| Book: | Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse / Otto Harbach |
| Lyrics: | P. G. Wodehouse / Otto Harbach |
| Music: | Rudolf Friml |
| Origin: | Sweet Kitty Bellairs by David Belasco |
First produced 10 September 1917, Teck Theatre, Buffalo, N. Y.
Note - there is potential for confusion with this musical. The Internet Broadway Database lists a Broadway production opening on 7 November 1917 at the Casino Theatre, giving sole credit for book and lyrics to Otto Harbach (they spell it Hauerbach) on one page but list three lyrics by Wodehouse on another. In his theatre book ¹, David Jasen says that it opened on 10 September 1917 in Buffalo (and closed there) and in his biography ² that Harbach was brought in to 'fix' the show while Guy and PG were busy on The Riviera Girl. If so, he failed as it only ran for 14 performances. Barry Day, in his book ³, supports the use of Harbach as a 'fixer' for the book and lyrics. He also credits both Harbach and Wodehouse with lyrics (suggesting some songs were not changed).
1. 'The Theatre of P G Wodehouse', 1979.
2. 'P. G. Wodehouse: A Portrait of the Master', 1975.
3. 'The Complete Lyrics of P. G. Wodehouse.', 2004.
Searching elsewhere, I can report that the play Sweet Kitty Bellairs (the consensus is two 'l's) was taken from the book The Bath Comedy by Egerton and Agnes Castle, a British husband and wife team who wrote historical romances. There was a sequel, The Incomparable Bellairs.