Nell Gwynne (operetta) explained

Nell Gwynne is a three-act comic opera composed by Robert Planquette, with a libretto by H. B. Farnie. The libretto is based on the play Rochester by William Thomas Moncrieff. The piece was a rare instance of an opera by a French composer being produced first in London. Farnie had written an earlier libretto on the same subject, with the same name, for composer Alfred Cellier, which was produced at the Prince's Theatre in Manchester in 1876.^[1]

The opera was first performed at the Avenue Theatre in London on 7 February 1884. It then transferred to the Comedy Theatre on 28 April 1884. The production starred Florence St. John, Arthur Roberts, Giulia Warwick and Lionel Brough. In America, it was first produced in June 1884 in St. Louis^[2] and in New York City at the Casino Theatre beginning on 8 November 1884.^[3]

It was later produced in Paris as La Princesse Colombine, with a libretto by E. André Ordonneau, at the Théâtre des Nouveautés, beginning on 7 December 1886, but it was not a success in France.

Roles and original cast

Nell Gwynne (of the King's Theatre) – Florence St. John
Lady Clare (ward of the King) – Agnes Stone
Jessamine (niece of Weasel) – Giulia Warwick
Marjorie (parish waif – servant to Weasel) – Victoria Reynolds
Buckingham (in disgrace at Court – Landlord at the Dragon) – M. Dwyer
Rochester (in disgrace at Court – Waiter at the Dragon) – A. Cadwalader
The Beadle (the local authority) – Lionel Brough
Weasel (village pawnbroker) – Arthur Roberts
Talbot (cousin to Clare) – Cecil Crofton
Falcon (a strolling player) – Henry Walsham
Hodge and Podge (villagers) – Messrs. D. St. John and Hunt
Peregrine (Buckingham's footboy) – Agnes Lyndon
King Charles II, villagers, farmers, courtiers, waiters, etc.

Musical numbers

1. (a) Chorus — "No Heel-Taps"

(b) Scene — "He Brings our Score"

2. "The British Waiter" (Rochester and Buckingham)
3. "Only an Orange Girl " (Nell)
4. "O Heart! My Lover's Near!" (Jessamine, Rochester, Buckingham and Weasel)
5. "Once upon a Time" (Buckingham)
6. "O'er their Young Hearts " (Nell, Clare, Rochester and Buckingham)
7. Chorus — "Clubs and Cudgels"
8. "Tis I!" (Beadle and Chorus)
9. "Sweetheart, if Thou be Nigh!" (Falcon)
10. Finale, Act I: "O Surprise!" (Company)

Entr'acte

11. Pawn Chorus — "About the Middle of the Week"
12. Rustic Rondo (Nell)
13. "Tic, Tac" (Jessamine)
14. "Maid of the Witching Eye" (Nell and Clare)
15. "Now the Spell" (Nell, Jessamine, Clare, Rochester, Buckingham and Weasel)
16. "First Love" (Nell)
17. "The Dappled Fawn " (Jessamine and Falcon)
18. "Illusions!" (Buckingham)
19. "Turn About" (Buckingham and Rochester)
20. Finale, Act II: '"What's Passing Here" (Company)

Entr'acte

21. Hunting Chorus — "The Eager Hounds"
22. "The Broken Cavalier" (The Legend of Chelsea Hospital) (Nell)
23. "The Trysting Tree" (Falcon)
24.(a) "The Ball at Whitehall" (Nell)

(b) "Green Sleeves" (Nell)

25. "Happy the Lot" (Weasel and Beadle)
26. "The Rendez-vous" (Nell, Clare, Rochester and Buckingham)
27. "Timid Bird" (Jessamine and Falcon)
28. Finale, Act III (Company)

External links

Vocal score
Information about a 1901 New York revival
Theatre posters from performances at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh.

Notes and References

http://www.musicaltheatreguide.com/composers/cellier/alfred_cellier.htm Cellier's Nell Gwynne
https://books.google.com/books?id=P1S-LKYhyekC&pg=PA163 Information about the St. Louis 1884 production
https://www.nytimes.com/1884/11/09/archives/amusements-nell-gwynne-at-the-casino.html "Amusements; Nell Gwynne at the Casino"