Babette is a Broadway operetta with a libretto by Harry B. Smith and music by Victor Herbert, which premiered in 1903. [1]
The original production opened at the Broadway Theatre on November 16, 1903, and closed on January 9, 1904, after 59 performances. [2]
In 1976 Bel Canto Opera staged an off-Broadway revival of the show, which opened on May 21 and ran for four performances. [2] [3] [4]
Babette, the letter-writer of a small Flemish village, travels with a group of Flemish patriots to Versailles to seek help from the French king in their desire for freedom from the Spanish. [4]
| 1903 Broadway [6] | 1976 Revival [4] | |
|---|---|---|
| Babette | Fritzi Scheff | Elizabeth King |
| Mondragon | Eugene Cowles | Mark Munkittrick |
| Eva | Josephine Bartlett | Janet Wagner |
| Katrina | Florence Belleville | |
| Vinette | Ida Hawley | Peggy Hewett |
| Marcel | Richie Ling | Daniel Mele |
| Van Tympel | Louis Harrison | David L. Scatter |
| Baltazar | Edward J. Connelly | Blaine Brown |
| Laurent | Gertrude Adams | |
| Count de Courville | Arthur Blanchard | |
| Jan | Frank Boyle | |
| Henri | Rita Dean | |
| The King of France | Erroll Dunbar | |
| Margot | Rosa Earle | |
| Captain Waither | Alfred S. Ely | |
| Mlle. de Fontanges | Mildred Forest | |
| Greta | Edna Luby | |
| Teresa | Emily Montague | |
| Joan | Adele Nott | |
| Gaston | Helen Planchet | |
| Jacque | Aline Redmond | |
| Mlle. de Rohan | May Seeley | |
| Schnapps | William Sissons | |
| Guzman | Madison Smith | |
| Coachman | J. T. Chaillee | |
| A Court Lady | Mary Smith | |
| Footman | Charles Emerson | |
| Duc de St. Michel | Henry Wilkinson | |
| Marquis de Villette | George Williamson | |
| Mlle. de la Motte | Bertha Willoughby |
The 1903 production received positive reviews for Scheff in the lead role and Herbert's music, but generally negative reviews for the show's book. [7]