Zsuzsi kisasszony

Zsuzsi kisasszony (literally "Miss Suzy", also known as Miss Springtime and Die Faschingsfee) is an operetta in 3 acts by Hungarian composer Emmerich Kálmán. It premiered at the Vig theatre in Budapest on February 23, 1915. The Hungarian language libretto was by Martos and M. Bródy. As Miss Springtime, it opened, in heavily revised form, on Broadway in 1916.

With a German libretto by A. M. Willner and R. Oesterreicher, a revised version of the music premiered as Die Faschingsfee (The Carnival Fairy) in Vienna, at the Johann Strauss Theater, on 21 September 1917. A further revision of Die Faschingsfee was done for Berlin, with a larger role for the leading lady, and it is the Berlin version that is most often seen today. In 2012, an English translation of the Berlin version was done at the Ohio Light Opera under the title Miss Springtime, but the recording made of that production was eventually released in 2013 under the title The Carnival Fairy.

Roles in Zsuzsi Kisasszony

Role Voice type Premiere Cast, February 27, 1915
(Conductor: -)
Zsuzsi soprano
Falsetti tenor
Péterfy tenor
Lauffen tenor
Szerafina soprano

Roles in Die Faschingsfee

Role Voice type Premiere Cast, September 21, 1917
(Conductor: -)
Alexandra Maria soprano
Hubert von Mützelburg tenor
Lori Aschenbrenner soprano
Ottokar von Grevlingen baritone
Viktor Ronai tenor

Synopses

The plot of Zsuzsi Kisasszony concerns Zsuzsi, a small-town girl who runs off to Budapest with Falsetti, a famous tenor, only to return, somewhat the wiser, to her old home and Péterfy, her old sweetheart.

The plot of Die Faschingsfee revolves around an artist, Victor, who in defending the honor of an unknown woman (Princess Alexandra Maria, as it turns out) offends his patron and loses a large stipend. In the end, all comes out right.

Sources