Who is Harry B. Smith?

You might have noticed this name along with Reginald De Koven's as getting credit for Robin Hood.  So what did this Harry guy do to get Robin Hood in it's ready-for-stage form?  Lots!

De Koven got Smith to write the libretto for Robin Hood, and he cranked out the entire thing in just 3 weeks. He shipped it off to De Koven, who then took 3 months to compose the score. 

The opening of Robin Hood in Chicago was generally considered a success, and De Koven promptly went to England to try to secure a European debut of the operetta in London.  Smith ended up selling his rights to Robin Hood to De Koven around this time because he was wrapped up with a very successful revival of a ballet he had written and writing a libretto for another operetta that ended up with rave reviews.  

As Robin Hood went through its run in London, with his libretto specifically getting praise from critics, Smith got a little miffed with De Koven, who seemed to be snubbing him in the media.  It is generally thought that De Koven saw himself as better than Smith - De Koven got a European education and ran around in higher social circles, while Smith was a middle-class writer without a college degree. When it came time for De Koven to work on his next couple of operettas, he tried to get W.S. Gilbert to work with him as the librettist.  Gilbert had no interest, so De Koven had to come crawling back to Smith.

Having written over 300 librettos, Smith is considered to be an exceedingly successful American librettist. He wrote librettos mainly for operettas and musicals, including Irving Berlin's first musical, Watch Your Step. Despite the odd and somewhat strained relationship with De Koven, his writing for De Koven is considered some of his best.  Don't miss your chance to experience some of Smith's best work!  Call the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre box office at 240-314-8690 or go on line HERE to get your tickets for Robin Hood!

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