September 2, 1924 - "Rose-Marie"
Send the children out of the room for a bit, I'm going to talk a little aboot Canada, eh? Well, not the real Canada, but the mythological land perpetuated by the creators of the 1924 operetta (actually musical, but we'll get to that) “Rose-Marie.” According to the Canadian Encyclopedia the show is “partly responsible for the widely held image of Canada as a land solely of Mounties, mountains, and snow.” Please note that they only say 'partly'. In the early part of the 20th Century producer Arthur Hammerstein set out to create a different sort of musical theatre on Broadway. One that was musically steeped in the tradition of the European operettas yet would be uniquely American. The new musicals would not concern themselves with the mis-adventures of royalty but with ordinary folks found in exciting new places and in exciting new situations. In 1924, Canada was such a place. Well, in the time before jet travel and the internet, it was as good a place as any. Rumor has it (wild rumor, at that) that Arthur Hammerstein sent his nephew Oscar (OH2) and Otto Harbach (just OH) to witness a grand ice carving celebration in Quebec. The pair reported back that there was no such celebration in Quebec – or any other part of Canada. But the pair held onto the idea of Canada as a location for a musical. Although the story of “Rose-Marie” (a love story, naturally) trekked from Saskatchewan to Quebec, the play's program simply said “Location: Canada” - that was enough for Americans to know. The music was written by Rudolf Friml and Richard Stothart and lyrics by OH2 and (just) OH. The latter pair also tackled the book, and Arthur Hammerstein acted as production supervisor. Stothart doubled as musical director. With just ten principals and a five member creative team, this was one of the most compact shows on Broadway. In this period, there was no differentiation between a musical revue, an operetta, or a musical comedy – all were described as musicals. Indeed as time travels forward and these very men continue to create more and more work, the lines between the genres blurred nearly to the point of invisibility. If asked to name the most popular musical of the 1920's the answer would be “Rose-Marie.” After 1926, the answer would be “The Student Prince” - another show described as an operetta. Although the Broadway production of “Rose-Marie” was a success at 557 performances (plus an almost immediate return for 48 more), it was Hollywood who turned “The Indian Love Call” into a classic with their 1936 film adaptation starring Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy. In every other way, however, the film was almost unrecognizable from the stage. Joan Crawford starred in a silent version in 1928 (yes, a silent operetta) and in 1954 Busby Berkley created a more faithful adaptation starring Ann Blyth and Howard Keel. Theatre aficionados know that “Rose-Marie” served as the basis for the camp off-Broadway musical satire “Little Mary Sunshine” which turned “The Indian Love Call” into “The Colorado Love Call.” Si ce blog ont été parrainé par le Canada, il pourrait également être traduit en français.