The Orchid

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The Orchid is a musical play in two acts by James T. Tanner, with lyrics by Adrian Ross and Percy Greenbank and music by Ivan Caryll and Lionel Monckton with additional numbers by Paul Rubens. It opened at Gaiety Theatre in London on 26 October 1903 and ran for 559 performances.

Dramatis Personæ

THE HON. VIOLET ANSTRUTHER

Miss Gertie Millar

(Principal Pupil at the Horticultural College)

CAROLINE TWINING (of a matrimonial turn)

Miss Connie Ediss

ZELIE RUMBERT (an Adventuress)

Miss Hilda Jacobsen

THISBE (Private Secretary to Mr. Chesterton)

Miss Gabrielle Ray

COUNTESS ANSTRUTHER (Violet's Mother)

Miss Phyllis Blair

BILLY (Dr. Fausset's "Buttons")

Miss Lydia West

LADY WARDEN (of the Horticultural College)

Miss Gertrude Aylward

JOSEPHINE ZACCARY

Miss Ethel Sydney

(Pupil Teacher at the Horticultural College)

THE HON. GUY SCRYMGEOUR		Mr. George Grossmith, Jnr.
	(Mr. Chesterton's Nephew)

DR. RONALD FAUSSET (a Country Practitioner)

Mr. Lionel Mackinder

MR. AUBREY CHESTERTON

Mr. Harry Grattan

(Minister of Commerce, and Guy's Uncle)

COMTE RAOUL DE CASSIGNAT (of the Quai d'Orsay)

Mr. Robert Nainby

ZACCARY (a Professional Orchid Hunter)

Mr. Fred Wright, Junr.

M. FRONTENBRAS
M. MERIGNAC

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(Comte Raoul's Seconds)

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Mr. George Gregory
Mr. Charles A. Brown

REGISTRAR	Mr. Arthur Hatherton
MASTER OF CEREMONIES	Mr. Will Bishop
M. D'AUVILLE (French Minister of State)	Mr. H. Lewis
MEAKIN (Gardener at the Horticultural College)	Mr. Edmund Payne

DEBUTANTES

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Miss Kitty Mason
Miss Blanche Carlow
Miss Doris Beresford
Miss Olive May
Miss Daisy Holly
Miss Florence Warde

Musical Numbers

ACT I - The Countess of Barwick's Horticultural College.

No. 1 - Opening Chorus - "This high horticultural college is formed with the excellent plan..."
No. 2 - Song - Thisbe & Chorus - "A statesman in the Cabinet wants plenty of assistance..."
No. 3 - Song - Jo & Chorus - "If I could be a girl in high society, whose pedigree included a peer or two..."
No. 4 - Song - Meakin & Chorus - "You amateurs who try to run a garden..."
No. 5 - Quintet - Jo, Lady Violet, Guy, Ronald & Meakin - "For a stylish and up-to-date wedding..."
No. 6 - Chorus & Scene (with Débutantes) - "Come! come! come! Come for confidential talks in the arbours and the walks..."
No. 7 - Song - Chesterton & Chorus - "From the start of my existence I was noted for persistence..."
No. 8 - Quartet - Lady Violet, Jo, Guy & Ronald - "Our marriage lines! our marriage lines! The magic in those simple signs..."
No. 9 - Duet - Caroline & Meakin - "The cuckoo is calling aloud to his mate, the turtle dove coos in its nest..."
No. 10 - Chorus - "Now the speechifying's done, and the prizes we have won have been given for our labour and invention..."
No. 11 - Song - Zaccary & Chorus - "I've travelled far where panthers are that jump on you and catch you! ..."
No. 12 - Song - Caroline & Chorus - "I was tired of living single, never putting up the banns..."
No. 13 - Finale Act I - "What a most romantic history! Solving all the recent mystery! Violet has played the run-away..."

ACT II - Various locations in Nice: Black Massena, Promenade des Anglais,
& Interior of the Opera House.

No. 14 - Opening Chorus - "Up and down, over the town, motley and merriment speed along..."
No. 14a - Pas de Trois
No. 15 - Song - Caroline & Chorus - "I've a passion for fancy dress, more or less! ..."
No. 16 - Song - Lady Violet & Chorus - "There's a certain little lady who's already known to fame as Little Mary..."
No. 17 - Duet - Guy & Meakin - "We're true British labourers honest and free, but, alas, we are both unemployed..."
No. 18 - Song - Zaccary & Chorus - "I'm monarch of many a million, especially put in francs..."
No. 19 - Duet - Ronald & Jo - "I never was so thoroughly wretched and sad in all my life..."
No. 20 - Song - Lady Violet & Zaccary - "There's a Yorkshire town, very bleak and brown, where your life is not too gay..."
No. 21 - Song - Guy - "There's a charming little lady who's a patron of the play..."
No. 22 - Song - Jo - "I've been waiting for some sort of sign that you want this little heart of mine..."
No. 23 - Chorus - "We are going to the Ball all in white..."
No. 24 - Song - Thisbe - "There's a girl I want you all to know, Rose-a-Rubie is her name..."
No. 25 - Octet - "Oh dear! have you heard of it? There's a ball we ought to see..."
No. 26 - Chorus - Bal Blanc - "Carnival is nearly ended, now we drop our colours splendid..."
No. 27 - Duet - Jo & Guy, with Chorus - "When I go to a ball, although I'm the keenest of the dancers..."
No. 28 - Song - Lady Violet & Chorus - "When I was extremely small, only three or four..."
No. 29 - Song - Ronald - "There are lots of fellows in the world today, but ther're very few about like me..."
No. 30 - Finale Act II - "At the fancy, fancy ball, happiness has come to all..."

Nos. 1, 3, 4, 8, 11, 13, 17, 18, 25 & 27 were composed by Ivan Caryll.
Nos. 2, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 14, 14a, 15, 16, 19, 20, 23 & 28 were composed by Lionel Monckton.
No. 21 was composed by Jean Schwartz. Nos. 22 & 29 were written and composed by Paul A. Rubens.
No. 24 was written and composed by Bernard Rolt. The composer of No. 26 is unspecified.
No. 30 was composed by both Ivan Caryll and Lionel Monckton.

MIDI Files

External Links: The Orchid at Wikipedia; Vocal Score at UR Research

British Musical Theatre | Musicals

Page modified 4 February 2017