The New Moon

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For information about the 1990s rock music venue in Paris see The New Moon (music venue).

The New Moon is the name of an operetta with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Frank Mandel and Laurence Schwab. It opened on Broadway at the Imperial Theatre on September 19, 1928, ran for 519 performances, and closed at the Casino Theatre on December 14, 1929. It also had a London run in 1929.

Both film versions were produced by MGM. The 1930 film starred Grace Moore and Lawrence Tibbett and was a rework of the plot set in Russia. The 1940 film starred Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy and also reworked the plot, though it was slightly more faithful than the 1930 version. However, the music was not always presented faithfully. The 1930 version added new songs not by Romberg, and the 1940 version turns the melancholy tango number "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise", originally sung by the hero's best friend, into a cheerful liitle ditty sung by Eddy while he shines his shoes!

The operetta was staged faithfully in 1988 by the New York City Opera and telecast by PBS in 1989.

City Center Encores! presented a semi-staged revival at City Center in New York City in March of 2003. An original cast CD was made of this revival and released in 2004. The Encores production was presented during the run-up to the Iraq War and was the scene of an unlikely controversy when during the five performances the audience responded loudly to the line "One can be loyal to one's country and yet forswear its leader" with loud applause and cheers and then boos in reaction to the cheers.

1 Roles
2 Synopsis
- 2.1 Songs include
3 External links

[edit] Roles

Marianne Beaunoir (soprano)
Monsieur Beaunoir - her father
Julie, her maid (soprano)
Captain Georges Duval
Robert Misson (tenor)
Alexander (baritone)
Philippe (tenor)
Clotilde Lombaste (soprano)
Besac, boatswain of the 'New Moon' (baritone)
Jacques, ship's carpenter
Vicomte Ribaud
Emile, Brunet, Fouchet, Admiral de Jean, etc.

[edit] Synopsis

Robert is a young French aristocrat whose revolutionist inclinations force him to flee his country. He sells himself as a bond-servant to planter and ship owner Monsieur Beaunoir and his family in New Orleans in 1792 under an assumed name. As the police of Paris are looking everywhere for him, Robert cannot tell Beaunoir or his beautiful daughter Marianne, with whom he has fallen in love, that he is of noble blood. Eventually he is tracked down by Vicomte Ribaud, the detective villain, and put aboard The New Moon so that he can be deported back to France. Robert thinks he has been betrayed by Marianne, who has gained her father's consent to travel on the same ship, pretending she is in love with Captain Duval. There is a mutiny, and Robert and the bond-servants come into power. Everyone goes ashore on the Isle of Pines and a new republic is founded which flourishes under Robert's guidance. But Marianne, her pride hurt, at first refuses to marry Robert. Vicomte Ribaud makes a final attempt to conquer the island for the King of France. He is surprised to hear from the French Commander that there has been a revolution in France, and that all aristocrats like himself must die unless they renounce their titles. While Ribaud, a Royalist, goes to execution, republican Robert renounces his title and all ends happily for him and Marianne.