Notes

Balkan Country:This could be Transylvania (near the home of the real Count Dracula), formerly in Hungary but, in 1924, in Romania. This is plausible because there are frequent references to Bucharest (Popolescu is from there and Lisa has been visiting there). On the other hand, the 'real' Count Zsupan is from Varazdin, or Varasdin, originally in Austria-Hungary, now in Croatia. From the sixteenth to the nineteenth century, the hereditary prefects (zsupans) for Varazdin were members of the Erödy family. Kálmán seems to have loved to make fictitious and mixed-up references to real people.

Blue Danube: This is an ironic reference. In spite of Strauss's waltz, the Danube is also brown and dirty in Vienna .

Baron Zsupan: This name is taken from the one of the pig farmer in Johann Strauss's The Gypsy Baron. (Der Zigeunerbaron). It also is a title associated with the real Varasdin (see above).

Finale: Against tradition, this finale actually has some spoken dialog. Until this time the rule was that finales are completely set to music.

Penizek: These are comedy speaking roles. The original Penizek in New York stole the show. A tradition in Viennese operetta, Frosch in Die Fledermaus is the best know example.

Marry: This is confusing because she really isn't poor after all. What will happen?

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Revised October 2005
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