Wang: The 1891 Musical Comedy: Complete Book and Lyrics (19th Century American Musicals)

Hailed as a “pronounced success” of the 1890s, J. Cheever Goodwin’s “Wang” was a popular 19th Century musical that caught the fancy of audiences across the country. With its comical plot of the Regent of Siam’s quest for the kingdom’s lost treasure and a Sullivan musical score by Woolson Morse helped “Wang” achieve box office success. The production was noted for having a large mechanical elephant operated by two men under a rubber suit. Originally produced on Broadway in 1891 by DeWolf Hopper, the musical would go on to have a considerable lengthy tour. It was revived in 1904 and again in 1924 along with a 1923 radio broadcast. For a time in the early 20th Century, it was a favorite of amateur light opera companies. Goodwin and Morse, known as the American Gilbert and Sullivan of their time, went on to write some of the biggest hits of the 1890s including “The Merry Monarch,” “Panjandrum,” “Dr. Syntax,” and “Lost, Strayed or Stolen,” until Morse’s untimely death in 1897 at the age of 39.