The Desert Song

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Movie poster for the 1929 film version of The Desert Song.

The Desert Song is an operetta with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and Otto Harbach, respectively. It opened at the Casino Theatre on Broadway on November 30, 1926 and ran for a very successful 465 performances [1].

The leading man in the original Broadway production was Scottish baritone Richard Halliday and the heroine Vivienne Segal. To celebrate the centenary of Romberg’s birth (1987), the New York City Opera staged a lavish production with Richard White and Linda Michele. Although very old-fashioned by present standards, and wildly improbable in its storyline, The Desert Song is still occasionally performed and has been made into a motion picture four times: in 1929 (a lavish production with Technicolor sequences starring John Boles and Carlotta King), 1932 (as a two-reeler entitled The Red Shadow), 1943 (topically altered to have the hero fighting the Nazis), and (the best-known version) in 1953 with Kathryn Grayson and Gordon MacRae. When it was adapted for live television in 1955 (with Gale Sherwood and Nelson Eddy, and Salvatore Baccaloni imported from the Metropolitan Opera to play Ali Ben Ali) one of the writers brought in to modernize some unplayable dialogue was the young Neil Simon [2].

The plot is an early version of "superhero in mild-mannered disguise loves girl-who-loves-the-superhero" plots such as Superman (compare the earlier tales of the Scarlet Pimpernel and Zorro).

1 Roles
2 Synopsis
3 Musical numbers
4 External links

[edit] Roles

Sid El Kar
Hassi John A. Fergusson William Cunningham
Mindar
Benjamin Kidd
Captain Paul Fontaine
Azuri
Margot Bonvalet
General Birabeau
Pierre Birabeau
Susan
Ali Ben Ali
Clementina
Hadji
Chorus of Riffs, soldiers and inhabitants of the fortress

[edit] Synopsis

French General Birabeau has been sent to Morocco to root out and destroy the Riff, a band of Arab rebels, who threaten the safety of the French outpost in the Moroccan desert. Their dashing, daredevil leader is the mysterious "Red Shadow". Margot Bonvalet, a lovely, sassy French girl, is soon to be married at the fort to Birabeau's righthand man, Captain Fontaine. Birabeau's son Pierre, in reality the Red Shadow, loves Margot, but pretends to be a milksop to preserve his secret identity. Margot tells Pierre that she secretly yearns to be swept into the arms of some bold, dashing sheik, perhaps even the Red Shadow himself. Pierre, as the Red Shadow, kidnaps Margot and declares his love for her.

To her surprise, Margot's mysterious abductor treats her with every Western consideration. When the Red Shadow comes face to face with General Birabeau, the old man challenges the rebel leader to a duel. Of course Pierre will not kill his own father, so he refuses to fight, losing the respect of the Riff. Azuri, the sinuous and secretive native dancing girl, might be persuaded to answer some of these riddles if only she can be persuaded by Captain Fontaine. Meanwhile Benny, a reporter, and Susan comic relief. Eventually, the Red Shadow's identity is discovered, a deal is struck with the Riff, and Pierre and Margot live happily ever after.