AustLit

Cairo premiered in New York in 1920 as Mecca (without Asche or Lily Brayton in the cast), taking on its alternative title for the London premiere almost exactly one year later. Alexander Woollcott, writing for the New York Times, suggested that not only was Mecca 'a great achievement' and a 'gorgeous and gargantuan show', but that the 'long heralded successor to Chu Chin Chow proved to be as rich and sumptuous an adventure in pageantry as the American theatre has known' (5 October 1920, p.12).

The London premiere attracted a good deal of controversy over one particular scene, with London's Daily Express writing, 'All London will be talking to-day about the greatest anatomical exhibition ever seen on the stage' (qtd Pall Mall Gazette 17 October 1921, p.7). The Daily Mail went further, describing the scene as 'indecent both in conception and in execution... the Prince summons his dancers to entertain his guests, and the dancers re-create all the lustfulness of Cleopatra's day... [working] up to a riot of sensuality... in an abandonment of animal passion' (qtd Green Room November 1921, p.23). Asche responsed to the 'allegations of stark sensuality', arguing that 'It is British, that's why it is criticised. Had it been Russian all would have been well' (Pall Mall Gazzette 17 October 1921, p.7). That no obvious moral outrage emanated from the American public or critics suggests that Asche must have made some signficant staging changes to the London production. Interestingly, the British censor, who found no objection with the display of flesh, did, on the other hand, prohibit the production going ahead with the original title Mecca, because this was deemed to be offensive to 'Mahometan susceptibilities' [sic] (Green Room November 1921, p.23).

Criticism of Percy Fletcher's music was largely unfavourable. A Green Room critic proposed, for example, that it was distinguished more 'by weirdness than by melodiousness' (October 1922, p.5), while a Times (London) reviewer wrote that was 'perhaps a little too ambitious, a little heavy for the occasion... and [that] the lead characters have unfortunately not been given any of the catchier tunes'. With regard to the story itself, the same reviewer proposed that Asche had 'produced a huge, confused, spectacular entertainment with many stupendous and some beautiful things in it. It lacks form and it lacks style; but perhaps these qualities will not be missed by the public that made a success of Chu Chin Chow' (qtd Pall Mall Gazette 17 October 1921, p.8).

Manuscripts with the titles 'Cairo' and 'Ali Shar' are held in the Lord Chamberlain's Collection, British Library. See also the souvenir for the Sydney production of Cairo, edited by Phil Finkelstein (1922).

A novelised version by William A. Page, entitled Mecca: A Mosaic in Music and Mime, was published in 1920 by F. R. Comstock and M. Gest (New York).