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The Burgomaster is an original musical comedy in a prologue and two acts by Gustav Luders and Frank Pixley.
Gustav Luders was born in Bremen, Germany, on 13 December 1865. A thoroughly trained musician, he emigrated to America in 1888, settling first in Milwaukee and then in Chicago, in time to play an active role in the musical events at the 1893 World Fair. When a season of opera he conducted failed at the Schiller he agreed to keep the house open by writing a musical in conjunction with Harry B. Smith. Unfortunately, Little Robinson Crusoe, with Eddie Foy as star, didn't keep the box office humming either. Luders teamed up with Frank Pixley, a local newspaperman.
Luders and Pixley's first effort was King Dodo, but they could not find anyone to produce it. The Burgomaster, their second piece together, however, was readily accepted. Pixley's libretto had Peter Stuyvesant (Henry E. Dixey) and his secretary, Doodle Van Kull (Knox Wilson), fall into a drunken sleep. They are awakened in 1900 when workmen come across them while digging in City Hall Park. The pair are taken on a tour of the town. Luder's score provided a gay, endearing accompaniment to the story. Its outstanding melody, "The Tale of the Kangaroo," began a parade of Pixley-Luders "Tale" and "Message" songs and helped spread the vogue for anthropomorphic animal tunes.
The Burgomaster arrived in New York from Chicago on New Year's Eve 1900. New Yorkers had developed a conditioned disdain for Chicago offerings, and The Burgomaster was unable to override the prejudice. This aversion is surprising in this instance, given the show's New York setting. But the producers compounded their difficulties by offering a tacky mounting. The same back-drop, depicting old Dutch ships in the harbour, was used for both the 1660 and 1900 scenes. At least the press was able to find kind words for the performers, not merely for Dixey's nimble clowning but for such stellarly played bit parts as Raymond Hitchcock's vain, loquacious actor, E. Booth Talkington. The Burgomaster's stay at the Manhatten was a disheartening thirty-three performances.
[Adapted from Gerald Martin Bordman & Richard Norton: "American Musical Theatre: A Chronicle", Oxford University Press, 2010.]
Cast of Characters
The Prologue
| PETER STUYVESANT, Burgomaster of New Amsterdam |
| DOODLE VON KULL, his Secretary |
| COLONEL KRAAL, Commandant of the Burgher forces |
| CAPTAIN SPUYTEN, of the Dutch ship "Blitzen" |
| BLUEFEATHER, Chief of the Tammany tribe |
| KATRINA VANDERBECK, Doodle's sweetheart |
| LIEUT. SWEETSER, of the Dutch Cadets |
Act I
| PETER STUYVESANT, after his nap |
| DOODLE VON KULL, who has also overslept |
| E. BOOTH TALKINGTON, an actor in hard luck |
| "THE HARLEM SPIDER", a professional pugilist |
| OFFICER CLANCY, of the Broadway Squad |
| FOREMAN, of the Street Gang |
| GROGAN, a street laborer |
| WILLIE VON ASTORBILT, "A Midnight Son" |
| RUTH, the girl from Chicago |
| DAISY, a Roof Garden Favorite |
Act II
| PETER STUYVESANT, who is "Seeing the Elephant" |
| DOODLE VON KULL, |
| E. BOOTH TALKINGTON, of the International Dime Museum |
| WILLIE VON ASTORBILT, the Burgomaster's pilot |
| RUTH, The Summer Girl |
| DAISY, |
Synopsis of Scenes
| PROLOGUE | - The Town Square of New Amsterdam, now New York, in 1660. | |
| ACT I | - Broadway and Madison Square, New York. Today (i.e. 1900). | |
| ACT II | Scene 1 | - The Seashore. |
| Scene 2 | - Street Scene in New York. | |
| Scene 3 | - The French Ball in Madison Square Garden. | |
| Scene 4 | - Street Scene in Chicago. | |
| Scene 5 | - The Illuminated Court of Honor at the World's Fair. | |
Colin Johnson's MIDI Files
- External Link
- Vocal Score at the University of Rochester
Page modified 10 October 2016