Overview
Synopsis
House of Flowers is the story of an evil brothel owner, Madame Fleur, and her attempts to murder the fiancé of her star girl, Ottilie. Fearing that Ottilie will leave the brothel, Madame Fleur arranges for men to seal Ottilie's fiancé, Royal, in a barrel and toss him into the ocean. Lucky, Royal escapes the dangers of the sea by taking refuge on the back of a turtle. Ottilie and Royal are married and live happily ever after.
Show Information
- Book
- Truman Capote
- Music
- Harold Arlen
- Lyrics
- Harold Arlen , Truman Capote
- Category
- Musical
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 1954
- Genres
- Romance
- Cast Size
- large
- Ideal For
- Mostly Female Cast, Large Cast
Context
Plot
Characters
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Songs
Act 1
- "Waitin'" — Pansy, Tulip and Gladiola
- "One Man Ain't Quite Enough" — Madame Fleur
- "Madame Tango's Tango" — Madame Tango and Tango Belles
- "A Sleepin' Bee" — Ottilie alias Violet, Pansy, Tulip and Gladiola
- "Bamboo Cage" — The Champion, the Steel Band, Do, Don't, Pansy, Tulip, Gladiola, Madame Tango, Chief of Police and the Ensemble
- "House of Flowers" — Royal and Ottilie
- "Two Ladies in de Shade of de Banana Tree" — Pansy, Gladiola, Carmen, Tulip and the Ensemble
- "What Is a Friend For?" — Madame Fleur
- "A Sleepin' Bee (Reprise)" — Ottilie and Royal
- "Mardi Gras" — Mother, Carmen, Alvin and the Ensemble
- "I Never Has Seen Snow" — Ottilie
Act II
- "Husband Cage" — Pansy, Tulip, Gladiola and the Ensemble
- "Has I Let You Down?" — Madame Fleur, Pansy, Tulip and Gladiola
- "Voudou" — Houngan and the Ensemble
- "Slide, Boy, Slide" — Madame Tango, Alvin and the Ensemble
- "Don't Like Goodbyes" — Madame Fleur
- "Turtle Song" — Royal, Ottilie and the Ensemble
- "Bamboo Cage (Reprise)" - The Company
- "Two Ladies in de Shade of de Banana Tree (Reprise)" - The Company
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
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