About the work
Victor/Victoria is a musical with music by Henry Mancini and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse, with a book by Blake Edwards, premiered on Broadway in 1995. Based on Edwards's 1982 film of the same name, it was Mancini's last work.
Plot
In 1930s Paris, the penniless soprano Victoria is at the end of her tether. The gay entertainer Toddy helps her to a daring career: Victoria henceforth performs as "Victor"—a man who performs as a woman in cabaret. The celebrated drag illusion begins to wobble when the gangster boss King Marchan falls in love with "Victor" and starts to doubt his own masculinity. A turbulent comedy of errors about gender roles, identity, and love unfolds.
Cultural significance
Victor/Victoria combines Mancini's elegant, jazzy music with a progressive, wry engagement with gender roles and sexual identity, advanced for its time. Julie Andrews, who had played the lead in the film, returned to Broadway for the stage version. The work represents the witty comedic tradition of the musical and Mancini's living musical legacy.