Nilsson vs. the Shah’s Schedule

When the Shah of Persia visited England in 1873, London staged lavish entertainments—including an opera evening made of “greatest hits” from several works. The plan: Act III of *La Favorita* (with Titiens as Leonora), then Act I of *La Traviata*, a short ballet, and Act I of *Mignon*. In both *Traviata* and *Mignon*, Christine Nilsson would sing the leading role.

Titiens objected: why should Nilsson get the best two slots? She proposed a fair swap—Nilsson should sing first and last, with Titiens in the middle. Nilsson refused… until she heard a crucial detail: the Shah would only stay from 8:30 to 9:30 because of other events that night. Suddenly the “fair swap” looked like smart strategy, and Nilsson agreed.

Then came the twist. At 8:30 the Prince of Wales arrived to receive the Shah—who did not show up. After half an hour the performance began. Nilsson stepped onstage, saw the royal box empty, and was furious—especially because she had ordered a magnificent Violetta dress from Worth of Paris. The Shah finally appeared at 9:30, just as Nilsson had finished her *Traviata* scene and Titiens was on in *Favorita*.

The manager, Mapleson, braced for a storm. The Prince suggested an antidote: present Nilsson to the Shah that same evening. Mapleson hurried to her dressing room. Nilsson protested—she had changed into Mignon’s ragged costume, hair messy, barefoot. But it was “a command,” so she went.

Before she was even announced, Nilsson marched in and—in French—told the Shah she had prepared a superb costume especially for him, but his lateness made him miss it, so now he could only see her in this miserable rig, without shoes. She gestured dramatically, then lifted a bare foot so close that it nearly reached the royal Persian nose.

The Shah was so delighted by her originality that he stayed until after midnight to watch her in *Mignon*. Nilsson was appeased. The Lord Mayor and London notables, however, waited for him at the Goldsmiths’ Ball from 9:30 to 12:30.