The Belle of Mayfair

The Belle of Mayfair
Edna May in the title role
Music	Leslie Stuart
Book	Basil Hood Charles Brookfield Cosmo Hamilton
Basis	Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
Productions	1906 West End

The Belle of Mayfair is a musical comedy composed by Leslie Stuart with a book by Basil Hood, Charles Brookfield and Cosmo Hamilton. The story is inspired by the Shakespeare play Romeo and Juliet.

The original production opened at the Vaudeville Theatre in London on 11 April 1906, produced by Charles Frohman. It ran for 431 performances, closing on 13 April 1907, and starred Edna May, Louie Pounds, Arthur Williams, Camille Clifford and Courtice Pounds. Hood withdrew his name from the original production after Frohman started altering the text to suit casting changes that occurred during the run. Some of these changes resulted from disputes between the female leads and the management, one of which resulted in court action. Edna May stormed out of the production, and the role was assumed by Phyllis Dare, making her a star.

A young couple, Julia Chaldicott and Raymond Mount-Highgate, fall madly in love during a sham auction taking place at a bazaar held in a London private park. This causes alarm to Julia's father, Sir John Chaldicott, Baronet, who hates Raymond's family. Among the distinguished visitors present at the auction are the Duchess of Dunmow, and Princess Carl of Ehrenbreitstein, a charming English girl, married to a German Prince. Raymond's friends advise him not to worry about marriage and to enjoy himself instead, while Julia's high powered friends, including Princess Carl, try to get him sent overseas as a diplomat. Julia's father tries to end the match by announcing that his daughter is going to become engaged to the Comte de Perrier, a conductor of a foreign band that is touring in the vicinity, and he is paid to become Julia's official suitor. As a result, Raymond threatens to punch the Comte and elope with Julia.

Sir John and his lady are at the opera, and Julia is being presented at Court by the Princess. A member of the orchestra brings a bag containing the band leader's costume to Sir John's house. Shortly afterwards, Sir John and Lady Chaldicott return. Some guests have been invited to meet Julia after her presentation. Soon Julia enters radiant and beautiful in her Court dress, and before long Raymond arrives to plan the elopement. Raymond shall ask Doctor Marmaduke Lawrence, the Bishop of Brighton, to officiate at the wedding. They are interrupted in their scheming, and Raymond, on Julia's inspiration, dons the costume of the missing bandmaster and confers with her father as to the programme of music. Sir John disturbed by the bandmaster's apparent change of manner.