Poppy (1923 Musical)

Poppy (1923 Musical)

Poppy is a musical comedy in three acts with music by Stephen Jones and Arthur Samuels (additional music by John Egan), and lyrics and book by Dorothy Donnelly, with contributions also from Howard Dietz, W. C. Fields and Irving Caesar. The musical introduced songs such as "Two Make a Home", "On Our Honeymoon", "What Do You Do Sunday, Mary?" and "Alibi Baby". The story, set in 1874 Connecticut, concerns a circus barker and con man, Prof. Eustace McGargle, who tries to pass off his foster daughter, Poppy, as a long-lost heiress. It turns out that Poppy really is an heiress.

The original New York City production opened at the Apollo Theater on September 3, 1923, and ran for a successful 346 performances, closing on June 28, 1924. It starred Madge Kennedy as Poppy McGargle, with W. C. Fields as Prof. Eustace McGargle, Robert Woolsey as Mortimer Pottle, Alan Edwards as William Van Wyck, Jimmy Barry as Amos Sniffen, and Luella Gear as Mary Delafield. It was directed by Dorothy Donnelly and Julian Alfred, with choreography Julian Alfred. The New York run was followed by a touring production. The piece then had a London production at the Gaiety Theatre in 1924. The success of the piece led to film versions, also starring W. C. Fields.