Song of the Flame
Opened at the 44th Street Theatre, New York on December 30, 1925. 219 performances. Music by George Gershwin and Herbert Stothart. Book and lyrics by Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein II. Book staged by Frank Reicher. Dances arranged by Jack Haskell. Produced by Arthur Hammerstein. Cast included Tessa Kosta, Greek Evans, Dorothy Mackaye, Hugh Cameron, Guy Robertson, and the Russian Art Choir.
In the midst of composing his CONCERTO IN F and writing the score for the musical comedy TIP-TOES with Ira, George found himself a part of the team that turned out this operetta about the Russian Revolution. It is unclear how Gershwin, Stothart, Harbach, and Hammerstein exactly divided the score, but George could not have spent much time on it, given his other obligations. The stylized production of SONG OF THE FLAME was reasonably successful, but none of the songs were able to live outside of the context of the show.