Mlle. Modiste | |
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![]() 1905 vocal score | |
Music | Victor Herbert |
Lyrics | Henry Blossom |
Book | Henry Blossom |
Premiere | December 25, 1905: Knickerbocker Theatre New York City |
Productions | 1905 Broadway 1906 Broadway revival 1907 Broadway revival 1907 Broadway revival 1913 Broadway revival 1929 Broadway revival |
Mlle. Modiste is an operetta in two acts composed by Victor Herbert with a libretto by Henry Blossom. It concerns hat shop girl Fifi, who longs to be an opera singer, but who is such a good hat seller that her employer, Mme. Cecil, discourages her in her ambitions and exploits her commercial talents. Also, Fifi loves Etienne de Bouvray, who returns her love, but his uncle, Count Henri, opposes their union. The operetta features the song "Kiss Me Again".
After tryouts in Trenton, New Jersey and Washington, D.C., in October 1905, and a two-month tour, the operetta premiered on Broadway on December 25, 1905, at the Knickerbocker Theatre, where it ran for 202 performances and was revived the next season, followed by extensive touring when it was replaced at the theatre by Herbert's next piece, The Red Mill. It was frequently revived early in the 20th century.[1]