In 1910, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “I did two scenes for “Miss Nobody from Stageland.” One scene was the deck of an ocean liner – a fog settles down and obscures the ship – that worked out very nicely.”
Moses was referring to the 1910 production, “Miss Nobody from Starland.” On tour, the “Joliet Evening Herald-News” reported, “the action skips from a transatlantic liner to a sleeping car, thence to a theater itself, before and during a premiere and finally rests after its weary travel in a café” (2 Sept. 1910, page 5).
The article described, “A chorus girl is the leading character; she is introduced upon a steamer, smuggling diamonds. She captivates a gay old gentleman and a detective making each believe she is the other’s daughter. Incidental characters are attached to this bit of intrigue – the aged philander’s son, a waggish clown, and Italian maiden and a sweet young thing from our own U. S. A.”
The first act takes place on board the steamship Lusitania. Of the scene, the “Alton Evening Telegraph” noted, “[it] is brimful of bright musical numbers and artistic dances.” Of the setting, the “Sioux City Journal” noted, “The producers were lavish in costuming Miss Nobody, and the stage settings, particularly in the first act, when the trans-Atlantic boat is shown, and in the final act, the Golden Inn” (20 Sept. 1910, page 7). The same article advertised “Catchy music, pretty girls, fetching costumes, elegant stage settings and a liberal sprinkling of humor: there you have ‘Miss Nobody from Starland” (20 Sept. 1910, page 7). The Ship Scene in “Miss Nobody From Starland” was pictured in “The Rock Island Argus” when the show toured to Springville, Illinois (5 Nov. 1910, page 12).
On tour, the production was advertised as “Dazzling deluge of clever stars, beautiful women, gorgeous gowns, striking original chorus features, stunning stage
Initial reviews, however, were heavily critical of the show.
On February 2, 1910, the “Chicago Tribune” reported, “Reverting to the formula with which all reviews of the production of Mr. Singer are introduced, we shall say in regard to ‘Miss Nobody from Starland’ that it is bright in color, rich in fabric, and fatuous to the point of imbecility in libretto. We shall not say tat ‘Miss Nobody from Starland’ is the worst book ever evolved by our local minstrels, the Messrs. Hough and Adams, for we shall not say that about any book. But it is rather a dire affair to submit for the consumption of adult playgoers, and we beseech those sedulous authors to engage themselves at once in the stealing, remembering, and pasting together of some new jokes and new situations wherewith to enliven their at present mortuary effort” (page 8).
The show was first produced at the Princess Theater, Chicago, and ran for 300 nights before touring (Alton Evening Telegraph, 12 Dec. 1910, page 4). The Joliet Evening Herald-News noted that the book, lyrics and music were created by “the same authors having written all the shows at the Princess Theatre in Chicago” – Hough, Adams and Howard (28 Aug, 1910, page 7). It played an entire season to capacity audiences (The Joliet News, 27 Aug, 1910, page 8). Intially played by Bessie Wynn and Blanche Deyo, Olive Vail later played the title role in this Hough-Adams-Howard production. The show also featured Ralph Riggs, Joe Neimeyer, Lawrence Comer, Adriane Kroell, and Bert Morton Rock Island Argus, 4 Nov. 1910, page 3). The show also included fifty chorus girls.
To be continued…
