THE BEGGAR STUDENT An operetta in 3 acts by F. Zell and Richard Genée based on Fernando by Victorien Sardou and The Lady of Lyons by Edward Bulwwr-Lytton. Music by Carl Millöcker. English Adaptation by Christopher Hassall and Ronald Hanmer Produced at the Theater an der Wein, Vienna - 6 December, 1882 Thalia Theatre, New York - 19 October, 1883 Casino Theatre, New york as The Beggar Student in a version by Emil Schwab - 29 October, 1883 Alhambra Theatre, London in a 4-act version by W. Beatty-Kingston - 12 April, 1884 Naples, 1840. A rascally Colonel in the Austrian Army of Occupation plans revenge on a girl who has rebuffed him - Laura, one of the two daughters of an impoverished Italian Countess. He releases two young prisoners on condition they masquerade as a wealthy Prince and his secretary. The ‘Prince’ has to win Laura’s hand, and then humiliate her. How the young men fall in love with the two girls and completely turn the tables on the Colonel is splendidly told in this tuneful operetta. Story PROLOGUE Krakow, 1704. Poland is under the rule of the unpopular Saxon king, August II. Any number of members of the Resistance movement are in prison, but Duke Adam, the leader of the rebels, is still at large. ACT ONE The opening is the courtyard of the prison in Krakow. Holding sway in a dismal office is the jailer Enterich, a somewhat stupid, although wily Saxon who, although not malicious, nonetheless knows how to use his position to his best advantage. Filled with longing for their husbands, the wives of the prisoners press into the office. Enterich cannot refuse their request and allows them to see the men – but not without first thinking of himself and kee[ing the best of their presents for himself. The prisoners have barely been let out of their cells when a demonstration against the accursed Saxon rule begins. Tempers rise still more when two Saxon officers, Major von Wangenheim and Lieutenant von Schweinitz, appear. Enterich quickly puts the prisoners back into their cells. However, the two officers are not at all i interested in the angry people, but simply in the latest society gossip. They openly express malicious glee over the fact that their colonel, Ollendorf, was snubbed by the young Polish woman Laura and that she, moreover, gave him a powerful slap in the face with her fan. We now meet the sad hero of our story. This is an entirely new situation in which he finds himself. Because it is unjust he hatches a plan of revenge. His scheme is to outfit a young prisoner with clothes and money. The man then, in the role of the wealthy Prince Wybicki, is supposed to turn the head of the lovely Countess Laura. It should not be too difficult a task since Countess Palmatica, Laura’s mother, must urgently stave off bankruptcy from her door by finding a rich son-in-law.There are plenty of enterprising young men in the prison. Enterich is able to present two suitable candidates right away: the students Symon and Jan. The Saxons feel so confident that they not only release the relatively harmless beggar student Symon but also Jan (who had been arrested as a political agitator) because a Prince Wybicki, in accordance with his rank, would be entitled to have a secretary. Everyone sets off for the Spring Fair. Ollendorf ’s plan of revenge against beautiful Laura begins to take its course. We now move to a change of scene - the Spring Fair held on the festively decorated Ring Square in Krakow. A motley crowd in cheerful mood is celebrating the opening of the fair. Countess Palmatica, of course, is also
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