Zuleika

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Introduction to "Zuleika"

"Zuleika" premiered in London’s West End at the Saville Theatre on April 11, 1957, running for approximately 124 performances until July 27, 1957. With music by Peter Tranchell and book and lyrics by James Ferman, this musical adapts Max Beerbohm’s 1911 satirical novel "Zuleika Dobson." Directed by Alfred Rodrigues, it starred Mildred Mayne as Zuleika Dobson replacing Diane Cilento late in rehearsals and John Hewer as the Duke of Dorset. Produced by Donald Albery, the show evolved from a 1954 Cambridge University staging by the Footlights club. Featuring a lush score with songs like "Wonderful View," it offered a lighter take on Beerbohm’s tale of Oxford romance and mass suicide, altered for a happy ending. Though its run was modest, its Edwardian flair and connection to Beerbohm’s legacy his widow Elisabeth attended the premiere mark it as a charming, if fleeting, West End curiosity.

The Creative Team Behind the Show

Peter Tranchell composed the melodic, operetta-style score, with James Ferman crafting the book and lyrics, infusing Beerbohm’s satire with theatrical wit. Alfred Rodrigues directed, bringing polish from his Sadler’s Wells experience, while Osbert Lancaster’s costume and set designs evoked Edwardian Oxford’s elegance. Mildred Mayne stepped into Zuleika’s role with short notice, earning praise for her singing, alongside John Hewer’s dashing Duke. David Davenport played Lord Sayce, with supporting turns from Elizabeth Larner as Katie and Robert McBain as Mr. Noaks. Producer Donald Albery, securing rights post-Beerbohm’s 1956 death, aimed for a West End hit, with orchestrations enhancing Tranchell’s work. This team, blending Cambridge roots with professional sheen, delivered a period piece that leaned on Mayne’s vocal grace and Lancaster’s visual flair, though its scope couldn’t fully lift it beyond niche appeal.

A Satirical Romance at Oxford

Zuleika Dobson, a dazzling conjuror’s granddaughter, arrives at Oxford, enchanting undergraduates especially the Duke of Dorset, heir to a grand title ("Zuleika Arrives"). Her beauty drives mass infatuation, with the Duke vowing to drown himself in the Isis River if she won’t love him ("If I Should Ever Lose You"). As suitors like Noaks and Lord Sayce compete, her guardian Mr. Dobson and maid Katie navigate the chaos. Songs like "The Varsity Drag" and "Balliol, Balliol" mock academic pomp, while Zuleika’s charm peaks at a ball. Beerbohm’s novel ends in tragedy all undergrads drown but the musical pivots: the Duke lives, Zuleika relents, and love triumphs in a frothy finale. A satirical riff on Edwardian mores, it swaps doom for delight, blending romance with Oxford’s gilded absurdity.

Performance and Reception

Opening a year after Beerbohm’s death, "Zuleika" ran 124 performances, a respectable but unspectacular stint amid 1957’s "My Fair Lady" fever. The Times lauded its “pleasing imitation of Edwardian musical comedy” and Mayne’s “engaging” voice, though Kenneth Tynan in The Observer calling it “the best British musical since The Boy Friend” felt Mayne lacked Beerbohm’s ethereal heroine, drawing over 50,000 attendees. Philip Hope-Wallace in The Manchester Guardian questioned Mayne’s fit, while Rupert Hart-Davis, with Elisabeth Beerbohm, privately panned her as talentless yet loved the show’s “gay” charm. Audiences enjoyed its whimsy and Lancaster’s designs, but its Cambridge pedigree and altered ending split critics, with no cast recording to bolster its echo. A modest hit, it faded against flashier contemporaries, its polish outshone by broader appeal.

Legacy in West End Theatre

"Zuleika"’s 124-show run pales beside "The Boy Friend"’s 2,078, yet its Footlights origin and Beerbohm tie lend it cult cred no awards, but a 1960 BBC radio airing and 1954 cast recording survive. Born at Cambridge, it skipped Broadway but influenced fringe revivals, like a 2009 Oxford staging. Tranchell’s score, with "Wonderful View" a choral favorite, endures via sheet music, though Ferman’s happy ending irked purists Beerbohm’s widow approved despite the shift. Mayne’s last-minute casting sparked debate, but Albery’s gamble showcased British talent over American imports. A West End footnote to "Les Mis"’s epics, it’s less a titan than a quirky relic its Edwardian satire and Oxford allure a fleeting whisper in Theatreland, cherished by nostalgists for its pluck and polish over lasting fame.