Princess Charming (operetta)

About the show

Princess Charming is an operetta with music composed by Albert Szirmai. The English libretto by Arthur Wimperis and Lauri Wylie is based on the Hungarian libretto by Franz Martos. The operetta is set in the Palace of the Elyrian Embassy in the fictional European country of Novia and the Sigman Castle adjoining the Royal Palace. The story concerns a young princess who accepts a proposal of marriage from the elderly king of a neighboring country as protection against an uprising by her own subjects. Captain Torrelli, a military officer sent by the king, fears imminent danger to the princess and marries her himself. The officer then escorts her to his king for an annulment, but the couple fall in love and elope. The operetta was first presented in Hungarian in 1925 in Budapest as Alexandra. Its English-language premier was in London in 1926, and it was revived on Broadway and elsewhere. A 1934 film adaptation was made, starring Evelyn Laye.