The Century Girl is a musical comedy revue with music by Victor Herbert and Irving Berlin, and lyrics by Henry Blossom and Berlin.
It opened November 6, 1916, at the Century Theatre on Broadway and ran until April 28, 1917, totaling 200 performances. Rather than having a cohesive plot, the show was a mixture of musical and vaudeville performances.
Production
Charles Dillingham and Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. produced the show. Staging was by Edward Royce, Leon Errol, and Ned Wayburn, with set design by Joseph Urban. Max Hoffman directed the orchestra.
The show had a runtime of over four hours. On its opening night, the show began at 8:25pm and ended at 12:58am. This was actually an improvement from the show's time prior to its premiere. It had originally been scheduled to open on October 16, but was delayed in order to cut down the show while maintaining the lineup of actors and performers. Cuts continued to be made after the premiere, resulting in several actors, including Marie Dressler, being let go.
Performances included a "Stone Age romance", an Alice in Wonderland musical number, a number featuring animals and hunters, and a skit with actors portraying of Herbert and Berlin.
The Century Girl was the only successful show produced at the Century Theatre (previously the New Theatre). After the show's closure, the theatre was sold and later demolished, being replaced by the Century Apartments.
Cast
Songs
Alice in Wonderland
The Ballet Loose
The Birth of the Century Girl
The Century Girl
The Chicken Walk/That Broadway Chicken Walk/Jungle Ball Finale
He Likes Their Jukelele
Humpty Dumpty
It Takes an Irishman to Make Love
Kiss Me Again/Kiss Me Once More
The Music Lesson/Herbert-Berlin Duet
On The Train of a Wedding Gown
The Romping Redheads
The Stone Age
The Toy Soldiers
Uncle Sam's Children
Under the Sea
When Uncle Sam is Ruler of the Sea
You Belong to Me
Reception
The New York Times and critics from other publications reviewed the show positively.