The Girl in the Taxi (play)

The Girl in the Taxi is a three-act musical comedy written by Stanislaus Stange, with music by Benjamin Hapgood Burt. Set in New York City, it is one of several adaptations of Le Fils à papa, a French comedy by Antony Mars and Maurice Desvallières. The 1910 Broadway production was produced by Albert H. Woods and directed by Carter DeHaven; the latter of whom also performed the role of Bertie Stewart.

The Girl in the Taxi
MusicBenjamin Hapgood Burt
LyricsBenjamin Hapgood Burt
BookStanislaus Stange
BasisLe Fils à papa
PremiereJanuary 16, 1910 (1910-01-16): Cort Theatre, Chicago

Cast and characters

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The characters and cast from the Broadway production are given below:[1]

Broadway opening night cast
Character Cast
Mariette Jeannette Bageard
Mary Peters Fremont Benton
John Stewart Frederick Bond
Policeman Joseph Clark
Percy Peters Morgan Coman
Bertie Stewart Carter De Haven
Walter Watson Frank Farrington
Alexis Max Freeman
Frederick Smith John Glendinning
Mignon Laura Guerite
Dr. Paul Clifford Heckinger
Clara Stewart Jessie Millward
Emile Jerome Nelson
Rosie Katherine Smythe
Mademoiselle Irma Grace Walton

History

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Antony Mars and Maurice Desvallières wrote Le Fils à papa, a three-act French comedy, in 1906. In early 1910, English-American author Stanislaus Stange adapted the play into an English-language musical comedy with songs by composer Benjamin Hapgood Burt.[a] Stange's adaptation premiered at the Cort Theatre in Chicago on January 16, 1910.[2] After running in Chicago and Boston, The Girl in the Taxi appeared on Broadway at the Astor Theatre on October 24, 1910.[1] It played there for six weeks with 48 performances.[3]

Notes

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  1. ^ Also in 1910, Le Fils à papa was separately adapted by Jean Gilbert into a German operetta called Die keusche Susanne (Chaste Susanne). In 1912, Frederick Fenn and Arthur Wimperis adapted the operetta to English as a musical, which was also called The Girl in the Taxi. In 1913, Mars and Desvallières adapted the operetta back into French as La chaste Suzanne.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Girl in the Taxi a Frisky Comedy". The New York Times. October 25, 1910. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ Hammond, Percy (January 17, 1910). "The Girl in the Taxi". The Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Bloom, Ken (2012) [2004]. Broadway: An Encyclopedia. New York: Routledge. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-4159-3704-7.
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