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This article is about the operetta by Sigmund Romberg. For other uses, see Student Prince

The Student Prince is an operetta written by Sigmund Romberg (music) and Dorothy Donnelly (book and lyrics), based on Wilhelm Meyer-Förster's play Alt Heidelberg. The Student Prince 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 starring Ramon Novarro and Norma Shearer, entitled The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg. The stage work was revived twice on Broadway - in the 1930s and the 1940s.

Once frequently revived (today, not quite as much in the U.S.), The Student Prince has elements of melodrama but has a definite lack of swashbuckling common to Romberg's other works. The plot is mostly faithful to its source, "Alt Heidelberg" by Wilhelm Meyer-Förster.

The operetta contains some of the most beautiful, yet gruelling, tenor arias in the operetta repertoire. Mario Lanza made many of the songs famous 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 lip-synched to the tenor's recordings.

Contents 1 Synopsis 2 Principal Songs 3 Cultural impact 4 Trivia 5 External links

The prince of Karlsberg attempts unsuccessfully to hide his identity at his new school. He soon makes friends and falls in love with his innkeeper's daughter, Kathie. But when Prince Karl's grandfather (the king) dies, he must return to Karlsberg and take up the role of the new king. Ultimately, the new King faces the reality that he must marry royalty, but his true love will always be Kathie.

• "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"

• "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 1960's and early 1970's.

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

• Information about the operetta