Die Zirkusprinzessin
Libretto by Julius Brammer and Alfred Grünwald
Premiere: Theater an der Wien, Vienna, March 26, 1926
Act I: At the Stanislavsky Circus in St. Petersburg, the widowed Princess Fedora Palinska reveals that she is under orders from the czar to seek out a countryman and remarry so that her fortune stays within Russia. She has refused the marriage offer of the overbearing Prince Sergius, who, nevertheless, insists on sitting next to her, even to the point of ordering the occupant of the seat—a young man, Toni—to move. Toni has come to meet circus performer Mabel, whom he has loved from a distance, but has never met. Kicked out of his seat, he goes backstage, meets Mabel, and discovers that they are both Viennese—sparks fly. The circus’ featured performer, the mysterious and always masked high-wire performer Mister X, refuses Fedora’s offer to join her for a drink and remove his mask. Left alone, they soon warm up to each other, but her actions make it clear that the difference in their social ranks—princess versus circus performer—is an obstacle to their courtship. Meanwhile, the jilted Sergius, to gain revenge on Fedora, has convinced Mister X to disguise himself as a Baron Korrossow and, at a party that Sergius is throwing, woo Fedora. The plan works—Fedora is attracted to the handsome baron and shows none of the hesitation that she displayed toward him as a circus performer.
Act II: Six weeks later, Prince Sergius promises his guests at a ball that they will soon witness a sensational comic drama. Fedora and Baron Korrossow arrive—they have been seeing a lot of each other, although she is mystified by his disappearance every night at 9 o’clock, only to return an hour later. Meanwhile, Toni, very much in love with Mabel, is disappointed when she informs him that there will be no kissing until after their marriage. Sergius forges a message, purportedly from the czar, instructing Fedora to report to him and be presented to her chosen husband. Although distraught, she must obey. But Sergius offers her an alternative that she accepts: she can immediately marry Baron Korrossow and claim that the czar’s message arrived too late. No sooner are she and the Baron married, as well as Mabel and Toni, than Sergius glowingly reveals to all the guests that her husband is really a circus performer—that she is nothing but a “circus princess.” Fedora is horrified, no less so when the Baron reveals that he is really a prince, ignores her attempts at reconciliation, and walks away.
Act III: Eight weeks later in Vienna, at the Archduke Hotel, owned by Toni’s family, Toni cannot summon up the courage to tell his parents that he has married a circus performer. Mabel does his “dirty work,” with less repercussions than expected when it turns out that Toni’s mother was once in love with Mabel’s father. Fedora arrives with the ever-perseverant Sergius, who is intent on proposing that evening. Mister X enters and, with the help of the head waiter, Pelikan, manages to get a few minutes alone with Fedora. They reaffirm their love. When she asks if he will quit the circus for her, he suspects that she is still embarrassed by his work. It is only when she assures him that it is out of concern for his safety that she makes this request that they give Sergius the boot and plan their honeymoon.
