Nymph Errant
by Cole Porter
Highlights
Synopsis
This famous “lost” musical, a hit in London in the thirties and later a triumph for Gertrude Lawrence and Elizabeth Welch, was recently restaged to bravos in London.
Its whimsical story follows innocent Evangeline Edwards as she bids farewell to a Swiss finishing school and sets off across Europe and looking for love and adventure.
She gets into one scrape after another and is rescued by a series of unsuitable men (a French producer, a Russian musician, an Austrian nudist, an Italian count, a Greek magnate, a Turkish Pasha and a eunuch – all played by the same actor).
Press Reviews
"The new script is full of delightful jokes... what makes the evening are Porter’s jaunty and brilliantly witty songs... A handful of hauntingly beautiful numbers can stand with Porter’s finest love songs."
— Daily Telegraph
Characters
| Character |
|---|
EVANGELINE EDWARDS English; young and beautiful, but unwise to the ways of the world. |
HENRIETTA BAMBERG American; beautiful, speaks with a broad Midwestern accent; shows irreverent freedom in her speech and manner. |
MADELINE ST. MAURE A French beauty of the sullen type but quite vivacious in temprement. In spite of her "Jeune Fille" air, she has a latent vuluptuous quality. |
JOYCE ARBUTHNOT-PALMER English Country. She is very hearty and always talks through a smile. Would rather spend her time with or on a horse. |
BERTHA German; with a zaftig body and a pretty face. |
*MISS PRATT Tall, prim, and proper; very English. In spite of her reserved school-teacher looks, there is passion within her, expressed in the advice she gives her students. |
*THE COCOTTE Once a great courtesan, she is now a little world-weary and tired. Shunned by the younger women and resigned that her time has passed, she has a noble sadness about her. |
*MRS. BAMBERG Henrietta's rich American mother who is spending thousands of dollars for her daughter to marry a title. |
*AUNT ERMYNTRUDE Evangeline's dotty sweet old aunt in Oxford. |
**ANDRE DE CROISSANT Sophisticated, handsome, French impressario; when excited he is slightly over the top and very dramatic. |
** ALEXI GREGORGEVITCH STUKIN Manic-depressive Russian orchestra leader who imagines himself madly in love with Evangeline. |
**FRITZ German nudist who takes Evangeline to a nudist colony in Bavaria. |
**COUNT FERDINAND A count who comes to Evangeline's rescue and takes her to Venice. |
**CONSTANTINE KOUMOUDOUROPOLOS Greek shipping magnate who wins Evangeline in a card game. |
**KASIM Big, burly, and blustering Turkish soldier who has an affinity for silk. He sells Evangeline and Bertha into slavery, causing them to become harem girls. |
**ALI Palace eunuch who is a fan of Evangeline and treats her as an equal. |
**VICTOR CALVERSTON A young man desperately in love with Evangeline, whom she keeps encountering throughout her adventures. |
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Nymph Errant
Publication
Nymph Errant is a play written by Cole Porter and published by Concord Theatricals (2001).
Digital editions available on Amazon Kindle.
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Performance Rights
Restrictions: Major Markets Only (US) / Standard Restriction (UK)
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