The Rose of Algeria is a musical in two acts with music by Victor Herbert and both book and lyrics by Glen McDonough.[1] The work features two songs which have become a part of the classical canon of concert repertoire, "Rose of the World" and "Twilight of Barakeesh".[2] The work is set in the country of Algeria at an oasis in the Sahara desert and at a palace in the nation's capital, Algiers.[1] First staged on Broadway under the title Algeria in 1908, the work was a critical failure in its original version.[3] Believing the work was a strong one, Herbert made numerous revisions to the work after the original Broadway production closed.[4] The revised version, now titled The Rose of Algeria, was mounted at Broadway's Herald Square Theatre in 1909 with a completely different cast and a new director.[3] This second version was more successful with critics and audiences.[4]
History
References
Citations
Bibliography
- Bloom, Ken (1996). American Song: A-S. Schirmer Books. ISBN 9780028645735.
- Bordman, Gerald Martin; Norton, Richard (2010). American Musical Theatre: A Chronicle. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199729708.
- Dietz, Dan (2022). The Complete Book of 1900s Broadway Musicals. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 9781538168943.
- Gould, Neil (2009). Victor Herbert: A Theatrical Life. Fordham University Press. ISBN 9780823228737.
- Mordden, Ethan (2015). The Happiest Corpse I've Ever Seen: The Last Twenty-Five Years of the Broadway Musical. St. Martin's Publishing Group. ISBN 9781466893443.