Die Zirkusprinzessin

Die Zirkusprinzessin (The Circus Princess) is an operetta in three acts by Hungarian composer Emmerich Kálmán to a German libretto by Julius Brammer and Alfred Grünwald. It premiered at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna on 26 March 1926 and went on to 344 performances there.[1]

Synopsis

The plot revolves around a romantic intrigue with interpolated circus sequences. The mysterious "Mister X", a dashing circus performer, is hired by a disappointed suitor of Princess Fedora Palinska to pose as a nobleman and marry her. "Mister X" is in fact a nobleman, the disinherited nephew of a deceased prince. One of the work's most well-known arias, Zwei Märchenaugen (Two fairy-tale eyes), has been recorded by several famous tenors, including Fritz Wunderlich,[2] Charles Kullman,[3] and Richard Tauber.[4]

New York production

An English language version, The Circus Princess, premiered in at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York City on 25 April 1927 starring Guy Robertson and Desiree Tabor. The circus sequences in the New York production were particularly lavish, including equestrians, aerialists, and a famous clown of the day, Poodles Hanneford.[5] The show was staged by J. C. Huffman.[6]

Roles

Role	Voice type	Premiere cast, 26 March 1926 (Conductor: – )
Fedja Palinski, Mr X	tenor	Hubert Marischka
Princess Fedora Palinska	soprano	Mizzi Zwerenz
Miss Mabel Gibson	soprano	Elsie Altmann
Toni Schlumberger	tenor	Fritz Steiner
Prinz Sergius Wladimir	baritone	Richard Waldemar
Count Sakusin
Lieutenant Petrovitsch
Director Stanislawski	bass	Hans Moser (actor)
Carla Schlumberger, hotel manager	contralto	Betty Fischer
Samuel Pressburger
Society, officers, circus people – chorus

Recordings

Emmerich Kálmán: Die Zirkusprinzessin – Margit Schramm (soprano), Guggi Löwinger (soprano), Julius Katona (tenor), Rudolf Schock (tenor), Ferry Gruber (tenor); Deutsche Oper Berlin (chorus); Berliner Symphoniker (orchestra); Robert Stolz (conductor), Label: Eurodisc.

Films

Several Zirkusprinzessin films have been made, including The Circus Princess in 1925, Mister X in 1958 and The Circus Princess in 1982.

Notes and references

Traubner, Richard (2003) p. 271.
The Very Best of Fritz Wunderlich (EMI Classics 75915)
Charles Kullman - European Columbia Recordings (Nimbus Prima Voce NI7939)
Richard Tauber – Pardon, Madame! (Dutton CDBP9783)
Smith, Cecil (1981) p. 159.
Hischak, Thomas S. (2006-01-01). Enter the Playmakers: Directors and Choreographers on the New York Stage. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-5747-6. Retrieved 2014-05-30.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

Casaglia, Gherardo (2005)."Die Zirkusprinzessin, 26 March 1926". L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).
Martin, Jessie Wright (2005) A Survey of the Operettas of Emmerich Kalman, PhD. Thesis: Louisiana State University, August 2005.
Naxos Records, Liner Notes, The Best of Operetta Vol. 2.
Smith, Cecil (1981) Musical Comedy in America: From the Black Crook Through Sweeney Todd Routledge. ISBN 0-87830-564-5
Traubner, Richard (2003) Operetta: A Theatrical History, Routledge. ISBN 0-415-96641-8

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[1] Traubner, Richard (2003) p. 271.

[2] The Very Best of Fritz Wunderlich (EMI Classics 75915)

[3] Charles Kullman - European Columbia Recordings (Nimbus Prima Voce NI7939)

[4] Richard Tauber – Pardon, Madame! (Dutton CDBP9783)

[5] Smith, Cecil (1981) p. 159.

[6] Hischak, Thomas S. (2006-01-01). Enter the Playmakers: Directors and Choreographers on the New York Stage. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-5747-6. Retrieved 2014-05-30.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)