Princess Flavia | |
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![]() Evelyn Herbert in the title role of Princess Flavia (1925) | |
Music | Sigmund Romberg |
Lyrics | Harry B. Smith |
Book | Harry B. Smith |
Basis | 1894 novel The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope |
Premiere | November 2, 1925Century Theatre, New York City, New York : |
Princess Flavia is a 1925 operetta in three acts based on Anthony Hope's novel The Prisoner of Zenda, with book and lyrics by Harry B. Smith and music by Sigmund Romberg. It is set in the fictional European country of Zenda.
Princess Flavia was staged by J. C. Huffman[1] and produced by Lee Shubert and J. J. Shubert. The Broadway show opened November 2, 1925, at the Century Theatre. On February 1, 1926, it moved to the Shubert Theatre, continuing for a total run of 152 performances.[2] The large cast was led by Harry Welchman, a popular tenor of the London stage, and soprano Evelyn Herbert in her first starring role.[3][4]
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The New York Times review of the premiere of Princess Flavia described the show as "beautiful, tuneful, majestic and splendid in all its appointments."
Last night's audience, a gathering of habitual theatregoers who have known the splendors of The Student Prince and Rose-Marie and The Love Song during recent months, was forced to pay homage repeatedly throughout the evening to the even greater lavishness … and the stirring choruses evoked prolonged ovations at the end of each act.[3]
Particular praise was accorded the performances of Welchman, Herbert, Dumbrille and the large chorus, as well as the sets by Watson Barratt.[3]