THE JUVENILES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 238, 7 October 1891, Page 5

THE JUVENILES.

••LA MASCOTTE" A SUCCESS

Jupiter Pluvius was desperately jealous of the Juvenile Opera Company last night, and did all he could to throw cold water —literally—on their opening at the Opera House. Therein poured with pitiless fury, and many opined that the attendance would be of the scantiest. But the luck of •• La Mascotte " triumphed over all, and a YYell-filled auditorium greeted the children's eyes when the curtain went up on the iirst net. And after that the spectators cared little for the pluvial pattering on the roof. Things might be miserable in the streets,but inside there was light, laughter, gaiety and fun enough to make the saddestminded man or woman enjoy themselves. From the opening chorus to the last, Audran's opera went with a swing and go perfectly" irresistible, and••< the applause passed rapidly from the warm to the enthusiastic, and from that to perfect ovations whenever any special item specially fetched the house; The children are remarkably good. The staging, scenery, the dressing, and drilling are all separately and individually aa near perfect as may be,-and the resulb is one of the ensembles to which the Wil-liamson-Garner Company have taught us to look for when one of their numerous companies takes the boards. There is but little need to say niuch of Audran'e pretty opera. , '''•La Mascotte" is well known in Auckland, but before passing to individual criticism a word or two mueb be given to the production as a whole. The stage pictures are so pretty and effective, and the pretty orchestration is so capably rendered, one feels inclined to say that the '* Mascotte " has never been better per : formed in Auckland ; but, of course, when the singing is taken into account, this might be rather too laudatory. It is not to be expected that children should sing with the same depth of expression or volume of tone as their operatic elders. The solos —specially the more difficult ones—are often a trifle weak, but ib is to bo doubted if the act of hearing the airs and choruses in clear childish voices does nob compensate for this, and compensate amply. Bub even the few who would feel disinclined to concede this, would be compelled to admit that the excellence of the acting, the brightness, briskness, and originality of the Htage business, and the utter lack of stiffness or self-consciousness from the inimitable Laurent to the humblest chorus boy cr girl, swept all before it. There was' never the vestige of a drag. Grown-up singers have of cen an idea they are not paid for any special acting in the chorus, and go through their duties in a perfunctory fashion. In the Juvenile Company every individual child seems to feel it some capital sort of game, and to try and excel in good acting and originality of business as they would try and excol in one of their romps, it is worth while watching individual members while the principals are singing— the by-play is so fresh, amusing and appropriate. When concerted action ia needed, too, the children show, how admirably they are drilled. Nothing liner than the military march and pretty ballet manoeuvres has been seen here fsr a very long time. The amateur Amazonian march seemed very splendid last week, but it's just ac well ib came before fcha children arrived. It would have looked a very poor evolutionary display after the intricate and graceful baHefc drill of the juveniles. Their pretty scarlet) and white uniforms, thoir flashing swords and their golden halberds under a most artful arrangement of limelight, forms a fine example of stage spectacular display. The audience thought so,and encored the manoeuvres with enthusiaem which was ovationary in its determination. The choruses wore, it may be said, admirably sung, and the orchestra played the marching and concerted music throughout with fulness and n'ni.h. Coming- to the acting cf individuals, the palm must be given to Mct-ter Stephens. A better Laurent XII. could scarcely be imagined. Full of fun end humour, and with the instinct cf burlesque, the lad is » born low comedian. Everything he does is done with a vigour and spontaneity that is irresistible. He.acts from start to finish. There are no rests. If he has nothing in the piece to do ho invents business for himself, and has an intuitive knowledge of wha» will go down. His local gags were much appreciated, and Tim Doolan will doubtless hear of the joke gob off at his expense. Ranking almost equal with him were his sister, Fiametta, and Bebtins, Miss Lily Everett. Bettina had of course the best part, and her acting was really uplendid. Nob a chance was missed, not a detail that was not taken fullest advantage of. The singing and acting were both good, bub ib is histrionically Miss Everett excels. Her rendering of the part was a fine .one, and for tenderness and abandon of love and affection we have never seen anything to excel her interpretation of the famous " Glou Glou " duet with Pippo, of whom more anon; but perhaps an even greater favourite and scarcely inferior in acting, while superior in voice, was Miss Stephens. She simply captured the audience. Her singiag of "In Old Madrid" gained her tm immediate encore,'and was the firafc of a series of triumphs which culminated in the third act, when she w«w encored no tyura

three times for her inimitable rendering of the ever popular " Quito the Most Attractive Girl." The grace of her dancing, her pretty gestures, her really excellent singing, and her spirited acting quite demoralised the house, who would have nothing but her. Her histrionic powers are wonderful for a child, and she ia the prettiest little creature imaginable. Rollo is excellent too, MasterQuealymaking a lot of a good part. Miss Marion Mitchell sings well and shows promise of good acting, bub has a slight tendency to stiffness at prosent. The minor characters are all well taken, and Prince Frebtelina is well taken by JjMiaa- Zeigler. Altogether the show is an excellent one, and deserves to draw large bouses. Certain it is that anyone who patronises the juveniles will enjoy a most pleasant evening.