The Pearl Girl is a musical comedy in three acts with book and lyrics by Basil Hood and music by Howard Talbot and Hugo Felix which opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre, London on 25th September, 1913 where it ran for 254 performances.

Dramatis Personæ

Musical Numbers

ACT I  -  Scene 1   -   In the Dukeries (a district in the county of Nottinghamshire.)

• No. 1 - Pastorale
• No. 2 - Song - Duke and Chorus - "Now bless ye the day-break in May or in June, when the hound and the horn together make tune!  Oh, who can lie still..."
• No. 3 - Duet - Mabel and Duke - "You will find your Southern lady never learnt in English schools;  fascinating, palpitating with a pulse her passion rules! ..."
• No. 4 - Finale Scene 1 - "No doubt you've heard Palmyra Pearls are absolute perfection;  we advertise them 'any size', inviting your inspection! ..."

ACT I  -  Scene 2   -   Palmyra Pearl Premises in Bond Street, West London.

• No. 5 - Entrance of Pearl Girls - "We are the Pearl girls of Palmyra fame!  At ten o'clock we muster, arrayed from top to toe in pearls of lambent lustre, to wander..."
• No. 6 - Song - Hopkins and Chorus - "Listen to a shop-man on the topic of his trade, and forgive him if the subject doesn't drop;  for a shop-man is a showman..."
• No. 7 - Duet - Miranda and Jecks - "Are you capable of crossing to the Continent alone?  With the Channel steamer tossing, could you stand it on your own? ..."
• No. 8 - Duet - Miranda and Byles - "O, ever since the world began has man's mistake been this:  to think a miss must take a man ... And not take man a-miss..."
• No. 9 - Scena - "A multi-millionairess comes, the mistress of gigantic sums;  I think that we should welcome her as though a Royal customer! ... I think so too!..."
• No. 10 - Song - Madame Alvarez - "O Pellegrina!  Pilgrim from a Persian sea!  Pearl that Cleopatra gave love-gage to Antony - Antony, her lord and slave..."
• No. 11 - Finale - "Who is the gent? ... The Duke of Trent, your Grace, good ev'ning ... Though my agent has told you that I would have sold you a building site..."

ACT II   -   Hurlelagh.

• No. 12 - Chorus - "Ev'rybody's chattering of charming Madame Alvarez:  what of Madame, this of Madame, that of Madame A!   Nobody, of course, believes..."
• No. 13 - Song - Pringle - "I write little personal pars of society's doings diurnal, which I venture to say are the prop and the stay of a highly respectable journal..."
• No. 14 - Duet - Lady Betty and Jaffray - "I was taught to be kind to animals when I was a child of two; and I sum up young men and their characters..."
• No. 15 - Tango Duet - Miranda, Jecks and Chorus - "I'm the May'ress of gay Buenos Ayres! ... And our May'ress is an heiress! ... For the multiest millionairess..."
• No. 16 - Trio - Miranda, Duke and Pringle - "Oh! who will you make a Queen, good sir, oh! who will you make a Queen?  The girl who's fond of gaiety, or..."
• No. 16a - Melodrama
• No. 17 - Song - Lady Betty and Men - "When I was quite a tiny girl some years ago, Oh, such a lot of little boys I used to know ... A lot of little boys..."
• No. 18 - Septet and Chorus - "Galloping, galloping all the time, oh that's the game of Polo!  You play to win for the team you're in, and scorn the game of Solo! ..."
• No. 19 - Finale Act II - "Each in a mask, who are the three? ... Well may you ask, who are we?  We are a noted gang - ha, ha! of Continental crooks..."

ACT III   -   River Place.

• No. 20 - Opening Chorus and Dance - "Lithe as a lily and sweet as a rose, oh, she is entrancing!  Light as a fairy that twirls on her toes, lantern'd by the moon..."
• No. 21 - Song - Jecks and Chorus - "When I walk'd into Selfridge's I felt supremely sily, surrounded by frivolities all feminine and frilly.  The girl behind the counter..."
• No. 22 - Duet - Lady Betty and Jaffray - "When you talk to perfect strangers, have you ever found ... Have you ever found ... there are many hidden dangers..."
• No. 23 - Song - Byles - "When a chap 'as made 'is choice, same as me and my Mirander, he should let 'er 'ear 'is voice singin' under 'er verander..."
• No. 24 - Duet - Miranda and Duke - "William was a Footman ... Mary was a maid ... Said William: 'I am suited here till she leaves!'  Mary swept the carpets..."
• No. 25 - Finale Act III - "Hè hè hè, hèjà, hèjà, jé!  Don't ever run away, we hope you've come to stay!  Hè hè hè!  Where you stroll or stay, you shall hear..."

Nos. 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 12, 13, 16, 16a, 17, 18, 21, 23 and 24 were composed by Howard Talbot.
Nos. 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 19, 20 and 22 were composed by Hugo Felix, and item 25 was a joint composition.

MIDI Files

Page from The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, 25 October 1913.

Pages from The Sketch, 15 October 1913.

External Links

The Pearl Girl at The Guide to Musical Theatre

Vocal Score at UR Research

Page modified 7 February 2017