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The Sultan of Mocha
The Sultan of Mocha is a three act comic opera with a score by Alfred Cellier and a libretto by Albert Jarrett. It was first produced at the Prince's Theatre, Manchester in 1874 and revived in London in 1876 and 1887 (with a new libretto by William Lestocq) and in New York in 1880, among others.
The musical theatre writer Kurt Gänzl describes The Sultan of Mocha as "one of the earliest British musicals of the modern era both to have a significant career at home and to win overseas productions". It was first produced in 1874 at the Prince's Theatre, Manchester by the actor-manager Charles Alexander Calvert, who "accepted a text supplied by a local gentleman of some literary attainment", Albert Jarrett (1834–1916), which was then set to music by Alfred Cellier, the musical director at Alexander's theatre. The production borrowed a camel from the local zoo for Middle-Eastern authenticity; it ran initially for 30 performances from 16 November to 9 December 1874, with Furneaux Cook in the title role and Bessie Emmett as Dolly. The Sultan of Mocha was taken off for the annual pantomime but returned in March 1875 (for two weeks) and April 1875 (for three weeks) with largely the same cast but with tenor John Chatterson as Peter, Catherine Lewis and Emily Muir as Dolly and Furneaux Cook reprising his role as the Sultan.
Of the score, Gänzl wrote:
Cellier's music took little or no notice of the French opéra-bouffe style which had been dominant in Britain's musical theatres for the past years and which had featured in such French-composed British musicals as Aladdin II (Hervé), Cinderella the Younger (Jonas) and Whittington (Offenbach) and the spectacular The Black Crook and Babil and Bijou. Following instead the tones of Sullivan's Contrabandista and Clay's The Gentleman in Black and Cattarina, Cellier's music for The Sultan of Mocha helped establish the kind of English comic-opera score which would find its apogée in the Savoy operas and his own Dorothy.
Its first revival was at the St James' Theatre in London from 17 April to 2 June 1876, a run of 47 performances, with Constance Loseby as Dolly, George W. Anson as Admiral Sneak, Alfred Brennir as Peter and Henri Corri as the Sultan and a chorus of 70. Cellier conducted his own piece as the musical director at the theatre.
It received its American premiere in December 1878 at the Bush Street Theater in San Francisco, California, where it had a short run under the management of Alice Oates. Blanche Roosevelt produced it at the Union Square Theatre in New York with her Blanche Roosevelt English Opera Company from 14 to 25 September 1880 for a run of 13 performances with Leonora Braham as Dolly and with Cellier conducting. The work returned to Manchester in 1880, where it played at the Theatre Royal with Alice May as Dolly, Fred. J. Stimson as Flint, George Fox as the Sultan, Allen Thomas as Sneak and Frederic Wood as Peter.
The piece received various revivals thereafter including at the Strand Theatre in 1887 with a new libretto by William Lestocq and included an additional song by Paolo Tosti, with Violet Cameron, Charles Danby and Henry Bracy in the cast. Opening on 21 September 1887, this production ran for 114 performances. Cellier dedicated the score to his friend, colleague and sometime employer, Arthur Sullivan.
Following his success as Peter at the Strand Theatre Bracy took up the Australian rights to The Sultan of Mocha, producing the show with his Henry Bracy's Comic Opera Company at the Alexandra Theatre in Melbourne in November 1889 and at the Criterion Theatre in Sydney in March 1890. Bracy was Peter, Lilian Tree was Dolly, John Forde was Sneak, Knight Aston was the Sultan, Flora Granpner was Lucy and William Stevens was Flint.
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The Sultan of Mocha
The Sultan of Mocha is a three act comic opera with a score by Alfred Cellier and a libretto by Albert Jarrett. It was first produced at the Prince's Theatre, Manchester in 1874 and revived in London in 1876 and 1887 (with a new libretto by William Lestocq) and in New York in 1880, among others.
The musical theatre writer Kurt Gänzl describes The Sultan of Mocha as "one of the earliest British musicals of the modern era both to have a significant career at home and to win overseas productions". It was first produced in 1874 at the Prince's Theatre, Manchester by the actor-manager Charles Alexander Calvert, who "accepted a text supplied by a local gentleman of some literary attainment", Albert Jarrett (1834–1916), which was then set to music by Alfred Cellier, the musical director at Alexander's theatre. The production borrowed a camel from the local zoo for Middle-Eastern authenticity; it ran initially for 30 performances from 16 November to 9 December 1874, with Furneaux Cook in the title role and Bessie Emmett as Dolly. The Sultan of Mocha was taken off for the annual pantomime but returned in March 1875 (for two weeks) and April 1875 (for three weeks) with largely the same cast but with tenor John Chatterson as Peter, Catherine Lewis and Emily Muir as Dolly and Furneaux Cook reprising his role as the Sultan.
Of the score, Gänzl wrote:
Cellier's music took little or no notice of the French opéra-bouffe style which had been dominant in Britain's musical theatres for the past years and which had featured in such French-composed British musicals as Aladdin II (Hervé), Cinderella the Younger (Jonas) and Whittington (Offenbach) and the spectacular The Black Crook and Babil and Bijou. Following instead the tones of Sullivan's Contrabandista and Clay's The Gentleman in Black and Cattarina, Cellier's music for The Sultan of Mocha helped establish the kind of English comic-opera score which would find its apogée in the Savoy operas and his own Dorothy.
Its first revival was at the St James' Theatre in London from 17 April to 2 June 1876, a run of 47 performances, with Constance Loseby as Dolly, George W. Anson as Admiral Sneak, Alfred Brennir as Peter and Henri Corri as the Sultan and a chorus of 70. Cellier conducted his own piece as the musical director at the theatre.
It received its American premiere in December 1878 at the Bush Street Theater in San Francisco, California, where it had a short run under the management of Alice Oates. Blanche Roosevelt produced it at the Union Square Theatre in New York with her Blanche Roosevelt English Opera Company from 14 to 25 September 1880 for a run of 13 performances with Leonora Braham as Dolly and with Cellier conducting. The work returned to Manchester in 1880, where it played at the Theatre Royal with Alice May as Dolly, Fred. J. Stimson as Flint, George Fox as the Sultan, Allen Thomas as Sneak and Frederic Wood as Peter.
The piece received various revivals thereafter including at the Strand Theatre in 1887 with a new libretto by William Lestocq and included an additional song by Paolo Tosti, with Violet Cameron, Charles Danby and Henry Bracy in the cast. Opening on 21 September 1887, this production ran for 114 performances. Cellier dedicated the score to his friend, colleague and sometime employer, Arthur Sullivan.
Following his success as Peter at the Strand Theatre Bracy took up the Australian rights to The Sultan of Mocha, producing the show with his Henry Bracy's Comic Opera Company at the Alexandra Theatre in Melbourne in November 1889 and at the Criterion Theatre in Sydney in March 1890. Bracy was Peter, Lilian Tree was Dolly, John Forde was Sneak, Knight Aston was the Sultan, Flora Granpner was Lucy and William Stevens was Flint.