"The Impresario": opera comique

              WILLIAM WADE HINSHAW'S 
ALL-STAR PRODUCTIONS OF OPERA COMIQUE



Tour Beginning October
 1921




SEASON 1921–1922



Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Musical Comedy
 
THE IMPRESARIO




English Version by
 HENRY EDWARD KREHBIEL




Management Affiliated Musical Bureaus of America






WILLIAM WADE HINSHAW


President and General Manager of
 
The Society of American Singers of New York


Presents 
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Musical Comedy



THE IMPRESARIO
 (English Version by 
HENRY EDWARD KREHBIEL
) 
With the Celebrated American Baritone




MR.
 PERCY HEMUS
 
Supported by 
A Famous All-American Cast




The Musical Rendition created under the direction of Mr. Sam Franko.




The opera staged, mounted and produced under the personal direction of Mr. William Wade Hinshaw.





CAST OF CHARACTERS





Emanuel Schickaneder,
 Director Vienna Opera House


PERCY HEMUS




Phillip,
 his nephew, a young baritone


FRANCIS TYLER




Mozart,
 the composer


THOMAS MCGRANAHAN




Madam Hofer,
 Mozart's prima donna sister-in-law


REGINA VICARINO




Mlle. Dorothea Uhlic,
 singer of Linz


HAZEL HUNTINGTON




Accompanist to Schickaneder


GLADYS CRAVEN






Time—1791.


Scene—Reception Salon of Schickaneder, Vienna Opera House.




Gowns by Cesarine Thibaud, 795 Madison Avenue, New York.


Men's costumes by Tams, New York.


Wigs, by Winters, New York.


Scenery and draperies by Bumpus and Lewis, New York.




The Official Piano of the Impressario Company is the A. B. Chase




Mr. Hemus makes Records exclusively for the Olympic Disc Record Corporation






EXECUTIVE STAFF FOR WILLIAM WADE HINSHAW





Business Manager and Treasurer


PERCY HEMUS




Stage Manager


FRANCIS J. TYLER







STORY OF THE OPERA



The story of 
The Impresario,
 or 
Hoodwinking the Manager
 is based upon an historical episode, and the characters represented are from real life.




In 1786 Emanuel Schickaneder, erstwhile poet, dramatist, librettist, musician, singer, actor and also the General Manager of the Vienna Opera House, engaged Mozart, the great composer, to compose the music for a new fantastic opera, 
The Magic Flute,
 which he, Schickaneder, as librettist, was writing, and which, although the opera was not yet finished, the company was already rehearsing on the stage of the opera house.




Mozart's sister-in-law, Madam Hofer, was engaged as the Prima Donna Assoluta at the opera, and, feeling her position secure on account of her relation to Mozart, she amused herself by making life miserable for Schickaneder, through her prima donna tantrums.  There were two prima donna roles in the new opera, 
Queen of the Night
 and 
Pamina,
 both requiring coloratura sopranos of the first water, which made it necessary for Schickaneder to engage a second prima donna to sing the role of 
Pamina,
 to which Madam Hofer seriously objected.  Since the Empress had set the fashion to favor Italian singers and the Italian language, Schickaneder determined upon making a clever business stroke by engaging an Italian for the role, and set about corresponding with Signorina Cavallieri, of Milan, for the post.




Phillip, Schickaneder's nephew, and second baritone of the Opera House, had a sweetheart who was the leading soprano of the opera at the little town of Linz, but who refused to marry him until she could make a career, and in order to hasten it, Phillip sought to get his uncle to engage her at Vienna.  This Schickaneder would not do, as he would not have a prima donna niece-in-law in his pay.  He had troubles enough without that.  Phillip, however, enlisted the assistance of Mozart, who was always ready to come to the aid of a pretty girl, and by passing off his fiancée as the 
Cavallieri
 from Milan, secured an audience for her with his uncle who, delighted with her singing, hastened to get her name to a contract, not dreaming, until it was too late, that he had been hoodwinked into signing a hard and fast contract with Phillip's fiancée, Mlle. Dorothea Uhlic, singer of Linz.




[As is the usual case with the soprano roles of Mozart's operas, all of the soprano arias sung in the 
Impresario
 are of bravura character, taking the voices to HIGH E numerous times, as well as to all intermediate notes, while in the trio, 
I am the Prima Donna,
 in which Madam Hofer and Mlle. Uhlic contest with each other as to who is the 
best singer,
 they are sent skyrocketing in a great flash of brilliancy to F in Altissimo.  (F above High C).]






MR. PERCY HEMUS
 (EXCLUSIVE OLYMPIC ARTIST) AND OTHER 
IMPRESARIO
 ARTISTS HAVE RECORDED FOR OLYMPIC RECORDS



Ask your local Record dealer for solo numbers of 
Impresario
 on Olympic Records.  If your dealer can not supply you with these records, he can get them by applying to the Olympic Disc Record Corporation, 1666 Broadway, New York City, for the address of his nearest jobber of Olympic Records.




Olympic Records are lateral cut and play on all Talking Machines.  We issue 24 Selections monthly comprising all the latest popular songs, dance hits, standard vocals, operatic and instrumental numbers.






OLYMPIC DISC RECORD CORPORATION 1666 BROADWAY New York City




OLYMPIC RECORDS




August 12th. 1921






Gentlemen:




The A. B. Chase piano has given such emninent satisfaction and pleasure to members of The Society of American Singers the past few seasons it is with genuine delight that I have chosen your superb instrument for The Impresario, in which the piano plays such an important part.




All the artists participating in The Impresario are equally delighted to know your pianos will be their companion in more than 150 appearances already booked for the coming season.




Yours very truly,
(Signed) WILLIAM WADE HINSHAW




A. B. CHASE PIANO COMPANY, Inc. 9 East 45th. Street, New York City