An introduction to The Charlatan

VLOC's next show will be a semi-staged production of John Phillip Sousa's The Charlatan, which will be presented at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theater on September 5th, 6th, and 7th.

Are you scratching your head at the mention of John Phillip Sousa?  Don't worry, that's not a typo.  Although Sousa is known as "The March King", his compositions weren't limited to his renowned military marches.  The man also wrote operettas - nine of them, actually, and he composed the music to many more.  

In The Charlatan, Gogol, the uncle of a Russian prince disguises a peasant girl (Anna) as a princess so that his nephew will marry her and lose his riches to Gogol.  But chaos ensues when the real princess appears, determined to oust her impostor. Anna runs away in fear, and her father is accused of - and arrested for - making her disappear by magic.  But Anna returns to confess to running away, and all is forgiven.

Sousa wrote The Charlatan in 1898, and when it premiered in North America, it was a grand... flop.  Critics were anything but amused.  But after making some changes, including changing the name to The Mystical Miss, Sousa brought it to London and suddenly had a hit show on his hands.  He brought the changed show back for a tour of the US, and reviews the second time around were much more favorable.  The production ended up being one of his most popular shows of the time.

The Charlatan isn't a show that you'll see performed very often these days, which is why VLOC is excited to present it.  Don't miss your chance to see this fantastic performance! More information on the cast, the performances, and tickets can be found here.