The Wedding Day is a comic opera in three acts with music by Julian Edwards and a libretto by Stanislaus Stange. Prior to a production on Broadway, the work premiered for the grand opening of the newly renovated Wieting Opera House in Syracuse, New York, on September 15, 1896.[1] [2] It was staged at The Boston Theatre where it began a two-week run on February 7, 1897.[3] Critic Roland Burke Hennessy of The Illustrated American wrote, "I consider The Wedding Day to be by far the best native comic opera we have had in many a year."[4]
The original production moved to Broadway's Casino Theatre where it opened on April 8, 1897, running for a total of 36 performances.[5] The production was directed by Richard Barker and used sets designed by Ernest Albert and costumes by Caroline Siedle.[6] The cast included Lillian Russell as Lucille D' Herblay, Jefferson De Angelis as Polycop, Della Fox as Rose-Marie, Winfield Blake as Sergeant Sabre, and May Cuthbert as Mille Courcey among others.[6]
The Wedding Day was revived by Henry W. Savage's Boston-based Castle Square Opera Company in 1901 who presented performances of the work on tour to Chicago at The Studebaker in May of that year.[7] The Castle Square cast was led by soprano Gertrude Quinlan.[7]