Adonis is a musical burlesque in two acts with both book and lyrics by William Gill that is a spoof of the Pygmalion myth. Set in Greece, the musical tells the story of a gorgeous male statue of the mythological figure Adonis that comes to life and finds human ways so unpleasant that he chooses to turn back into stone – after spoofing several famous personalities. Originally envisioned as a starring vehicle for the actor Henry E. Dixey in the role of the Adonis, the play parodies the Pygmalion tale through a gender reversal in which the statue come-to-life is not female but male. In so doing the story is no longer one of the sexual objectification of a woman, but instead places a man as the embodied object of sexual desire.

In the tradition of a pastiche, the music for Adonis was largely derived from a variety of 19th century operetta composers; among them Edmond Audran, David Braham, Jacques Offenbach, Robert Planquette, Johann Strauss II, Arthur Sullivan, and Franz von Suppé. The work also used music by other classical music composers like Ludwig van Beethoven, Joseph Haydn, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Original lyrics by Gill were put to this musical material. Edward E. Rice and John Eller played a role in selecting and arranging this music by other composers, and they also both contributed some original music to the work. The work also included several vaudeville style entertainments which were envisioned, choreographed, and directed by Dixey. In addition to creating music for Adonis, Rice was the producer of the musical and Eller served as the show's music director for both the original 1884 Chicago production and the long-running Broadway production. James C. Scanlan was listed as the stage director of both the original Chicago and Broadway productions, and Dixey was also credited as director of the Broadway production.

Adonis was the longest running musical of the Gilded Age. Some writers on musical theatre history have described the work as "Broadway's first hit musical" because it was the first Broadway stage work, musical or otherwise, to surpass a performance count of 500 performances in a Broadway theatre. Other writers, however, have stated that The Black Crook (1866, premiere) deserves the distinction as the "first hit musical" because it was the first musical to have an extended run on Broadway. Adonis premiered in 1884 and was the first musical to surpass The Black Crook's performance record;breaking Broadway box-office records for profits, ticket sales, and performance longevity.

The original 1884 Chicago and Broadway programs for the play described the characters as such:

Act 1, scene 1: Talamea's Studio in Athens

The sculptress Talamea has created a statue of a beautiful man called Adonis. The Duchess of Area and her four silly daughters, Nattie, Hattie, Mattie, and Pattie, visit Talamea's studio and admire her creation. The villain of the play, the Marquis de Baccarat, also arrives under the pretext of examining Talamea's creation, but with the intent of trying to seduce the duchess in order to obtain her money. The Duchess purchases the statue and leaves the studio with her daughters and the Marquis after being promised it will be delivered to her. Alone, Talamea cannot bear to lose her beloved creation, and invokes the goddess Artea to bring the statue Adonis to life. Adonis is then forced to choose a life full of love but poverty with Talamea, or a life with riches with the Duchess. He decides he wants wealth more than love, and chooses a life with the Duchess.

Act 1, scene 2: Bunion Turke's cottage

Meanwhile, a small-town miller, Bunion Turke, and his daughter, Rosetta are enjoying their lives in a small cottage. Rosetta is introduced through the song "I'm a Merry Little Mountain Maid", which was one of the hit songs of the musical. The Marquis de Baccarat arrives in the village and attempts to seduce Rosetta who resists. The miller interrupts and catches him physically accosting Rosetta. He chases the Marquis off.