The five versions of Gigi's story span twenty-nine years, not much more than the time it takes for a baby to become a fully fledged adult.

Book 1845: The novella Gigi was written during the dark days of World War II by Colette, a woman who was in her seventies at the time. It movingly tells the story of a young girls coming of age during the Belle Époque, and it was written by a woman who well knew the Paris of that time, especially the demimonde. As a novella, it was short, only 60 small pages in a recent English edition and almost all of is retained in the later staged versions. It depicts the time of the courtesans, a time which came to its end soon afterward. The atmosphere is almost claustrophobic, the action being confined to two small Parisian apartments, but the seemingly simple story is complete, wise and satisfying. With just a few brush strokes it is told against the backdrop of a dying age. Gaston, the scion of a long line of rich, Parisian roués, becomes the first to find true love and marry. Gigi is brought up by a trio of ex-courtesans, the tools of men, but realizes she is not of their mold and, after a brief experiment, manages to find what she knows is right for her.

The story was immensely popular in Europe but almost unknown in America until it was adapted for a 1951 Broadway play (below) by Anita Loos. The book itself was not translated into English until 1953.

French film 1949: This black and white film starred Daniele Delorme as Gigi. Reviews were mixed. It's nothing great ... it might have been somewhat more dazzling, colorful, racy and gay. The elegance of smart Parisian living at the start of this fateful century might have been represented with more vividness. ... Some scenes in the Eiffel Tower cafe and in the old Parisian Palais de Glace do faintly suggest the city's climate." These deficiencies were all corrected by Lerner and Loewe. The film, however, is interesting and does show up on old movie television channels.

Broadway play 1951: The play adapting the book in English by Anita Loos is best known for catapulting Audrey Hepburn into stardom. Colette had seen her in something else and said "Voila! There's our Gigi. Hepburn had reservations; she had never been in anything as important as a Broadway play. Soon after she was persuaded to take the part she is reported to have said: "Oh, dear. And I've still got to learn how to act". She won a Theatre World Award and her performance led to her being cast in the film Roman Holiday with Gregory Peck for which she won an Academy Award. She was on her way to stardom! When the play was later given in London and Paris where the part of Gigi was played by a young French actress, Leslie Caron.

Lerner and Lowe film 1958: This is the best known version today since it is frequently shown on television. It was later adapted for a staged musical in 1973. The latter is the version which is being shown in San Diego. (see below) For more on the preparation of this film see Lerner and Loewe.

Lerner and Lowe Broadway musical 1973: In 1972 they decided to prepare Gigi for the stage. Fritz came out of retirement, and they introduced some new material including several new songs. (See Synopsis and Songs). These included was the contract scene, the sparkling fifteen minutes in which Aunt Alicia and the lawyer draw up a contract for Gigi's maintenance as a courtesan. He describes the arrangement in romantic terms, she in practical. The show was successful in Los Angeles and on the road. After seven previews it opened on Broadway November 13, 1973 with a stellar cast including Alfred Drake ("totally marvelous") as Honoré. Agenda Moorehead as Alicia and Daniel Massey as Gaston. In spite of good reviews, it did not go over well and lasted only 103 performances, closing on February 19, 1974. It did win Loewe another Tony Award for Best Score.

Return to Gigi Home Page

Revised August 2010
Please credit Lyric Opera San Diego when using this material.