The Desert Song a Musical Play: Book and Lyrics By Otto Harbach, Oscar Hammerstein 2nd and Frank Mandel; Music By Sigmund Romberg

by Otto Harbach

VINYL RECORD

Paperback

Published January 1, 1962

About the author

Otto Abels Harbach, born Otto Abels Hauerbach (August 18, 1873 – January 24, 1963) was an American lyricist and librettist of nearly 50 musical comedies and operettas.

Around 1920, producer Arthur Hammerstein introduced his nephew Oscar Hammerstein II to Harbach. Together they wrote the operetta-style musical, Rose-Marie.

Harbach collaborated as lyricist or librettist with many of the leading Broadway composers including Jerome Kern, Louis Hirsch, Herbert Stothart, Vincent Youmans, George Gershwin, and Sigmund Romberg.

Reviews

[Mandy Partridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is interesting politics in this romantic musical play, set in a French Foreign Legion camp in Algeria, in the 1920s. The French soldiers enjoy their drinking, and chasing the expat French women who live around the military outpost. The best bit is that one officer is actually a double agent, fighting with the local guerrilla raiders, known as "The Red Shadow". Interestingly, one soldier fancies a local Bedouin woman, who is into "free love", not the strictly Islamic virgin one might expect. The cast also get to play both sides, dressing up as European flappers and gents, as well as the Algerian rebels. Romberg wrote some lovely music, as well as a thought-provoking plot. I performed in it at the Twelve Night Theatre with the Brisbane Light Opera Company, many moons ago.