Steppin' Out

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Capt. Richard Warrington (Nick Patton) and Marietta (Kristen Sharpley) reflect on their newfound love in 'Naughty Marietta.'

Romance goes incognito in the operetta 'Naughty Marietta'

By Heather Zimmerman

Love can wear many disguises, but even Cupid might have trouble keeping up with all the multiple identities in the operetta Naughty Marietta.

Lyric Theatre continues its season with a production of Naughty Marietta, a turn-of-the-20th-century Broadway hit by Victor Herbert. The show runs June 17-25 at the Montgomery Theatre, Market and San Carlos streets, San Jose.

In Herbert's light opera set in the late 18th century, the Countess Marietta flees an arranged marriage in France and heads for the French settlement of New Orleans. Determined to find a love match, Marietta first disguises herself as one of the marriageable young French women sent by the king to help settle New Orleans.

Marietta soon falls in love with Capt. Richard Warrington, a frontiersman. But she finds she has another admirer in Etienne, the governor's son, and a scoundrel. Word has reached New Orleans that a French countess is missing, and Etienne, realizing Marietta's true identity, is eager to marry her. However Etienne, too, is leading a double life. He is also known as Bras Piqué, the head of a separatist movement.

Marietta takes on a second disguise, this time as the daughter of a New Orleans theater owner. Perhaps not ironically, a masked ball is the place where Marietta's two suitors face off, and where everything--including everyone's identities--just might be revealed.

Herbert was already a successful composer when Naughty Marietta debuted on Broadway in 1910. The show was so enduringly popular that it was revived on Broadway three times over the next two decades. And some of the show's tunes really have staying power: "I'm Falling in Love With Someone" was featured in the acclaimed 2002 revival of the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie.

The book and lyrics for Naughty Marietta were written by Rida Johnson Young, who had many credits writing plays and musicals for Broadway. A number of those shows became films, including Naughty Marietta. In fact, today the show may be best known for its 1935 film adaptation starring singers Jeannette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, who became a popular screen duo in the late '30s.

Tickets are $20-$27 (special $15 student discounts may be offered at the door, depending on seating availability). For more information, call 408.986.9090 or visit www.lyrictheatre.org.