester The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private university, private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants Undergraduate education, undergraduate and graduate degrees, including Doctorate, do ...

Musical numbers

Act I

The Slave Market outside King Khayyam's Palace *1 Opening Number: Mustapha and Girls *2 Trio: Amm Zad, Swaak and Zingarie – "Zingarie" *3 Song: Omar and Chorus – "When I am King" *4 Duet: Yolene and Omar – "Idle Promises" *5 Entrance: Trio and Chorus – Khalifah, Zingarie and Swaak – "The King and the Camel" *6 Song: Zingarie and Guards – "The Doggies and the Bone" *7 Song: Yolene and Chorus of Girls – "In the Dark" *8 Song: Swaak and Chorus – "Insomnia" *9 Quartet: Ayala, Omar, Swaak and El Tabloid – "In the Swim" *10 Chorus and Entrance of Slaves *11 Song: Amm Zad and Chorus – "The Slave Driver" *12 Song: Yolene and Chorus – "Moon Blossom" *13 Finale

Act II

King Khayyam's Palace *1 Opening Chorus *2 Duet: Zingarie and Swaak – "A little Coral Island" *3 Duet: Omar and Yolene – "The Mirror of Happiness" *4 Trio:Khayyam, El Tabloid and Ayala – "The Doctor the Patient and the Nurse" *5 Song: Yolene and Chorus – "The Juniper Tree" *6 Dance: Ujujube *7 Glee: Khayyam, Khalifah, Swaak and Zingarie – "Poor Alfred" *8 Song: Ayala and Girls – "A Cup of Coffee" *9 Song: Omar – "Cupid's Caravan" *10 Song: Zingarie and Chorus – "Come to Persia" *11 Song: Yolene – "The Land of Heart's Content" *12 Wedding Chorus *13 Finale

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Persian Princess, A 1909 compositions 1909 musicals Original musicals British musicals