Non-English language productions The original production,
Zigeunerliebe, premiered at the
Carltheater, Vienna, in German, on 8 January 1910. The cast included Grete Holm as Zorika, Willi Strehl as Józsi, Max Rohr as Jonel Bolescu, Karl Blasel as Peter Dragotin,
Mizzi Zwerenz as Ilona von Körösháza, Littl Koppel as Jolán, and
Hubert Marischka as Kajetán Dimetreanu. A success in Vienna, the production ran for a total of 232 performances over a ten month period, and it was frequently revived at the Carltheater into the late 1920s. The Carltheater toured the Vienna production to Paris, which inspired the creation of a French version,
Amour Tzigane (translation by
Henry Gauthier-Villars and Jean Bénédict). This version toured France with great success in 1911. The first staging outside of Austria was in Budapest, where it was a success at the in a Hungarian translation,
Cigányszerelem, from 1910 to 1911. The piece continues to be played in Eastern Europe and has remained a part of the standard repertory at the . In Germany the operetta was first performed on February 12, 1911 at the
Komische Oper Berlin with
Martha Winternitz-Dorda as Zorika and Jean Nadolovitch as Józsi. During the era of
Nazi Germany, the operetta was given at the
Theater des Volkes in Berlin with a cast led by Ingeborg Dörlein and
Hans-Heinz Bollmann. More recent German revivals include a 2011 staging at the
Leipzig Opera, a 2015 production at the
Anhaltisches Theater in
Dessau with Angelina Ruzzafante as Zorika; and a 2019 production at the . Recent performances in Hungary include a 2021 production at the Rátonyi Róbert Theater in
Csákvár.
English language productions A. H. Woods' Gypsy Love The United States debut was produced by
A. H. Woods at the
Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia on 2 October 1911. It was the first English-language production of the operetta, and it was performed under the title
Love using a libretto and lyrics by
Harry B. Smith and
Robert B. Smith.
The Philadelphia Inquirer praised the stars of the production,
Marguerita Sylva (Zorika) and Arthur Albro (Jozsi); especially their singing. However, the paper was critical of the show's plot; dismissing the libretto as "incredibly unlikely and dull". The reviewer also praised the sets and costumes as "richly produced" by Woods and thought the score was "masterful", but argued that the contemporary trend towards
Viennese operetta on the American stage had grown tired and that the production was unlikely to have a sustained run. The production transferred to the
Globe Theatre on
Broadway, where it opened on 17 October 1911 under less than ideal circumstances. Sylva was ill and was unable to continue the show after first act, in which she mostly spoke instead of sang; The tour then preceded on for further performances in Canada in March 1913. Albro continued to perform with regularity in revivals of
Gypsy Love in the United States into the early 1920s. These included a 1917 touring production in
New England, including Vermont, Connecticut, and Massachusetts; and a 1920 production in Chicago at the
Auditorium Theatre. Both the tour and Chicago run were produced by
Andreas Dippel. Zorika was renamed Ilona, According to
Kurt Gänzl, "the score was torn apart" with several musical numbers being heavily modified, cut, or reassigned to different roles. New pieces were added in the style of
Edwardian musical comedy, and in the end the production was vastly different and had only a superficial relationship to the original
Zigeunerliebe. The show opened on 1 June 1912 with Hungarian operetta star
Sári Petráss as Ilona. Others in the cast included, besides Gertie Millar,
Robert Michaelis as Jozsi, Webster Millar as Jonel,
W. H. Berry as Dragotin,
Lauri de Frece as Kajetan, Fred Kaye as Dimetreanu,
Mabel Russell as Jolan,
Harry Dearth as Andor, Madeline Seymour as Zorika, Kate Welch as Marischka, and
Rosina Filippi as Julesa. The piece was a success in London, running for 299 performances and then touring Great Britain in 1913.
J. C. Williamson mounted
Gipsy Love in Australia in a production starring English musical comedy actress Gertrude Glyn as Lady Babby and English soprano
Elsie Spain as Ilona. It played in theaters in Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne in 1914. The production's music director, Andrew MacCunn, dedicated the "Ilona Tango", which he wrote for the production, to Spain. ==Adaptations==