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Florodora (Theatre)

 Florodora (Theatre)
type
TVTItem
 Florodora (Theatre)
label
Florodora (Theatre)
 Florodora (Theatre)
page
Florodora
 Florodora (Theatre)
comment
Florodora is an originally British musical comedy that came out toward the very end of The Gay '90s, just before The Edwardian Era commenced. Its book was written by Jimmy Davis using the pseudonym Owen Hall, and most of its music composed by Leslie Stuart. Paul Rubens contributed further songs and helped write lyrics along with Edward Boyd-Jones.Debuting to great success at the Lyric Theatre in London in November 1899 (it ran 455 times there), it quickly made its way to Broadway, where—at an initial 552 runs at the Casino Theatre—it became the first West End musical to achieve a comparably huge success across the pond as well. Throughout the early 20th century the musical apparently enjoyed enormous popularity, not least because of its would-be famous sextette of dancing "English Girls", who would go on to be immortalised as the "Florodora Girls" on stage and in film—their dance numbers became such a hit among audiences that they came to embody, and even eclipse, the rest of the play in 20th-century pop culture. Today, however, the musical has faded into near-total obscurity, although it returned to London with a brief run at the Finborough Theatre in 2006, and (again across the pond) the Lyric Theatre of San José (California) performed some of the musical numbers in 2009.Florodora is named for the fictional Philippine island its first act is set on, home to an eponymous tropical flower which in turn is the source of the eponymous, exquisite perfume, the production and sale of which is effectively monopolised by American industrialist and millionaire Cyrus W. Gilfain. Only problem is, the perfume business wasn't originally his to begin with—it belongs by right to Dolores, the local girl on whom he's set his sights for marriage. Also involves, among others, Frank Abercoed, Gilfain's chief clerk and Dolores' Love Interest—who unbeknownst to the others, is now the new Lord Abercoed, heir to a Welsh castle and title but to very little actual wealth; and "Professor" Anthony Tweedlepunch, an investigator undercover as a sort of charlatan stage performer, hypnotist and phrenologist, who sneaks onto the island searching for Florodora's true heir, on the pretext of planning to pair off all the eligible bachelors and bachelorettes on the island based on the shape of their skulls (itself a pretext for Gilfain to consolidate further control over the island, as he intends to have the farm heads—all girls—to wed his clerks—all men).The second act moves the action from the flowery Philippine island to cold Wales, where Gilfain buys out the Abercoeds' ancestral home and intends to marry off his daughter Angela to (Lord) Frank Abercoed, unaware that his corporate sins are quickly catching up to him. Lots of trilling comic opera songs and show-stopping dance numbers ensue in the midst of a zany plot that generally makes sense from a distance, but has a lot of odd—and questionably necessary—twists and turns.Ironically, despite having been translated into over a dozen languages and performed throughout much of the Anglophone world, it is very little-known in the Philippines, which forms the entire backdrop of the play's first act. It's safe to say very few Filipinos know of the musical's existence today. (Then again, not much of the rest of the world really remembers it today, either.)Compare The Sultan of Sulu, another, just-as-obscure, turn-of-the-century musical, but an American one, that came out around the same time (debuting in 1902), and which also takes place on another Philippine island. As the title suggests, that musical revolves around the Sultan of the island kingdom of Sulu (a Real Life part of the Philippine archipelago, as opposed to the fictional Florodora; the Sultan himself is also a Historical Domain Character).
 Florodora (Theatre)
fetched
2023-03-21T04:11:30Z
 Florodora (Theatre)
parsed
2023-03-21T04:11:30Z
 Florodora (Theatre)
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_14ed6ab7
type
Does This Remind You of Anything?
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_14ed6ab7
comment
Does This Remind You of Anything?: An American seizing control of a Spanish-Filipina's birthright and the whole island it's built on, gaining enormous monopoly power in the process? Clearly the creators of Florodora were tuned into their (then) current events.
