The Queen of Brilliants

The Queen of Brilliants is a comic opera with music by Edward Jakobowski and a libretto by Brandon Thomas. It was adapted from Jakobowski's German-language operetta Die Brillantett-Königin, with a libretto by Theodore Tawbe and Isidor Fuchs, which premiered in March 1894.^[1] The plot concerns countess Betta, who runs away from a nunnery to join a variety troupe known as "The Brilliants" and is nicknamed their queen. She proves the worth of her lover, Florian.^[2] A feature of the spectacularly-staged production was several corps de ballet.^[3]

Lillian Russell starred in the title role in both the London and New York productions. The piece premiered at the Lyceum Theatre in London on 8 September 1894 and was revived in an adaptation by H. J. W. Dam at the Abbeys Theatre in New York on 7 November 1894. Despite the presence of Russell in the cast, the London production failed, playing for 41 performances, and the New York production closed after 29.^[1] Besides Russell the British cast included Hubert Wilke as Florian, Arthur Williams, George Honey, Avon Saxon, Annie Meyers, W. H. Denny and John Le Hay.^[3] The American cast included Wilke, Meyers, Digby Bell and Laura Joyce Bell.^[2]

Plot summary

Count Caprimonte of Borghoveccio is a descendant of the Emperor Diocletian. A young architect named Florian Bauer loves Betta, a fisher girl, to whom the Count is related. A duplicitous marriage broker, Madame Engelstein, wants Florian to marry her daughter. She causes Betta to believe that Florian is faithless, and Betta runs away from the convent where she lives to join a variety circus troupe. She becomes a celebrated circus queen, and her success enables her to become the benefactress of Borghoveccio. She is able to test Florian's affection, and he proves to be true to her, so all ends happily.

Reception

The London critics complained that Russell had more costume changes than songs: nine costumes to only three songs. "The audience wants singing, not posturing", one wrote.^[4] One London critic wrote: "Lillian Russell has never been in better voice. There is nothing more gorgeous on the light opera stage. It is a mediocre play with a weak book and the music is not catching. The excessive magnificence of the scenery actually smothered the performers. Dullness seemed to be the unpardonable sin of both composer and author."^[4]

The New York critics were even less favourable: "If the original English book was worse than the present one, it must have been a very bad work. There is a story, of course, and that which by courtesy may be called a plot, but it is extremely difficult to discover it during the progress of the performance, and it would be utterly incoherent without the aid of the auditor's imagination."^[5] The New York Times wrote that there was not one funny line in the show and called Jakobowski's music "the veriest trash ... cheap, reminiscent of his former works, and by no means catchy."^[6]

References

External links

• Photo of Russell in the role
• London review of the opera