New Orleans/Havana connection 3
JazzBufalo
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Times - Picayune; New Orleans, La.; Feb 7, 1999; THEODORE P. MAHRE;
Sub Title: [ORLEANS Edition]
Column Name: FROM THE BALCONY
Start Page: E10
Subject Terms: Mardi gras
History
Music
Geographic Names: New Orleans Louisiana
Abstract:
On the afternoon of Mardi Gras, 1872, the Russian Grand Duke Alexis draped
himself in purple, green and gold, rode a buffalo down Canal Street and sang
"If Ever I Cease to Love" to actress Lydia Thompson.
Legend has it that "If Ever I Cease to Love" became the theme of Carnival when,
during the first parade of the Rex organization, each band passing the
reviewing stand played it for the visiting Russian nobleman, the Grand Duke
Alexis Alexandrovich Romanov. This fourth son of Czar Alexander II, described
by history as a ne'er-do-well, playboy prince, was infatuated with Lydia
Thompson, a touring burlesque actress.
Thompson happened to be performing in New Orleans at the Academy of Music
during the same week as the Grand Duke's visit. Romantics insist that Alexis
(March) followed his ladylove to the Crescent City.
Full Text:
Copyright Times Picayune Publishing Company Feb 7, 1999
On the afternoon of Mardi Gras, 1872, the Russian Grand Duke Alexis draped
himself in purple, green and gold, rode a buffalo down Canal Street and sang
"If Ever I Cease to Love" to actress Lydia Thompson.
And thus came Rex, King of Carnival, to the Crescent City.
Well, not quite.
As with most historical legends, the story of the origins of Rex, a royal love
affair and how a silly ditty became the anthem of Carnival is one based in
fact. However, with the passage of many a Mardi Gras, it would become a tale
filled with elaborate -- mostly inaccurate -- romanticized embellishments.
Legend has it that "If Ever I Cease to Love" became the theme of Carnival when,
during the first parade of the Rex organization, each band passing the
reviewing stand played it for the visiting Russian nobleman, the Grand Duke
Alexis Alexandrovich Romanov. This fourth son of Czar Alexander II, described
by history as a ne'er-do-well, playboy prince, was infatuated with Lydia
Thompson, a touring burlesque actress.
In the show "Blue Beard," which Alexis is believed to have seen in St. Louis,
Thompson sang a silly little song that included such lyrics as "May fish grow
legs and cows lay eggs, if ever I cease to love."
Thompson happened to be performing in New Orleans at the Academy of Music
during the same week as the Grand Duke's visit. Romantics insist that Alexis
followed his ladylove to the Crescent City.
Thompson's tour of New Orleans was a remarkable success, filling the Academy of
Music nightly. The Daily Picayune called "Blue Beard" the "burlesque success of
the season." Additional performances of "Blue Beard" had to be added to her
company's schedule, which also included such musical comedy works as
"Kenilworth," "Lurline" and "the Niblo's Garden burlesque of `Sinbad the
Sailor."'
That success was due, in part, to the fact that "If Ever I Cease to Love" had
already become a hit throughout the city months before Thompson or Alexis
arrived, press reports of the day show.
While it was already known to local audiences and musicians, it also appears
unlikely that Alexis ever heard "If Ever I Cease to Love" during his Mardi Gras
visit, though he attended many musical events.
On his first night in town, Alexis attended the opera. According to the Daily
Picayune:
"Last night, just after the performance of the Anvil Chorus in the `Trovatore,'
his Imperial Highness, the Grand Duke Alexis of Russia, accompanied by his
suite, entered the proscenium box to the right of the stage, which had been
appropriately and richly furnished for the reception of our distinguished
guest. The Grand Duke remained standing a few moments, while the orchestra,
under M. Calabresi, performed the Russian National Hymn, and the audience
signified their welcome by applause as hearty as it was dignified and
respectful."
On Mardi Gras, Alexis watched the first Rex parade at City Hall (declining to
sit on a "throne," provided for him). There, the procession halted and the band
played the Russian national anthem.
That night, he attended a performance at the Varieties Theatre, a ball at the
Academy of Music, at which the band played the Russian national anthem on his
entrance, and a ball at the St. Charles Theatre.
Alexis would return to the St. Charles Theatre the following night to see "the
charming little Lotta" in "The Little Detective."
After that performance, he returned to the St. Charles Hotel, where he was
"serenaded by a band composed of fifty of the leading musicians of the city
under the leadership of Prof. Louis Mayer." The program included such pieces as
"The Grand Duke Alexis Reception March," the overture to the opera "Reymond,"
by Ambroise Thomas, and Meyerbeer's "Marche aux Flambeaux." The "Alexis March,"
the paper noted, was composed by Mayer and was based on the theme of, you
guessed it, the Russian national anthem.
On Thursday night, back to the Opera House for a performance of Meyerbeer's
"L'Africaine," which was given at the specific request of the Grand Duke. Later
in the week, he also saw a staging of Gounod's "Romeo et Juliette."
Meanwhile, at the Academy of Music, Thompson continued playing her variety of
roles to packed houses. But one box remained empty. If there was any romance
between Thompson and Alexis, it had clearly faded by the time the two had
arrived here.
Nevertheless, Thompson and her promoters knew a good thing when they saw it.
Before his arrival, the Daily Picayune reported the following:
"It is to be inferred from the following telegraphic communication that his
Imperial Highness the Grand Duke Alexis will visit the Academy of Music and
again honor Miss Thompson and company with his patronage:
"New Orleans, Feb. 2, 1872
"To his Excellency, W.F. Machin, Councillor of State, Memphis:
"May I solicit, through your kind intercession, the honor of inviting the Grand
Duke Alexis and suite to witness the performance of my company in the burlesque
of `Kenilworth,' on arrival in New Orleans. The management of the Academy of
Music will co-operate in making the theatre worthy the occasion. LYDIA
THOMPSON."
Alexis' aide responded favorably to the invitation and the word was
conveniently leaked to the press.
On the night of the command performance, Alexis dined at the Louisiana Jockey
Club, where his unspoken entertainment "prolonged itself late into the
evening."
The Daily Picayune the following morning:
"Lydia Thompson's blondes again filled the Academy last night from pit to dome.
The dress circle and the middle row of seats in the parquette were occupied by
ladies, and the loud and repeated applause given throughout the rendition of
`Kenilworth' sufficiently betokened entire satisfaction, even though the Grand
Duke didn't come to see the show."
Though the audience was disappointed not to see this first Mardi Gras
celebrity, it's easy to believe that Miss Thompson overcame any sorrow.
The Academy of Music was sold out that night to standing room only capacity.
The next night, Lydia Thompson wrapped up a most successful monthlong
engagement in New Orleans with a farewell performance. That day, Alexis would
leave for Mobile, then Pensacola and Cuba.
The Grand Duke Alexis didn't see Lydia Thompson in New Orleans. And the
evidence shows it's unlikely that he ever heard her famous song here, even as
it swept across the city and continues to do so today.
If ever we cease to love it, may we all be turned into cats and dogs.
Luis Moreno a.k.a. The JazzBuffalo (remove final " x " to reply)
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"Francisco Aguabella is the John Coltrane of the Conga drum"
--Dizzy Gillespie