The Mousmé (The Maids of Japan) is a musical play by Alexander Mattock Thompson and Robert Courtneidge, lyrics by Arthur Wimperis and Percy Greenbank and music by Lionel Monckton and Howard Talbot which opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London on 9 September 1911.
Dramatis Personæ
CAPTAIN FUJIWARA (of the Japanese Army) | Mr. Harry Welchman | |
LIEUTENANT MAKEI (of the Japanese Army) | Mr. Nelson Keys | |
HASHIMOTO (A Tea House Keeper) | Mr. George Hestor | |
TANAKA (A Journalist) | Mr. Harry Ray | |
SUKI (A Fortune Teller) | Mr. Dan Rolyat | |
MIYO KO SAN | Miss Cicely Courtneidge | |
(Daughter of General Okubo and of his English Wife) | ||
MITSU (Mistress of Geisha) | Miss Ada Blanche | |
O HANA SAN (A Singer in the Temple) | Miss Florence Smithson |
ACT I - The Shrine at Tsumura.
- No. 1 - Opening Scene and Chorus - "Where else but in Japan..."
- No. 2 - Song - Miyo - "Honourable Jappy bride..."
- No. 3 - Chorus of Geisha - "Gay little, glad little girls are we..."
- No. 4 - Chorus of Village Girls and Song - Suki - "Suki is coming..." and "Simply send for Suki."
- No. 5 - Entrance and Song - Hana - "I know nothing of life..."
- No. 6 - Quartett - Hana, Miyo, Fujiwara and Makei - "Hide-and-Seek."
- No. 7 - Duet - Hana and Fujiwara - "Little flower of Japan..."
- No. 8 - Finale - Act I - "Drums are beating, bugles bray..."
ACT II - The Tea House of Sweet Content in Tokyo.
- No. 9 - Act II - Opening Chorus - "Very fine tea-house, this..."
- No. 10 - Song - Tanaka and Chorus of Geisha - "The Western Dance."
- No. 11 - Scena and Concerted Number - Miyo and Men - "What is this we see?"
- No. 12 - Song - Hana and Chorus - "My samisen."
- No. 13 - Song - Suki and Chorus - "I've faced some dangers terrible..."
- No. 14 - Duet - Miyo and Makei - "Foreign Customs."
- No. 15 - Song - Hashimoto - "The corner of my eye."
- No. 16 - Finale - Act II - "Is this your love? This living lie!"
ACT III - The Temple Grounds at Tsumura.
- No. 17 - Act III - Introduction and Opening Chorus - "Fair the cherry blossom blows..."
- No. 17a - Reprise (very quietly, beneath dialogue)
- No. 18 - Sextet - Makei, Tanaka, Guest and Geisha - "The Mi-Ai."
- No. 19 - Duet - Mitsu and Suki - "Memories."
- No. 20 - Song - Miyo and Chorus - "The little Japanese Mamma."
- No. 21 - Song - Hana - "The Temple Bell."
- No. 22 - Chorus of the Glance Meeting - "Miyo and Yamaki we await..."
- No. 23 - Finale Act III - "Hail, hail, Sakura!"
Addenda.
- Addendum 1 - Song - Miyo and Chorus of Girls - "Men are all the same..."
- Addendum 2 - Concerted Number - Tanaka and Geisha - "The singing maid."
- Addendum 3 - Duet - Suki and Mitsu - "Suki and Co."
- Addendum 4 - Song - Makei and Girls - "Japanese soldier boy."
Photographs of the production .
Page modified 30 January 2017