Neil Midkiff and I have been editing a performing edition of the Florodora libretto. The dialog is very, very funny and chocked full of jokes and good puns. We are mergeing the best from two similar sources, a printed libretto from an English revival (date unknown) and somewhat Americanized version which seems a bit earlier.
Most of the English characters are funny, led forcefully by the Lady Holyrood character who has some of the best jokes involving marriage and other social commentary.
Librettist Owen Hall (James Davis) really did a good job with this one!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
What Became of the Florodora BOYS?
I'm hoping a lot of people will want to be able to boast of joining the famous theatrical ranks Florodora Girls and Florodora Boys.
Speaking of Florodora Boys, this scene from a very early comedy-variety talkie in 1929 speculated of the fate of the original 6 Florodora Boys - the actors who played The Clerks who are the love interests for the Florodora Girls. The original actresses all left the show and married millionaires. But what ever happened to the boys???
"The Show of Shows" features early comedy films stars Heine Conklin, Lupino Lane, Bert Roach, Ben Turpin, and Lloyd Hamilton as Messrs Sims, Pym, Apfelbaum, Haskell, Grogan and Scott. There's an amusing but longish introduction to get past. The number - a take-off on Tell me Pretty Maiden - begins about a minute-and-a-half into the clip. Note the Florodora Girl line cakewalk blocking strongly resembles the entrance step in the clip from the Florodora Girl movie (see previous posting).
(In real life, one of the Florodora boys in an early revival was Milton Berle. He did quite well).
Speaking of Florodora Boys, this scene from a very early comedy-variety talkie in 1929 speculated of the fate of the original 6 Florodora Boys - the actors who played The Clerks who are the love interests for the Florodora Girls. The original actresses all left the show and married millionaires. But what ever happened to the boys???
"The Show of Shows" features early comedy films stars Heine Conklin, Lupino Lane, Bert Roach, Ben Turpin, and Lloyd Hamilton as Messrs Sims, Pym, Apfelbaum, Haskell, Grogan and Scott. There's an amusing but longish introduction to get past. The number - a take-off on Tell me Pretty Maiden - begins about a minute-and-a-half into the clip. Note the Florodora Girl line cakewalk blocking strongly resembles the entrance step in the clip from the Florodora Girl movie (see previous posting).
(In real life, one of the Florodora boys in an early revival was Milton Berle. He did quite well).
Vamping Until Sunday...
I hope to get the greenlight from the Lyric PTBs at Sunday's BoD meeting and then share all the exciting details. Any and all moral support for the BoD meeting gleefully accepted. The Board needs to vote on the budget, venue and artistic staff. I promise, then, that all will be revealed.
In the meantime, work is being done on the score and the libretto. The plan is to have a brand new much improved Florodora vocal score and matching midi files in people's hands as early as possible.
It all sounds bright and fun and will be a hoot to perform.
In the meantime, work is being done on the score and the libretto. The plan is to have a brand new much improved Florodora vocal score and matching midi files in people's hands as early as possible.
It all sounds bright and fun and will be a hoot to perform.
The Florodora Cocktail V2
I tried a Florodora Cocktail during Thanksgiving. It is a summer-y sort of punch drink, at least the basic version. The "imperial" version with cognac might pack a little more, oh, whats the word, punch.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
The Name "Florodora"
Legend has it that the name of the show, the word"Florodora", was cooked up with the help of the J. Grossmith & Son London firm of perfumers. 
It is supposed to be "love the smell of flowers" not "Adore flora". But it has been often misspelled "Floradora" ever since. (Floradora is the brand name of a design of Royal Doulton dishware, among other things).
Unlike G&S Operettas, it has no subtitle, although "The Queen of the Philippine Islands" is often cited. The score merely says "A Musical Comedy".
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Vamping Until Ready...
I'm waiting on final paperwork for the venue and action from the GSSSJ Board to announce specifics about the Florodora Discovery production.
I'd like people to keep August 1st and 2nd, 2009 clear.
In the meantime, I'll keep vamping - posting Florodora Fun Facts as I learn them.
I'd like people to keep August 1st and 2nd, 2009 clear.
In the meantime, I'll keep vamping - posting Florodora Fun Facts as I learn them.
The Florodora Girl (1930) Movie
In this 1930 movie, Daisy Dell (played by Marion Davies) is the last of the famous Florodora Girls not to be married. Daisy is awkward and shy until she meets and falls in love with Jack Vibart (Lawrence Gray). Jack falls for Daisy but his Mother persuades Daisy to stay away so that the wealthy family won't be disgraced. In this final reel (shot in two-tone Technicolor) Jack follows Daisy out onto the stage during a performance to propose marriage.
This clip shows the re-creation of the famous Act 2 sextette Tell Me Pretty Maiden, the only number from Florodora in the movie. The choreography shown is very close to genuine. The stage at New York's Casino Theater was quite shallow, which accounts for the straight lines and limited movement of the ensemble. Costumes are more Hollywood than the modest originals. The chorus number actually has a less famous second verse, which is not sung in the film, in which the girls quiz the boys. The verse will be included in our Discovery staging.
Marion Davies life story was very close to the life of a Florodora Girl, having been whisked out of the Ziegfeld Follies by William Randolph Hurst, who footed the bill for a number of her films (she's listed as Producer of The Florodora Girl).
The New York production of Florodora originally had a chorister named Daisy Green (not Dell) though its not clear whether she was the last to be whisked off the stage by a rich suitor. The cast list includes a character named "Daisy Chain" as one of the six English Girls.
Thanks to Neil Midkiff for a copy of the film.
This clip shows the re-creation of the famous Act 2 sextette Tell Me Pretty Maiden, the only number from Florodora in the movie. The choreography shown is very close to genuine. The stage at New York's Casino Theater was quite shallow, which accounts for the straight lines and limited movement of the ensemble. Costumes are more Hollywood than the modest originals. The chorus number actually has a less famous second verse, which is not sung in the film, in which the girls quiz the boys. The verse will be included in our Discovery staging.
Marion Davies life story was very close to the life of a Florodora Girl, having been whisked out of the Ziegfeld Follies by William Randolph Hurst, who footed the bill for a number of her films (she's listed as Producer of The Florodora Girl).
The New York production of Florodora originally had a chorister named Daisy Green (not Dell) though its not clear whether she was the last to be whisked off the stage by a rich suitor. The cast list includes a character named "Daisy Chain" as one of the six English Girls.
Thanks to Neil Midkiff for a copy of the film.
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