The Firefly (operetta)

The Firefly
Frontispiece of vocal score
Music	Rudolf Friml
Lyrics	Otto Harbach
Book	Otto Harbach
Productions	1912 Broadway 1931 Broadway

The Firefly was the first operetta written by composer Rudolf Friml, with a libretto by Otto Harbach. The story concerns a young Italian girl, who is a street singer in New York. She disguises herself and serves as a cabin boy on a ship to Bermuda, where she falls in love. Complications arise, and eventually, she becomes a grand opera diva.

After tryouts at the Empire Theatre in Syracuse, New York beginning in October 1912, the operetta premiered on Broadway on December 2, 1912 at the Lyric Theatre, transferring after Christmas to the Casino Theatre. It was warmly received and ran for an encouraging 120 performances. The piece became one of the more frequently revived Friml works but was not given a complete recording until 2006. A 1937 MGM film version used most of the songs but had a new plot set in Spain during the time of Napoleon. It starred Jeanette MacDonald and Allan Jones.

One of the most popular theatrical forms in the early decades of the 20th century in America was the operetta, and its most famous composer was Irish-born Victor Herbert. It was announced in 1912 that Italian-born operetta diva Emma Trentini would be starring on Broadway in a new operetta by Herbert with lyricist Otto Harbach entitled The Firefly. Shortly before the writing of the operetta, Trentini appeared in a special performance of Herbert's Naughty Marietta conducted by Herbert himself. When Trentini refused to sing "Italian Street Song" for the encore, an enraged Herbert stormed out of the orchestra pit refusing any further work with Trentini. Arthur Hammerstein, the operetta's sponsor, frantically began to search for another composer. Not finding anyone who could compose as well as Herbert, Hammerstein settled on the almost unknown Friml because of his classical training. After a month of work, Friml produced the score for what would be his first theatrical success.The Firefly was followed by 32 more Friml operettas, but it remained one of his most popular.