The Wizard of the Nile (1895) A Comic Opera in Three Acts
Music by Victor Herbert Book and Lyrics by Harry B. Smith
Music restored by Adam Aceto
Narration and script editing by Thomas Petiet
CWN14P-2C THE WIZARD OF THE NILE, dialog.......................$23
CWN14P-2M THE WIZARD OF THE NILE, music.......................$23.
Concert performance, with dialog or music only. Duo piano accomp.
THE WIZARD OF THE NILE, produced in 1895, was Victor Herbert’s second show and his first big hit. His first show, Prince Ananias, had been a failure, so the reception given the “Wizard” was a welcome jumpstart to his career. It became perhaps, with performances not only in New York but England and Germany as well, Herbert’s longest running show. Frank Daniels, who starred as the wizard Kibosh, ultimately reprised his role for the 350th and 500th performances. The book and lyrics were written by the prolific Harry B. Smith, who went on to collaborate with Herbert on 20 of his shows. The success of this show may have kept Herbert and his producers from seeking out other librettists with a more subtle sense of theater, but at least in the exuberant farce that is the “Wizard,” he is in top form.
As with other Herbert operettas that were vehicles for Frank Daniels, the Wizard is set in an exotic location, ancient Egypt. The Idol's Eye, 1897, was set in India, The Ameer, 1899, was set in Afghanistan, and The Tattooed Man, 1907, was set in Persia.
ACT I – A City Square in Alexandria
Overture.................................................................................................................. The Two Pianos
# 1 Opening.......................................................................................................................... Chorus
#2 Duet and Chorus ..................................................................................... Obeliska and Cheops
#3 Oriental March Chorus.................................................................................................... Chorus
#4 Duet and Chorus ...................................................................... Ptolemy, Simoona and Chorus
#5 Solo and Chorus Entrance........................................................................... Kibosh and chorus
#6 Chorus and Dance.............................................................................................. Maids of honor
#6b Solo with Chorus Entrance................................................................... Cleopatra and Chorus
#7 Duet.............................................................................................................. Kibosh & Cleopatra
#8 Solo ............................................................................................................................. Ptarmigan
#9 Finale......... Simoona, Kibosh, Cleopatra, Abydos, Ptarmigan, Ptolemy, Obeliska and chorus
ACT II – The Terraced Roof of Ptolemy's Palace
#10 Opening .......................................................................................... Abydos, Cheops & Chorus
#11 Duet........................................................................................................ Cleopatra & Ptarmigan
#12 Quintette ..................................................... Cleopatra, Abydos, Simoona, Ptolemy & Cheops
#13 Solo.................................................................................................................. Kibosh & Chorus
#14 Finale ........ Kibosh, Simoona, Ptolemy, Cleopatra, Ptarmigan, Cheops, Abydos and Chorus
ACT III – The Pyramid of Ptolemy
Introduction ........................................................................................................... The Two Pianos
#15 Stone Cutters Song............................................................................... Ptarmigan and Chorus
#16 Solo ............................................................................................................................. Cleopatra
#17 Quintette ........................................................... Kibosh, Abydos, Simoona, Ptolemy & Cheops
#18 Solos and Pages Chorus ............................................................. Abydos, Cheops and Chorus
#19 Echo Duet and Chorus ................................................................... Kibosh, Ptolemy & Chorus
#20 Finale.......... Cleopatra, Abydos, Simoona, Ptarmigan, Kibosh, Ptolemy, Cheops and chorus
Cast
KIBOSH A Persian magician, making a professional tour of Egypt………......…....... Thomas Petiet
PTOLEMY Pharaoh of Egypt, second in command to his wife……………..................…… Paul Clark
PTARMIGAN Royal Pianist and Cleopatra’s music teacher/lover…....…................ Jeffrey Willets
CHEOPS The Royal Weather Prophet…………………………………....…................… Chris Grapentine
ABYDOS A young boy, assistant to Kibosh…………………………………....................…….. Katie Bethel
CLEOPATRA The Royal Princess, who, at 16, knows naught of love…................… Elena Robbins
SIMOONA The pharaoh’s second wife and the tyrant’s despot……..................… Barbara Scanlon
OBELISKA A water carrier, afterward chief page to Cleopatra……........................… Claudia Wier
CHORUS of Amazon Guards, Water Carriers, Maids of Honor, Pages, Policemen,Royal Guards,
Nobles, Stone Cutters, Slaves Sarah Briggs, Jim Cavalcoli, Robert Douglas,
Mitch Gillett, Anne Gray, Carla Margolis, Catherine Randall-Davis, David Troiano, and the rest of the cast
NARRATOR..................................................................... George Valenta
MUSIC DIRECTOR............................................................................... Adam Aceto
AT THE TWO PIANOS .............................................. Adam Aceto and Patrick Johnson
Recorded live at St. Mary Magdalen Church, Hazel Park, MI, July 26, 2014
A Note about This Production:
This performance is not an exact replica of the original play, but we have done our best to retain the intent of the creators and the overall character of the piece. The dialog has been excerpted from the original script with editing and minor alteration. The narration was created in order to keep this concert performance at a reasonable length.