Dora's Dream

Dora's Dream is a one-act operetta, with music composed by Alfred Cellier and a libretto by Arthur Cecil.

The piece was first performed at the Royal Gallery of Illustration on 3 July 1873, with Fanny Holland and Arthur Cecil starring in the two roles.

The curtain raiser debuted to a warm review from The Times, which wrote, "This pleasant and sparkling bagatelle at once put the house in good humour.

The fashion in the late Victorian era was to present long evenings in the theatre, and so producer Richard D'Oyly Carte preceded his Savoy operas with curtain raisers such as Dora's Dream.

[2] W. J. MacQueen-Pope commented, concerning these curtain raisers: A memorable line in the play is Fred's opinion of the perfect woman: "Order is a first rate quality in a wife.