Theater

  • Please find details about the play "Eileen" I am not seeking information about "My Sister Eileen" but rather just "Eileen" .... Seeking plot summary plus character summary...A short and sweet answer will certainly do...thanks


  • Hi, seedy! Could it be an Irish operetta entitled "Eileen," with music by Victor Herbert? That is the only "Eileen" listed in the Internet Broadway Database. http://www.ibdb.com/show.asp?ID=3292 If this sounds like the right "Eileen," I'll be glad to seek more info about it. If not, are there any additional details available, such as approximate era in which the play was written, probable nationality of the playwright, et cetera? ~Pink


  • Just what I was looking for....thanks


  • Pink: I believe it IS the one by Victor Herbert....Would you please research the plot and characters and post them in the answer??? THANKS...seedy


  • Dear seedy, Thank you *very* much for the lavish tip and the five-star rating! I am always pleased to be able to assist a fellow Researcher, but the delight is magnified when the fellow Researcher is also a friend. ~Pink


  • "Eileen" featured music by Victor Herbert. The libretto and lyrics were written by Henry Blossom. "Eileen" opened on Broadway on March 19, 1917, and ran for 64 performances. The Internet Broadway Database lists the names of the original Broadway cast: Internet Broadway Database http://www.ibdb.com/production.asp?ID=8519 The main characters are Eileen, Barry O'Day, Lady Maude, Shaun Dhu, Sir Reggie, and Colonel Lester. Here is the best plot synopsis that I've found: "The plot of Eileen is set in 1798 and concerns a band of smugglers on the Western coast of Ireland, led by Shaun Dhu. One of their number is Barry O'Day. Their booty is stored at Biddy's Black Bull Inn where much of the action takes place. Lady Maude, accompanied by her niece, Eileen, appears, their carriage having broken down. They are rescued from the village drunks by Barry O'Day and as a result he wins their affection. This comes in handy as Colonel Lester has been tipped off that Barry is in the area and arrives to arrest him. Barry escapes as Lady Maude's groom. Act II shifts the action to Lady Maude's castle where she admits her longing for Barry. Eileen reveals to her his true identity as a rogue. To help Barry escape Maude decides to thwart the Colonel by cajoling her guest, Sir Reggie, to put on a coachman's uniform and act as a decoy. But Sir Reggie is arrested and is about to die when the Colonel is informed that he has been fooled and the real Barry O'Day has escaped. Maude's birthday celebrations open Act III. By now Eileen and Barry have fallen in love. However, the Colonel has surrounded the castle knowing that Barry is inside. Barry surrenders, when a messenger arrives with the news that a new Lord has been appointed and brings with him the King's pardon for the rebels. The arrest is forgotten and Barry is united with Eileen (along with other sundry couples that have provided a sub-plot) with a finale declaring that Ireland shall stand among all nations of the world." MusicWeb http://www.musicweb.uk.net/classrev/2002/July02/Herbert_Eileen.htm More on the plot: "Victor Herbert felt that Eileen, his Irish operetta produced in 1917 when he was 58 years old and past the peak of his career, was his finest score. But despite enthusiastic reviews and such lasting songs as "Thine Alone" (which has been outsold among Herbert songs only by "Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life"), "The Irish Have a Great Day Tonight" and the title song, "Eileen" had a disappointing run of eight weeks... Herbert was obviously swayed in his affection for the score by the realization of 'the dream of my life to write an Irish opera,' as he told an interviewer. He was born in Dublin and although he became an American citizen and his career was completely American, his Irish roots had a deep hold on him. The book by Henry Blossom is a serviceable bit of romanticism. It is set in 1798 and deals with an Irish revolutionist who is arrested by the British for treason. His wellborn British sweetheart, Eileen, and her aunt help him to escape disguised as a servent, but he is recaptured and is about to be shot when a pardon arrives not only for him but, providing a massively happy ending, for all the revolutionaries." (From a review by John S. Wilson, in The New York Times - December 15, 1982) Judy Kaye http://www.judykaye.com/eileenreview.htm Still more on the plot: "Henry Blossom was librettist for Victor Herbert's 1917 comic opera, 'Eileen.' The story line once again involves smugglers. This time they are in a subordinate role to the main protagonists who are caught up in the 1798 Irish rising. In an eighteenth or nineteenth century literary setting, gypsies, brigands, or smugglers would be the logical characters to espouse views for existence outside the accepted social fabric. In act one there is the smugglers chorus with its title, "Free Trade and a Misty Moon," taken from the last line of the song. From the first verse: While Heaven sends us a misty moon, Sure, why not take it as a gracious boon? If France and Spain have somethin' we can use, Faith, 'twould be ungracious to refuse! So, free of tax or duty We'll fetch ashore our booty! Let's drink to the mist o'er the moon! As noted it is a comic opera so all ends well with Cornwallis' arrival and the king's pardon for the rebels. It ends with an expression that the hopes of all parties will be realized in the future. Again from the story line one can discern an understanding of the smugglers' plight." Lew Rockwell: Freedom References in Literature http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig4/conn1.html "VICTOR HERBERT (1859-1924): Eileen. Originally titled Hearts of Erin and premiered in 1917, this most Irish of Herbert's operettas is set on the western coast of Ireland in 1798 during the rebellion against England. The title character is the niece of an English landowner who falls in love with Barry O'Day, a leader of the rebellion. Smugglers, informers and the English army are involved as well as a subsidiary love plot, all ending, of course, happily." Records International http://www.recordsinternational.com/RICatalogMar98.html "Eileen opened on March 19, 1917 at the Schubert Theater, NYC... Written in 1917 when Herbert really, really, really knew what he was doing, this gem contains 'Thine Alone,' 'Come Tom Tune Your Fiddle,' 'Eileen,' 'Blarney' among many others." Victor Herbert, an American Musical Life http://vherbert.com/news.htm "Experience the luck of the Irish with Victor Herbert's charming and delightful Eileen. Smugglers, revolutionaries and love affairs pervade this wonderful operetta. Stemming from Herbert's 'long-held desire to write an opera worthy of my native land,' Eileen is Herbert's 1917 ode to Ireland..." The Little Orchestra Society http://66.102.11.104/search?q=cache:Z6QgLxfsgLoJ:www.littleorchestra.org/bigO.htm+%22victor+herbert%22+eileen&hl=en&lr=lang_en&ie=UTF-8 Google search strategy: Google Web Search: "henry blossom" + "eileen" ://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22henry+blossom%22+%22eileen Google Web Search: "victor herbert" + "eileen" ://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22victor+herbert%22+%22eileen Thanks for an interesting research project. I have always loved the song "Thine Alone," and until now I never knew where it came from! I also did not realize that Victor Herbert was Irish. I love Google Answers: it has enabled me to continue my education in a delightfully painless way. :-) Best wishes, Pink







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