The Chocolate Soldier: The 1909 Musical Comedy: Complete Book and Lyrics (Historical Libretto Series)

One of the longest running musicals of the Edwardian era, The Chocolate Soldier was the first of Bernard Shaw's play to be adapted into a musical and proved to be one of Oscar Straus must enduring scores. Set during the 1885 Serbia and Bulgaria war, the musical satirizes the then contemporary views of war and heroism. When Bumerli escapes the battlefield and hides himself in the bedroom of Nadina, she discovers that his ammunition pouch is only filled with chocolates, and thus dubs him her "little chocolate soldier." Originally produced in Germany, the English translation was first produced on Broadway in 1909 to rave reviews. Its London production was just as successful and enjoyed an even longer run. The musical was constantly revived on Broadway for the first half of the twentieth century and is still performed by light opera theatre companies today.