"THE STUDENT PRINCE."

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 99, 29 April 1933, Page 5 (Supplement)

"THE STUDENT PRINCE."

FAMOUS MUSICAL ROMANCE.

TO BE MADE INTO A FILM.

With the announcement from Hollywood that the world-famous musical romance, "The Student Prince," will- be the first of a series of opera successes to be filmed—including "Madame Butterfly," "Rose Marie" and "The Merry Widow"—it is interesting to recall the unusual story of how this popular composition came to be staged. When the Messrs. Shubert acquired the American rights to Wilhelm MeyerFoerster's play of German student life, "Old Heidelberg," some 29 years ago, as a vehicle for the. late Aubrey Boucicault, they did not realise that they had the nucleus of what was destined to become one of the greatest musical "hits" of any generation. The first American performances of "Old Heidelberg" were given in German in the Irving Place Theatre in New York under the direction of Heinrich Conried. This piece was one of the last of his ventures before lie became the general director of the Metropolitan opera, a position in which ho made history. The Shuberts, looking for a suitable vehicle for young Boucicault, arranged with Conried for the American rights to the piece. "Old Heidelberg" was performed in English for the first time in New York in 1903, with Boucicault in the leading role. But in spite of praise from the critics, the play did not. "click." About this time Reginald De Koven, the composer, built the Lyric Theatre in New York for the Messrs. Shubert. Looking about for a special opening attraction for the house, they approached Richard Mansfield, then the leading actor on the American stage, who astonished them by saying that he would open the theatre if they permitted him to have "Old Heidelberg" as his piece. The faith that the Messrs. Shubert held in the play caused them to agree to Mansfield's proposition. The faith of the young producers and the young star was more than justified, for "Old Heidelberg" was one of the outstanding successes in Mansfield's career. Mansfield opened "Old Heidelberg" in Chicago in 190-1, in the Grand Opera House, where a revival of its musical successor, "The Student Prince," is actually playing at the moment. The following winter he appeared in it in New York and made one of the real "hits" of the generation as the prince. Some 20 years later, when the vogue for operetta was invading the theatrical field, the Messrs. Shubert were looking around for a suitable libretto to build into a musical romance. They came across "Old Heidelberg," which had been lying around in their play library. Here was an ideal romantic story. They engaged the services of the late Dorothy Donnelly to adapt the book, into the form of an operetta libretto, and secured Sigmund Romberg to write the music. The new musical romance was to be called "The Student Prince."

Since then it has gone from success to success, even visiting Australia and New Zealand a few years ago, under the Williamson banner. It Bliould undoubtedly* prove one of the film industry's greatest successes if only its producers do not make it too full of action, a-s_ is their wont with stage adaptations (vide "The Maid of the Mountains" and "Carmen").