View source for A Runaway Girl

{{Short description|Edwardian musical comedy by Seymour Hicks and Harry Nicholls}}
{{italic title}}
{{redirect|Runaway Girl|the German film|The Runaway Girl}}
[[Image:RunawayGirlWAKenton.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Theatre poster]]
[[Image:RunawayGirl1.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Katie Seymour as Alice]]
'''''A Runaway Girl''''' is an [[Edwardian musical comedy]] in two acts written in 1898 by [[Seymour Hicks]] and [[Harry Nicholls (comedian)|Harry Nicholls]].  The [[composer]] was [[Ivan Caryll]], with additional music by [[Lionel Monckton]] and lyrics by [[Aubrey Hopwood]] and [[Harry Greenbank]].  It was produced by [[George Edwardes]] at the [[Gaiety Theatre, London]], opening on 21 May 1898 and ran for a very successful 593 performances.  It starred Hicks's wife, [[Ellaline Terriss]] and the comic actor [[Edmund Payne]].

The work had stiff competition in London in 1898, as other successful musical comedy openings included ''[[A Greek Slave]]'' and ''[[The Belle of New York (theatre)|The Belle of New York]]''. ''A Runway Girl'' ran at [[Daly's Theatre (30th St.)|Daly's Theatre]] in New York City in 1898 and again in 1900.<ref>[https://www.ibdb.com/theatre/dalys-theatre-1559 "Daly's Theatre"], Internet Broadway Database, accessed November 29, 2018</ref>

The story concerns an Englishwoman who joins a group of musicians in Italy who are really bandits. It is set in [[Corsica]] and [[Venice]].

==Roles==
*Brother Tamarind (A Lay Brother of St Pierre) – [[Harry Monkhouse]]
*Guy Stanley (Lord Coodle's Nephew) – [[W. Louis Bradfield]]
*Lord Coodle (A Tea House Keeper) – Fred Kaye
*Signor Paloni (Consul at Corsica) – [[Robert Nainby]]
*Mr. Creel (An Entomologist) – [[Willie Warde]]
*Sir William Hake (A Cook's Tourist) – Fred Wright
*Leonello (Head of a Wandering Troupe of Musicians) – [[John Coates (tenor)|John Coates]]
*Pietro Pascara (Also of the Troupe) – Edward O'Niell
*Flipper (A Jockey) – [[Edmund Payne]]
*Alice (Lady Coodle's Maid) – [[Katie Seymour]]
*Dorothy Stanley – Ethel Hayden (replaced by [[Grace Palotta]])
*Carmenita (A Street Musician) – [[Connie Ediss]]
*Lady Coodle – M. Talbot
*Fraulein Ehrenbreitstein Von Der Höhe (A Cook's Tourist) – Grace Palotta
*Winifred Grey (An Orphan) – [[Ellaline Terriss]]

==Musical numbers==
;Act I
*No. 1 - Opening Chorus and Scene" - "Breathe soft, wind of the South..." 
*No. 2 - Song - Winifred and Chorus - "The Sly Cigarette." 
*No. 3 - Song - Leonello and Chorus - "Sea-girt land of my home..." 
*No. 4 - Chorus - "Hark, the Convent Bell is ringing..." 
*No. 5 - Scene II - Opening Chorus and Scene - "Bright and blue our sunny skies..." 
*No. 6 - Song - Guy and Chorus - "There are girls of every station..." 
*No. 7 - Song - Winifred and Chorus - "I'm only a poor little singing girl..." 
*No. 8 - Duet - Winifred and Guy - "Of all the maids I've ever seen..." 
*No. 9 - Concerted Piece an Dance - "The Man from Cook's." 
*No. 10 - Duet - Carmenita and Tamarind - "We've left Barcelona society..." 
*No. 11 - Finale - Act I - "To Venice." 

;Act II
[[File:The Runaway Girl -Ireland.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Cast of a 1921 production in Ireland]]
*No. 12 - Act II Opening Chorus and Scene - "In Venice when fêtes are swinging..." 
*No. 13 - Trio - Winifred, Guy and Flipper - "We have left pursuit behind us..." 
*No. 14 - Song - Hake and Chorus - "When you're out on the spree..." 
*No. 15 - Song - Dorothy and Chorus - "Soldiers in the Park." 
*No. 16 - Song - Winifred and Chorus - "The lazy town is dreaming..." 
*No. 17 - Carnival Chorus - "Welcome to the Water Fête..." 
*No. 17a - Song - Leonello and Chorus - "Comrades all! Come, see the sight..." 
*No. 18 - Song - Winifred and Chorus - "There was once a little boy..." 
*No. 19 - Duet - Alice and Flipper - "When de twilight's fallin'..." 
*No. 20 - Song - Carmenita and Chorus - "Though my family's pedigree..." 
*No. 21 - Finale - Act II - "I'm only a poor little singing girl..." and "Soldiers in the Park." 
*Addendum 1 - Song - Winifred and Chorus - "When the little pigs begin to fly..." 
*Addendum 2 - Song - Carmenita and Chorus - "I thought it my duty to say so." 
*Addendum 3 - Song - Winifred and Chorus - "Merry little gipsy maid." (marked as "No. 4.") 
*Addendum 4 - Song - Carmenita and Chorus - "Pussy Jumps." (2 verses only)

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060629162907/http://halhkmusic.com/runawaygirl.html midi files, lyrics and cast list]
*{{IBDB show|415922}}
*[http://www.musicweb-international.com/film/2002/Mar02/Broadway12.html Information about a recording of some of the songs]
*[http://nla.gov.au/nla.mus-vn296029 Photo of programme cover]
*[http://www.stagebeauty.net/th-frames.html?http&&&www.stagebeauty.net/th-longr.html List of longest running plays in London and New York]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Runaway Girl}}
[[Category:1898 musicals]]
[[Category:West End musicals]]
[[Category:British musicals]]
[[Category:Musicals set in Venice]]
[[Category:Musicals set in France]]
[[Category:Corsica in fiction]]
[[Category:Musicals by Ivan Caryll]]