The Girl in the Taxi

"The Girl in the Taxi" is the English-language adaptation by Frederick Fenn and Arthur Wimperis of the operetta, "Die keusche Susanne" (1910 in Magdeburg), with music by Jean Gilbert. It opened at the Lyric Theatre in London, produced by Philip Michael Faraday, on 5 September 1912 and ran for 385 performances. The piece starred Yvonne Arnaud, Amy Augarde and Charles H. Workman among others. The German original had a libretto by Georg Okonkowski.

The story, set in Paris, begins with a couple who each flag a taxi and then decide to share it, as they have the same destination. There are various naughty supper rendezvous at the same restaurant, separately, by a married Baron, who claims to be a man of extremely high morals, with a married lady, and a merchant's wife with the Baron's son (who may not have the cash to pay for their dinner). The merchant misses his train and so shows up early, and suspicions are aroused. Complications regarding the butler ensue, and all ends happily.

B.W. Findon, writing in "The Play Pictorial" called this "The merriest of musical farces" [Findon, B. W., "Play Pictorial", issue, no. 124, vol. XXI, 1912, pp. 2 and 3]

Film versions were made in 1921 and 1937.

External links

* [http://footlightnotes.tripod.com/20040731home.html Review of the piece with a description of the plot]
* [http://musicaltheatreguide.com/composers/gilbert_jean/gilbert_jean.html Information about the composer]
* [http://library.kent.ac.uk/library/special/icons/playbills/playdat2.htm Cast list]
* [http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=93111 Information about the film version]
* [http://www.musicals101.com/1910s.htm Lists the number of performances]