The Belle of Bohemia - 1900

The Belle of Bohemia was another show presented at the Casino Theatre, in 1900. Once again, Caroline Siedle designed the costumes. The story dealt with the mishaps of a pair of remarkably similar looking men, one a Coney Island photographer and the other a prosperous brewer, played by the brothers Sam and Dick Bernard.

I’ve been unable to definitely attribute these two drawings to this show, but I think it’s a strong possibility. The character name at the bottom of the board is Muggins, and there are a Signor and Mrs. Muggins in the list of characters from the production.

This first costume shows Muggins as a chimney sweep, dressed all in black with Caroline Siedle’s notation “Muggins as Chimney Sweep - Act 1”. The stubbly beard and reddened nose hints at a clownish character, but I’ve never read the script and have no idea how he might fit into the story! The rear of the board is blank, but Muggins was played by James Furey, who was also a stage manager at the Casino.

This second design is labeled “Muggins 2nd dress Act 1”, and shows the same character relaxing in a rather gaudy dressing gown and cap, smoking a cigar. The humorous contrast of the scruffy character and the florid gown works well as a visual joke.

A reviewer noted that the costumes for this production were “distinctly not up to the Casino average”. I think that’s the only negative criticism I’ve run across for Mme. Siedle’s work! Still, the show was a moderate success, and a production was presented in England the following year.