The Women Who Wrote

This chapter introduces some of the female playwrights of the early twentieth century and examines some of the social conditions under which they worked. It argues that many of them represented a major cultural change for women of the period who were leaving the Victorian era behind and forging new paths in the young century. But the press frequently undermined their efforts by presenting them as wives instead of individuals, scrutinizing their physical attractiveness, and implying that playwriting was a hobby on the same level as gardening or homemaking. The chapter then shifts to the challenges of writing for the musical theater and collaborating with other writers. It concludes with examples of Young’s correspondence with the Shuberts and demonstrates her ability to navigate the business side of the theater.

Will You Remember?

Some of Young’s most productive years were during World War I. This chapter examines three operettas written during the war: Her Soldier Boy (music by Sigmund Romberg, based on Emmerich Kálmán), Maytime (music by Romberg), and Little Simplicity (music by Augustus Barratt). For each show, the chapter provides a synopsis and analysis of the libretto and lyrics. Her Soldier Boy and Maytime were both adapted from German sources and “Americanized” to suit audiences in an anti-German climate. Maytime was one of Young’s most successful shows, with an initial run of 492 performances.

The Old-Fashioned Things Must Go

This chapter examines two musical comedies by Young: Lady Luxury and Sometime. Both shows demonstrate the hallmarks of musical comedy: they take place in the present, use common slang and topical references, use dance as entertainment (rather than to advance plot), and are lighthearted. Lady Luxury is one of Young’s funniest musical comedies and anticipates some of the characters and themes of the 1925 hit No, No, Nanette. Sometime, which Young wrote with Rudolf Friml, contains aspects of operetta and musical comedy. It featured Ed Wynn, who may have written his own dialogue. For both shows, the chapter provides a synopsis and analysis of the libretto and lyrics.

An Old Story in a New Dress

This chapter introduces Rida Johnson’s early life in Baltimore, her marriage to actor James Young, and the beginning of her playwriting career. After moving to New York at age eighteen, she started out as an actor in E. H. Sothern’s company, then worked as a staff lyricist for M. Witmark & Sons. She then turned to writing plays and had many early successes, including Brown of Harvard, The Boys of Company “B,” The Lottery Man, and several shows with the Irish-style actor-singer Chauncey Olcott. With Olcott, she wrote “Mother Machree,” which would become one of her most popular songs. The chapter also discusses the baseball play she wrote with professional baseball player Christy Mathewson, The Girl and the Pennant. The chapter concludes with information about her divorce from Young and her growing popularity as a dependable playwright and collaborator.

Dream Girl

The final chapter recounts the last few plays of Young’s career, with a focus on The Dream Girl (music by Victor Herbert). This was an adaptation of the 1906 play The Road to Yesterday by Beulah Marie Dix and Evelyn Greenleaf Sutherland. Soon before opening, the Shuberts brought in Harold Atteridge to write material for vaudeville comedian Billy B. Van, which greatly altered the script Young had spent about three years writing. As a result, the script is uneven and was panned by critics. Young only wrote one more play after this, Cock o’ the Roost, before falling ill with breast cancer. She died in 1926 and left behind an estate worth more than $95,000, or about $1.3 million in today’s money. The chapter concludes with an appraisal of Young’s legacy.

Just One of the Boys

This chapter explores three musicals for which Young co-wrote the libretto and/or lyrics: The Red Petticoat (music by Jerome Kern, text co-written with Paul West), When Love Is Young (music by William Schroeder, text co-written with William Cary Duncan), and His Little Widows (also with Schroeder and Duncan). The Red Petticoat and When Love Is Young were adaptations of earlier plays by Young. For both, the chapter compares Young’s original script with its musical libretto to try to distinguish Young’s writing style and voice from those of her collaborators. This task was more challenging for His Little Widows, as there was no previous material with which to compare it. Again, for each show, the chapter provides a synopsis and analysis of the libretto and lyrics.

Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life

This chapter begins the analysis of Young’s individual musical works. The chapter focuses entirely on the 1910 operetta Naughty Marietta, with music by Victor Herbert. It gives the historical context of Young and Herbert’s process and of the time period in which the operetta is set. The libretto has long been criticized for its inferiority to Herbert’s music. However, a close reading of Young’s libretto reveals sophisticated management of the plot, lively characters, and subtle thematic threads. The chapter includes a plot synopsis, analysis of major themes, and close analyses of the songs and dramatic structure.