THE LITTLE MICHUS (Les p'tites Michu) An Original Musical Play in 3 Acts. (Original French opéra-comique libretto) Book by Albert Vanloo and Georges Duval. English version by Henry Hamilton. Music by André Messager. (English lyrics by Percy Greenbank.) Daly's Theatre, London - 29th April, 1905 (401 perfs) Garden Theatre, New York - Opened 31 January 1907; closed 23 February 1907 (29 perfs) SYNOPSIS In 1793, the wife of the Marquis des Ifs dies in childbirth. The Marquis, before disappearing to evade arrest, entrusts the infant girl to the Michus, paying the family a sum of money that allows them to open a prosperous shop. The Michus have a daughter of their own. While bathing the two babies, Mr. Michus mixes them up and cannot tell which is which. Act I By 1810, the girls, Blanche-Marie and Marie-Blanche have grown up together, believing themselves to be twins, and have gone to school under the military Miss Herpin. Aristide, the Michu's clerk, is in love with one of the one of the girls but is not sure which. Marquis des Ifs, now a general, sends Bagnolet to find his daughter, whose hand he has promised to lieutenant Gaston Rigaud, the officer who saved his life. It turns out that Gaston is Miss Herpin's nephew, and while visiting his aunt, the girls meet the handsome lieutenant, and both are enchanted. Bagnolet finds the Michus. Embarrassed at being unable to name the general's daughter, they agree to meet the general. Act II The general and his guests await the arrival of his daughter. When the Michus arrive, the general is impatient with their explanation: he wants to know which girl is his daughter and will marry the lieutenant. Knowing that her sister is enamored of Gaston, Blanche-Marie decides to make a sacrifice and identifies her sister as the general's daughter. Act III With a sad heart, Blanche-Marie resigns herself to marry Aristede, whom she finds exceedingly uninteresting. On the other hand, and to the astonishment of her fiance and the Marquis, Marie-Blanche goes to help at the shop at every opportunity. She realizes that she has made a mistake: her sister loves Gaston, and she herself would prefer the common life of the shop and marriage to Aristde. The day of the double wedding, MarieBlanche looks for a portrait of the Marquis' wife. Her idea is to dress Blanche-Marie as the late Marchionesse. The resemblance is astonishing. The Marquis believes that he sees his wife: Blanche-Marie must be his daughter. The two couples are sorted out and all ends happily. MUSICAL NUMBERS (English adaptation) - from vocal score Overture 1. Opening Chorus - "We are little schoolgirls, and of course we have to do ev'ry single thing that our headmistress..." 2. Duet - Marie-Blanche & Blanche-Marie - "Two little maids so very devoted you seldom are likely to see..." 3. Song - Irma - "Father had three horses of his very, very own, a black one and a white one and a grey..." 4. Song - Gaston - "If I were King and you were Queen, and this our first and formal meeting..." 5. Trio - Marie-Blanche, Blanche-Marie & Gaston - "Michu! Michu! Michu! It's the family surname..."
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