The Student Prince is an operetta with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Dorothy Donnelly. It is based on Wilhelm Meyer-Förster's play Alt Heidelberg. The show was the most successful of Romberg's works, running for 608 performances. It opened on December 2, 1924, at Jolson's 59th Street Theatre on Broadway. Ernst Lubitsch made a famous silent film of the operetta titled The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg and starring Ramon Novarro and Norma Shearer. The stage work was revived twice on Broadway — once in the 1930s and again in the 1940s.
The Student Prince has elements of melodrama but has a definite lack of the swashbuckling common to Romberg's other works. The plot is mostly faithful to its "Alt Heidelberg" source.

The operetta contains some of the most beautiful, yet gruelling, tenor arias in the operetta repertoire, notably the Serenade ("Overhead the moon is beaming"). Mario Lanza made many of the songs famous all over again with his singing on the soundtrack of the 1954 MGM film The Student Prince. Composer Nicholas Brodszky and lyricist Paul Francis Webster wrote three new songs for the film. Two of these songs – "I'll Walk With God" and "Beloved" – became closely associated with the tenor. Although Lanza's voice was heard in the film, he did not play the Prince on screen. That role went to British actor Edmund Purdom, who mimed to the tenor's recordings.

"Drinking Song," with its rousing chorus of "Drink! Drink! Drink!" was especially popular with theatergoers in 1924, as the United States was in the midst of Prohibition.

Synopsis

Karl, the prince of the (fictitious) German kingdom of Karlsberg attempts unsuccessfully to hide his identity at his new school in Heidelberg. He soon makes friends and falls in love with his innkeeper's daughter, Kathie, who returns his affection. But when Prince Karl's grandfather (the king) dies, he must return to Karlsberg and take up his role as the new king. As king, Karl faces the reality that he must honor an arranged marriage with Princess Johanna, but his true love will always be Kathie.

Principal Songs

• "Golden Days" (sung in the stage version by Prince Karl and his tutor, Dr. Engel; sung in the 1954 film by the Prince only)

• "Drinking Song" (Drink! Drink! Drink!)

• "In Heidelberg Fair"

• "Deep in My Heart, Dear"

• "Just We Two" (in the stage version this is sung by two secondary characters; in the 1954 film, it is sung by Prince Karl and Kathie)

• "To The Inn We're Marching"

• "Come Boys, Let's All Be Gay Boys"

• "Serenade" (Overhead the Moon is Beaming)

• "Thoughts Will Come Back To Me"

• Gaudeamus Igitur

Recordings

There are quite a few recordings of this score, though most date from the 1950s. No original Broadway cast recording was made, but the 1926 London cast did record some selections for EMI. These 78-RPM records have been transferred to CD on the Pearl Label. Earl Wrightson starred in Al Goodman's recording for RCA Victor. This has not been released on CD. The last issue was on the budget label Camden in 1958.

Decca made an album in 1950 with Lauritz Melchior heading the cast in eight selections. This is on CD paired with The Merry Widow. A more complete recording starring Robert Rounseville and Dorothy Kirsten was made by Columbia Records in 1952. It has been re-released on CD by DRG. Around the same time, Gordon MacRae recorded a 10-inch Lp for Capitol of the score. It was later repackaged on one side of a 12-inch album (The Merry Widow is on the reverse) but that album has been out-of-print since the late 1960s.

RCA Victor recorded Mario Lanza in highlights from the score, released when the singer's voice was used in the 1954 film version. Lanza later re-recorded the score in stereo for the same label, but it is the earlier mono recording that is on CD paired with selections from The Desert Song.

Readers Digest include a selection in their album A Treasury of Great Operettas, first offered for sale in 1963. This stereo recording is available on CD. Also in 1963, as part of a series of stereo recordings of classic operettas, Capitol had MacRae and Kirsten record a full album of the score. Most of it can be heard on the EMI CD Music of Sigmund Romberg along with selections from The Desert Song and The New Moon. Around the same time, Columbia made a new stereo recording with Giorgio Tozzi, Jan Peerce and Roberta Peters. This has not been issued on CD.

The most complete recording is a 2-CD set from That's Entertainment (TER/JAY) that includes much of the underscoring.

Cultural impact

• "Drink! Drink! Drink!" was used as background music in a recent series of Aquafina commercials.

• "Drink! Drink! Drink!" was also used as background music for Minute Maid orange juice TV commercials of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Trivia

In the play Alt Heidelberg, on which the operetta is based, and in the 1927 silent film, the Prince's tutor is named Dr. Juttner. This was changed to Dr. Engel in the stage operetta, but in the 1954 film, the doctor's name was changed back to Juttner.

"Serenade" was arranged as a Euphonium Solo with Concert Band Accompaniment as well as a solo with Piano Accompaniment by David Werden in 2005.