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_14ed6ab7
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 Florodora (Theatre) / int_14ed6ab7
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 Florodora (Theatre)
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Florodora (Theatre) / int_14ed6ab7
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_28cd01ca
type
Disappeared Dad
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_28cd01ca
comment
Disappeared Dad: Dolores' father, the Señor Quisara who was Tweedlepunch's old friend, has been dead a while. It hasn't helped that Gilfain finagled the Florodora farms and perfume factory away from him and his daughter.
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_28cd01ca
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1.0
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_28cd01ca
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 Florodora (Theatre)
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Florodora (Theatre) / int_28cd01ca
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_2efc138f
type
Welcoming Song
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_2efc138f
comment
Welcoming Song: "Chorus of Welcome" early in Act I, when the whole island welcomes Gilfain back from a trip abroad, to England.
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_2efc138f
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1.0
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_2efc138f
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 Florodora (Theatre)
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Florodora (Theatre) / int_2efc138f
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_318d4432
type
Tropical Island Adventure
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_318d4432
comment
Tropical Island Adventure: Warm, tropical, florid, fragrant, idyllic island setting.
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_318d4432
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 Florodora (Theatre) / int_318d4432
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 Florodora (Theatre)
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Florodora (Theatre) / int_318d4432
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_330826ca
type
Latin Land
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_330826ca
comment
Latin Land: Very Hispanic names for the locals and the belligerence of the overseer Leandro contribute this flavour.
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_330826ca
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1.0
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_330826ca
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Florodora (Theatre) / int_330826ca
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_3e74b72e
type
The Pollyanna
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_3e74b72e
comment
The Pollyanna: Dolores.
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_3e74b72e
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 Florodora (Theatre) / int_3e74b72e
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 Florodora (Theatre)
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Florodora (Theatre) / int_3e74b72e
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_4523420b
type
Love Dodecahedron
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_4523420b
comment
Love Dodecahedron
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_4523420b
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1.0
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_4523420b
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 Florodora (Theatre)
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Florodora (Theatre) / int_4523420b
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_4b0ef86e
type
Advertised Extra
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_4b0ef86e
comment
Advertised Extra: The "Florodora Girls" were one of this play's main selling points to audiences, despite that the girls themselves are minor supports to Dolores at best (ditto with their male counterparts vis-a-vis Frank Abercoed), and only star in two of the play's nearly two dozen musical numbers, including the play's most famous song, "Tell Me, Pretty Maiden".
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_4b0ef86e
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1.0
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_4b0ef86e
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1.0
 Florodora (Theatre)
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Florodora (Theatre) / int_4b0ef86e
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_4fb23aa8
type
I Have This Friend
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_4fb23aa8
comment
I Have This Friend: A variation in the Dolores/Frank duet "Somebody", where Dolores sings about Frank loving, well, "somebody" (i.e., her).
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_4fb23aa8
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1.0
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_4fb23aa8
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 Florodora (Theatre)
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Florodora (Theatre) / int_4fb23aa8
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_53f5119f
type
The Dragon
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_53f5119f
comment
The Dragon: Leandro, overseer of Florodora's operations, is a bit of a downplayed example—not quite terribly antagonistic, but he does work for Gilfain, the chief antagonist, and he can be rather belligerent, particularly to perceived trespassers to the island such as Tweedlepunch.
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_53f5119f
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1.0
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_53f5119f
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 Florodora (Theatre)
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Florodora (Theatre) / int_53f5119f
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_7a0374eb
type
Impoverished Patrician
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_7a0374eb
comment
Impoverished Patrician: Lady Holyrood. (Lord) Frank Abercoed also descends into this, which puts him directly into Gilfain's crosshairs, as the latter has no title but enough money to buy out Abercoed Castle, which sets the play up for Nobility Marries Money.
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_7a0374eb
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 Florodora (Theatre) / int_7a0374eb
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Florodora (Theatre) / int_7a0374eb
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_87629455
type
No Communities Were Harmed
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_87629455
comment
No Communities Were Harmed: One American colonial official in 1914 claimed the island of Florodora was inspired by the Real Life one-province island of Guimaras, off the southeast coast of the larger Panay island.
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_87629455
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1.0
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_87629455
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 Florodora (Theatre)
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Florodora (Theatre) / int_87629455
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_a7aef9ff
type
Obfuscating Stupidity
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_a7aef9ff
comment
Obfuscating Stupidity: Much of Tweedlepunch's antics as a phrenologist and (faux-French) stage performer, among others.
