Came upon this today.
Written and published in 1858, and made it to the stage 2 July 1859 the following year at New York's Metropolitan Theater. Seemingly for a two-night Benefit performance .. with quite a cast!
Adelaide Phillipps, Catherine Lucette, Lucy Escott, William H Cooke and Charles Guilmette ...
How, why? ... Lucy Escott had appeared at the 1858 Mount Vernon Festival ... Catherine Lucette had only been in America since May ... Guilmette was lecturing in Brooklyn on 'Voice Physiology' .. Miss Phillipps had been singing in opera, but not seen recently ...
Mr Cooke? 'A young man not twenty years of age who sings in the choir of Dr Osgood's church' who was to be America's Brignoli. Hmmmm. Mr Ward's protégé?
It seems to have been a cobbled together group. And it was Miss Phillipps who played the title-role. I wonder who paid the bills.
Ah! May 1858. Private performance: The musical dilettanti of our city have been treated to a rare entertainment—a private opera, privately performed in one of the most aristocratic mansions of University Place, the residence of Dr. Thomas Ward, the author of the words and music, and one of the leading performers of his own charming production. The title of the opera is “Flora; or, The Gipsy's Frolic.” It is in three acts, and the scene is laid in France, in the time of Louis the XIV. The plot is romantic and pretty; the characters numerous and the action lively."
Aristocratic? Ah I guess Dr Ward paid the bills, then.
I wonder if anyone followed up this production with its fine cast and imprimatur.
Oh, Lord. What a laugh. I see his little piece has been picked up by one of those firms which reprints out-of-copyright plays (to order, I imagine). Well, I wont be ordering one ...
PS this is apparently where it happened!
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