About the work
Operetta in three acts by Paul Abraham to a libretto by Alfred Grünwald, Fritz Löhner-Beda and Imre Földes. It premiered on 24 July 1931 at the Neues Theater in Leipzig; its plot loosely echoes the story of Queen Liliʻuokalani, deposed in Hawaii in 1893.
Plot
Disguised as the jazz singer Suzanne Provence, Princess Laya secretly returns to Honolulu, by then under American administration. Captain Stone falls for her during the crossing, and she is crowned 'Flower of Hawaii' at a festival, whereupon the governor forces her to renounce her claim to the throne in return. In Monte Carlo everything is resolved: Laya turns to her promised husband, Prince Lilo-Taro, and Stone to the real Suzanne Provence.
Cultural significance
With its catchy tunes and 1920s exotic flair, the operetta became Abraham's greatest stage success and was filmed in 1933; after the Nazi persecution of its Jewish composer it fell into obscurity for decades.