The Wedding Day (opera)

The Wedding Day is a comic opera in three acts with music by Julian Edwards and a libretto by Stanislaus Stange. Prior to a production on Broadway, the work premiered for the grand opening of the newly renovated Wieting Opera House in Syracuse, New York, on September 15, 1896.[1][2] It was staged at The Boston Theatre where it began a two-week run on February 7, 1897.[3] Critic Roland Burke Hennessy of The Illustrated American wrote, "I consider The Wedding Day to be by far the best native comic opera we have had in many a year."[4]

Front cover of sheet music from The Wedding Day, published 1897

The original production moved to Broadway's Casino Theatre where it opened on April 8, 1897, running for a total of 36 performances.[5] The production was directed by Richard Barker and used sets designed by Ernest Albert and costumes by Caroline Siedle.[6] The cast included Lillian Russell as Lucille D' Herblay, Jefferson De Angelis as Polycop, Della Fox as Rose-Marie, Winfield Blake as Sergeant Sabre, and May Cuthbert as Mille Courcey among others.[6]

The Wedding Day was revived by Henry W. Savage's Boston-based Castle Square Opera Company in 1901 who presented performances of the work on tour to Chicago at The Studebaker in May of that year.[7] The Castle Square cast was led by soprano Gertrude Quinlan.[7]

References

  1. Fields, p. 113
  2. Beauchamp, p. 392
  3. Tompkins & Kilby, p. 456
  4. Roland Burke Hennessy (December 2, 1898). "The Week's Plays and Players". The Illustrated American: 424.
  5. Letellier, p. 289
  6. Schwartz & Bowbeer, p. 157
  7. E. E. S. (May 1901). William Smythe Babcock Mathews (ed.). "Things Here and There; Castle Square Opera Company in Chicago". Music. XX (1): 135.

Bibliography


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