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Blandings - the logo of www.blandings.org.uk, the Companion to the works of P G Wodehouse

The Rose of China

A musical

Book:Guy Bolton
Lyrics:P. G. Wodehouse
Music:Armand Vecsey
Origin:East is West, a play by Samuel Shipman and John B. Hymer.*

First produced 25 November 1919 at the Lyric Theatre, New York (47 performances).

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* The play opened on 25 December 1918 and ran for 680 performances - it was still on when The Rose of China opened ... and closed. It was made into a film in 1922 (which had good reviews) and re-made as a talkie in 1930.

In their book Bring on the Girls PG and Guy say that this was written after hearing Vecsey's Chinese Suite played at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel following a 'well-lubricated dinner'. PG described it as 'this blot on the New York theatrical scene'.