Sunday, November 9, 2008

Florodora In Joyce and Woodhouse

Florodora shows up in the oddest places...

The tenor song in Florodora, In the Shade of the Palm, is artfully mis-quoted all through the Sirens chapter of Joyce's Ulysses. In Florodora, the heroic tenor Frank Abercoed tells his beloved Dolores that he'll return if she but waits patiently for him. Get it?

In The Adventures of Sally by P.G. Wodehouse takes a swipe at all of the actresses who ever claimed to be a Florodora Girl:

Sally was disappointed, but it was such a beautiful morning, and New York was so wonderful after the dull voyage in the liner that she was not going to allow herself to be depressed without good reason. After all, she could go on to Detroit tomorrow. It was nice to have something to which she could look forward.

"Oh, is Elsa in the company?" she said.

"Sure. And very good too, I hear." Mrs. Meecher kept abreast of theatrical gossip. She was an ex-member of the profession herself, having been in the first production of "Florodora," though, unlike everybody else, not one of the original Sextette. "Mr. Faucitt was down to see a rehearsal, and he said Miss Doland was fine. And he's not easy to please, as you know."

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