''The Silver Star'' is a

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

in three acts with both book and lyrics by Harry B. Smith and music by many composers. A

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

musical, the work was created for the Danish dancer Adeline Genée who portrays the central character of Viola.

Plot

As a young child, Viola was found abandoned and wearing a silver star by a hobo-musician, Professor Alfonzo Dinel, who has raised her as his adopted daughter. One

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas, the festival commemorating nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. Christmas Day is observance of Christmas by country, observed around the world, and Christma ...

, Viola and the professor deceive a wealthy family with a mansion on

Fifth Avenue Fifth Avenue is a major thoroughfare in the borough (New York City), borough of Manhattan in New York City. The avenue runs south from 143rd Street (Manhattan), West 143rd Street in Harlem to Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. The se ...

that Viola is the long-lost daughter of a wealthy banker in order to win an invitation to their lavish Christmas party. They attend the party, but their deception is discovered. In the attempt to get away, Viola is magically transported first to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and later to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. In a series of magical transformations, Genée transforms back and forth from Viola into various dancing characters, including "The Christmas Fairy", "The Spirit of Champagne", and "The Queen of the Floral Fete". In London Viola is united with her birth father.Dietz, p. 567–568

History

Playwright Harry B. Smith was hired by Broadway producers Klaw and Erlanger to create a Christmas musical tailored for the talents of Adeline Genée. Several different composers were enlisted to write the music for the show, including Robert Hood Bowers, C. J. M. Glaser, Jean Schwartz, Raymond Hubbell, Al Piantadosi and

Karl Hoschna Karl Hoschna (1876–1911) was a Tin Pan Alley-era composer most noted for his songs "Cuddle up a Little Closer, Lovey Mine", "Every Little Movement (Has a Meaning All Its Own), Every Little Movement" and "Yama Yama Man", and for a string of succ ...

.Mantle, Sherwood & Chapman, p. 403 ''The Silver Star'' premiered at Broadway's New Amsterdam Theatre on November 1, 1909, where it ran for 80 performances; closing on January 8, 1910. Herbert Gresham directed, while Glaser and Bowers music directed. Julian Mitchell choreographed the show, F. Richard Anderson designed the costumes, and Ernest Albert designed the sets. The musical then went on a month-long national tour before returning to Broadway for a further eight performances at Broadway's Grand Opera House in February 1910. In addition to Genée, the cast included George Bickel as Professor Alonzo Dingelblatz, Harry Watson as Doctor Algernon Hornblower, and Barney Bernard as Mr. Wiseheimer.

References

Citations

Bibliography

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Silver Star, The Broadway musicals 1909 musicals Christmas musicals Musicals by Harry B. Smith Musicals by Jean Schwartz Musicals set in London Musicals set in New York City Musicals set in Paris