The Messenger Boy is a musical comedy in two acts by James T. Tanner and Alfred Murray, lyrics by Adrian Ross and Percy Greenbank and music by Ivan Caryll and Lionel Monckton. After a tryout in Plymouth, it opened at the Gaiety Theatre in London, managed by George Edwardes, on 3 February 1900 and ran for a very successful 429 performances.

Dramatis Personæ

Musical Numbers

ACT I -  Scene 1 -   Hôtel de Luxe, Thames Embankment.

• No. 1 - Opening Chorus - "To our Charity Bazaar, Come buy! buy! buy!..."
• No. 2 - Song - Cosmos & Chorus - "If there's anybody pining for a reputation shining..."
• No. 3 - Duet - Lady Punchestown & Pyke - "Supposing a sweet little maid, well-bred, rather clever and fair..."
• No. 4 - Song - Nora & Chorus - "Oh, I'm very much afraid there's a lot of scandal made..."
• No. 5 - Duet - Nora & Clive - "Oh, my dearest, ere I go, there's one thing I want to know..."
• No. 6 - Quintet - Cosmos, Daisy, Gascoigne, Le Fleury, & Phunckwitz - "If you want to go by a proper P. & O.,..."
• No. 7 - Song - Tommy & Chorus - "I am a smart little sort of a chap, very obliging and active..."
• No. 8 - Duet - Rosa & Tommy - "I'm a little messenger, summon'd by a call;..."

ACT I -  Scene 2 -   Brindisi.

• No. 9 - Opening Chorus - "Tarentella" - "Tra la la la la la la la..."
• No. 10 - Song - Clive & Chorus - "I met a Miss Mary Maclean on the boat, alone and in charge of the skipper..."
• No. 11 - Trio - Captain Naylor, Captain Pott, & Cosmos - "I will bet the crowd a dinner that I get to Egypt first! ..."
• No. 12 - Song - Mrs. Bang & Chorus - "You talk about detectives in a story, that guess whatever people say or do..."
• No. 13 - Concerted Piece - "Oh, Captain, we're sure you can tell us a lot, we want your advice if you please..."
• No. 14 - Finale Act I - "Cast the moorings free, warp the vessels round, point them for the sea, both are outward bound..."

ACT II -  Scene 1 -   Cairo;     Scene 2 - Up the Nile;     Scene 3 - El Barra.

• No. 15 - Opening Chorus - "Sheltered from the noon-day glare, civilized society gazes on the passers by..."
• No. 16 - Song - Hooker Pasha & Chorus - "My name it is Hooker Pasha, no family tree can I muster..."
• No. 17 - Quintet - Clive, Daisy, Gascoigne, Phunckwitz & Le Fleury - "Now this trip you should take..."
• No. 18 - Song - Isabel & Chorus - "There's a girl you may have met, if you have you won't forget; she is Maisie..."
• No. 19 - Dervish Dance
• No. 20 - Song and Dance - Rosa - "Oh, when de moon am rising..."
• No. 21 - Quartet - Lady Punchestown, Pyke, Mrs. Bang, & Hooker - "Now how shall we try to stop this lad? ..."
• No. 22 - Song - Captain Pott & Chorus - "I'm famous Captain Pott..."
• No. 23 - Grand Chorus - "Let the trumpets and the drums, as they blare and roll and rattle, greet the Governor that comes..."
• No. 24 - Duet - Rosa & Tommy - "Oh, if you please, I'm Rameses, I'll take my oath of that..."
• No. 25 - Song - Nora & Chorus - "The boys go marching down the street, with a tramp, tramp, tramp..."
• No. 26 - Song - Mrs. Bang & Chorus - "Although I'm British born, I do not look with scorn on foreigners as such..."
• No. 27 - Finale Act II, with Nora & Clive - "We will take our wedding trip upon the Nile..."

Nos. 1, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 14, 17, 23, 24 and 26 are by Ivan Caryll.
Nos. 2, 3, 7, 8, 12, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19, 21, 22 and 25 are by Lionel Monckton.
No. 20 was composed by A. D. Cammeyer and J. M. Capel.
No. 27 is attributed jointly to both Ivan Caryll and Lionel Monckton.

External Links

The Messenger Boy at Wikipedia

Vocal Score at the Internet Archive

Page modified 17 January 2017