the pink lady
A Musical Comedy in Three Acts
Music by Ivan Caryll
Book and Lyrics by C.M.S. McLellan
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Phillippe Dondidier, Dealer in Antiques – Principal Comedy
Luciend Garidel – Juvenile lead, Baritone
Maurice D’UZac – Juvenile
Bebe Guingolph – Juvenile
Benevol, Detective – Character Comedy
Crapote, Salesman to Dondidier – Juvenile
Pochet, Inkeeper – old man
The Hungry Man – old man character
Doctor Mazou – small part
Rouget, servant to Countess – small part
A Photographer – chorus bit
Theodore Lebec, Clerk to Dondidier – chorus bit
Claudine, the pink lady – Soubrette lead, soprano
Angele – soprano lead
Madame Dondidier – character comedy
Serpolette Pochet – soubrette soprano
La Comtesse – character woman
Desiree
Gilberte
Gabrielle
Raymonde
Minette
Sophie
Annette
Julie
Suzanne
Nini
SYNOPSIS OF SCENES
Act I. The Gardens of “Le Joli Coucou”, a retaurant in the Forest of Compioegne, France.
Act II. Interior of an Antique shop in the Rue St. Honore, Paris
Act III. The Ball of the Nymphs and the Satyrs.
Argument
The maidens in a European village not far from Paris are frightened, but secretly thrilled, by a mysterious man called Satyr, who kisses and embraces them if they venture into the woods to pick mushrooms. Lucien, an engaged young man arrives, soon followed by his fiancée, Angele, and her idiot-savant cousin, Bebe. Lucien wishes to have one last fling with his mistress, Claudine, before he marries; he has made up a man named Dondidier, like Algernon's Bunbury, so that he may visit him in the country. His bride-to-be has a jealous admirer, Maurice, who persuades her to follow her future husband to witness his philandering.
Angele insists on meeting Dondidier, whom Lucien identifies as the Satyr. Angele sees Lucien having lunch with Claudine. Angele vows to marry Bebe, although she is not attracted to him and plans to be a cold and unloving wife. Lucien says that Claudine is Dondidier's wife, but Angele is not fooled ... until Claudine appears and backs up this story. Angele demands to know where in Paris Claudine and her husband reside. Claudine smoothly gives her an address, adding that Mr. Dondidier is an antiques dealer. It turns out that Bebe provided Claudine with the necessary facts, so that Angele would go ahead and marry Lucien. Having overheard Lucien claim that Dondidier is the Satyr, everyone wishes to meet him in Paris.
Act II is set in Paris at the home of the curmudgeonly little antique dealer, his wife and the townswomen encourage the mousy man to demonstrate his talents as the famous Satyr. Two Greek statues, one of Aphrodite, the other of a satyr, have mysteriously disappeared from his shop.
Act three opens at the Ball of the Nymphs and Satyrs, the Pink Lady resolves all of the complications, so that Lucien eventually marries Angele, Bebe remains faithful to his Canadian girlfriend, and Dondidier becomes more of a man to his wife.
History
The Pink Lady opened on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theatre on Match 13, 1911 and ran for 312 performances. The story was adapted from a French farce, The Satyr, by Georges Berr and Marcel Guiltemand. Hazel Dawn stared as Claudine, the Pink Lady, and stopped the show every night singing and playing the violin to the waltz “My Beautiful Lady.” This waltz hit guaranteed stock and amateur revivals until the 1950s.
The New York Times: Its fun is developed logically out of tis situations, and so are its songs. In the second act, for instance, not a musical number occurs which does not carry the plot along further, instead of halting it, and yet no songs in the piece were more persistently applauded than these.
Orchestration
Flute 1 (doubles Piccolo)
Flute 2 (doubles Piccolo)
Oboe
Clarinet 1 (in B-flat and A)
Clarinet 2 (in B-flat and A)
Bassoon
Horn 1
Horn 2
Cornet 1
Cornet 2
Trombone 1
Trombone 2
Percussion (2 Players: Timpani, Bells, Snare Drum, Bass Drum & Cymbals, Triangle, Woodblock)
Violin 1
Violin 2
Viola
Cello
Bass