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_a7aef9ff
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1.0
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_a7aef9ff
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 Florodora (Theatre)
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Florodora (Theatre) / int_a7aef9ff
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_b7a18b59
type
Opening Chorus
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_b7a18b59
comment
Opening Chorus: Basically exposition for the island setting, it extols the charms of the Florodora perfume.
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_b7a18b59
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1.0
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_b7a18b59
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 Florodora (Theatre)
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Florodora (Theatre) / int_b7a18b59
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_b9d334b2
type
Aerith and Bob
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_b9d334b2
comment
Aerith and Bob: English and Welsh names for the British characters, stereotypical Hispanic names for the Filipinos.
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_b9d334b2
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1.0
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_b9d334b2
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 Florodora (Theatre)
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Florodora (Theatre) / int_b9d334b2
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_cbe687ab
type
Corrupt Corporate Executive
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_cbe687ab
comment
Corrupt Corporate Executive: Cyrus Gilfain effectively swindled Dolores' family out of the Florodora business and now owns it, and for added insult to injury, employs her on one of the flower farms to boot.
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_cbe687ab
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 Florodora (Theatre) / int_cbe687ab
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 Florodora (Theatre)
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Florodora (Theatre) / int_cbe687ab
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_de2ee4e8
type
Two-Act Structure
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_de2ee4e8
comment
Two-Act Structure
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_de2ee4e8
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 Florodora (Theatre) / int_de2ee4e8
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 Florodora (Theatre)
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Florodora (Theatre) / int_de2ee4e8
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_e3048d1b
type
Amateur Sleuth
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_e3048d1b
comment
Amateur Sleuth: Tweedlepunch, who's come to Florodora to find the true heir to the perfume business and properties—a certain Miss Quisara/Guisara, daughter of a late old friend of his. It turns out Dolores is that Miss Quisara.
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_e3048d1b
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 Florodora (Theatre) / int_e3048d1b
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Florodora (Theatre) / int_e3048d1b
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_f567146c
type
Aside Comment
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_f567146c
comment
Aside Comment: Commonly resorted to in the stage directions.
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_f567146c
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 Florodora (Theatre) / int_f567146c
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 Florodora (Theatre)
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Florodora (Theatre) / int_f567146c
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_f9f2c33
type
Running Gag
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_f9f2c33
comment
Running Gag: Tweedlepunch presenting his photograph and pocketknife to everyone he meets.
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_f9f2c33
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 Florodora (Theatre) / int_f9f2c33
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 Florodora (Theatre)
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Florodora (Theatre) / int_f9f2c33
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_fa6bfde9
type
Have a Gay Old Time
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_fa6bfde9
comment
Have a Gay Old Time
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_fa6bfde9
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 Florodora (Theatre) / int_fa6bfde9
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 Florodora (Theatre)
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Florodora (Theatre) / int_fa6bfde9
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_fe7ae988
type
TheGayNineties
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_fe7ae988
comment
The Gay '90s / The Edwardian Era
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_fe7ae988
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 Florodora (Theatre) / int_fe7ae988
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 Florodora (Theatre)
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Florodora (Theatre) / int_fe7ae988
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_fe91380c
type
Nobility Marries Money
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_fe91380c
comment
Nobility Marries Money: Gilfain positioning his daughter Angela to marry Frank Abercoed. At the play's end, Lady Holyrood marries Gilfain himself, or at least it's indicated that will happen. Angela herself gets to marry Capt. Donegal, Lady Holyrood's brother.
 Florodora (Theatre) / int_fe91380c
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 Florodora (Theatre) / int_fe91380c
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Florodora (Theatre) / int_fe91380c
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Florodora (Theatre) / int_name
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Florodora (Theatre)

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Florodora (Theatre)
hasFeature
Latin Land / int_4e708077
 Florodora (Theatre)
hasFeature
Old-Fashioned Rowboat Date / int_4e708077
 Florodora (Theatre)
hasFeature
Tropical Island Adventure / int_4e708077