The Cat And The Fiddle

The Cat and the Fiddle was a generally successful attempt to put the florid operetta form into a contemporary, intimate setting. In creating the work, Jerome Kern and Otto Harbach did without choruses, spectacles, and dragged-in comedy routines to keep the focus on the main story of what the called “A Musical Romance.” Set in modern Brussels, it tells of the attraction between Victor Florescu (Georges Metaxa), a serious-minded Rumanian composer, and Shirley Sheridan (Bettina Hall), a vivacious American composer with a penchant for jazz. Though Victor is furious when a producer tries to lighten his rather heavy operetta, The Passionate Pilgrim, with some of Shirley’s bright, uptempo numbers, true love eventually has hero and heroine singing in harmony. The true hero of the evening, however, was Jerome Kern whose score was an almost continuous flow of melodic pleasures, with songs well integrated into the story and with a highly advanced use of musical underscoring. In 1934, a film version was released starring Jeanette MacDonald and Ramon Novarro.

"a musical love story": the show's own period marketing line.

Music

Jerome Kern

Lyrics

Otto Harbach

Book

Otto Harbach