Naughty Marietta

OPERETTA by VICTOR HERBERT, 1910, first performed in N.Y.

The dream tune is Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life, one of the greatest songs Herbert ever wrote. It was used in a comic way by Mel Brooks in his film Young Frankenstein, when the monster finally finds his mate.

The action takes place in 18th-century New Orleans. Marietta is an Italian girl from Naples who travels to Louisiana in search of a marriage of convenience. She has a peculiar dream in which she hears an enchanting melody, which remains unfinished as she wakes up. Anxious to complete it, she promises her hand to a man who can find a satisfactory ending to the tune. A dashing army captain offers a reasonable ending, and she marries him.