Der Bilbao-Song
i. First performance: September 2, 1929, in Berlin at the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm. http://www.kwf.org/kwf/detailed-chronology-1929-1933, http://www.kwf.org/kwf/kurt-weill/weill-works/by-title/149-n4main
ii. According to http://www.ibdb.com/ProductionSongs.aspx?ShowNo=4199&ProdNo=4000, this song is sung by the characters The Governor, Baby Face, Bill & The Gang.
iii. It's difficult to find out who played these characters in the original show:
- according to "The New Grove Dictionary of Opera", Bill Cracker was played by Oskar Homolka.
- according to http://www.act-sf.org/press/happy_end.html, The Governor is also known as Dr Nakamura, and according to "The New Grove Dictionary of Opera", Dr Nakamura was played by Peter Lorre.
- according to http://www.act-sf.org/press/happy_end.html, Baby Face is also known as Johnny Flint, but unfortunately Grove does not give the original actor.
- The Gang is presumably a chorus of backing singers.
It seems pretty certain Lotte Lenya is not the original artist. According to "The New Grove Dictionary of Opera": "The work was originally unsuccessful and was virtually forgotten until Lotte Lenya recorded the ‘Bilbao Song’, ‘Matrosen-Tango’ and ‘Surabaya Johnny’ in 1955 and the entire score in 1960." Also, I believe she was not in the original cast.
