About the work
An operetta in three acts by Jean Gilbert, with a libretto by Georg Okonkowski and Alfred Schönfeld based on the French comedy "Fils à Papa" by Antony Mars and Maurice Desvallières. It premiered on 26 February 1910 at the Wilhelm-Theater in Magdeburg and became Gilbert's first major success.
Plot
The high-spirited Susanne Fleuron is awarded a prize for virtue despite her carefree reputation. When young René Wildhagen asks for the hand of Baron Felseneck's daughter Pauline, the Baron makes his consent conditional on René catching him in an infidelity. René lures Felseneck to a nightclub, where Susanne teaches him a lesson in seduction - letting René make his catch.
Cultural significance
A typical "Berlin operetta" with catchy marches and waltzes, including "Puppchen, du bist mein Augenstern", it was filmed several times (1926, 1937, 1945, 1963, 1972) and enabled Gilbert's move to Berlin as conductor at the Thalia-Theater.