The Queen of Brilliants

The Queen of Brilliants is a comic opera in three acts with music by Edward Jakobowski and a libretto by Brandon Thomas. It was adapted from Jakobowski's German-language operetta Die Brillantett-Königin, with a libretto by Theodore Tawbe and Isidor Fuchs, which premiered in March 1894 in Vienna. A vehicle for Lillian Russell, the plot concerns Betta, who runs away from a nunnery to join a variety troupe known as "The Brilliants" and is nicknamed their queen. She proves the worth of her lover, Florian, and turns out to be a real countess. A feature of the spectacularly-staged production was several corps de ballet.

Musical numbers include "Love's Freedom", sung by Florian, "Whisper Song" sung by Betta, and a lovers' duet sung in the first act; while the second act includes "A Soldier's Heart", Florian's "Tho' Cruel Fate" and Betta's "'Tis True I Am a Caprimonte". The third act includes a waltz song for Betta and a duet and dance for the lovers.

Lillian Russell starred in the title role in both the London and New York productions. The piece premiered at the Lyceum Theatre in London on 8 September 1894 and was revived in an adaptation by H. J. W. Dam at the Abbeys Theatre in New York on 7 November 1894. Despite the presence of Russell in the cast, the London production failed, playing for 41 performances, and the New York production closed after 29.

Besides Russell the British cast included Hubert Wilke as Florian, Arthur Williams as Della Fontana, George Honey as Fritz, Avon Saxon as Major Victor Pulvereitzer, W. H. Denny as Lucca Rabbiato, an itinerant knife grinder, Annie Meyers as Orsola, wife of Lucca Rabbiato, and John Le Hay as Grelotto. In London, the dances were arranged by John D'Auban and the scenery was painted by Hawes Craven (Act I), Joseph Harker (Act II) and William Perkins (Act III). The American cast included Wilke, Meyers, Digby Bell as Della Fontana and Laura Joyce Bell as Madame Engelstein.

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