"HAVANA."

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 738, 10 February 1910, Page 6

"HAVANA."

WILLIAMSON'S NEW-COMIC OPERA ; :< r\] ; COMPANY.' - ; ';'■;' ; ''Havana," a musicali.play .wiittea by •George- Grossmith, , ]unr.,. and ' Graham •Hill.". lyrics by Adrian;Koss and , George Arthur. Music by Leslie Stuart. Cast:— Oonsuelo (Bombito'a Niece) ' - ..:-...■,-,. .. Miss Olive Godwin. Anita'(a Oiear Seller) Misa lottie Sarg«nt Isabelita., (liombito's/Sistor) •-....•■. ■• ■. . ■''.•• ; ~v . Miss Ada Stirling., Tita ~.'. ...;.'...„ ; Miss Ivy Freshman. Pepita/ _..'_.■._.■;:...;.... Mies Elsie Stevenson. • Lplita Hiss Lily. Moore .: (Cigarette Girls).'. ••■■■■'.■ ■ Hamie Hiss Olive. Sinclair (Typewriter in Oieai Store).., . Teresa, (a Mower Girl) Hiss : Dbricnne Dayne Gladys lliss Helen lloscley. Jackson Villiers :..... Mr. Herbert" Olaytbn. ■ . (Of tUo s.y. Wasp). :. The Bon Adolfo Mr. ; ftank Greene (Son of the Mayor of Havana). ■ Hon. Frank Oharterie ... Mr. J. K. Ilogue. Jfllario ............'.... ......;.. Mr. , A. Sharpies. Alejandro IT. Vincent. Bombito del Campo ... Mr.'Victor Prince. (Mayor of Havana). < Diego de la Concha.(of Ooslillo) Mr. P. Bathuret. .Sentry v.:... ;'.. JTr.:Arthur Liesant. Koginald Brown, (the yacht's boy) • ■-. . . •■..' Mr. W. S. Percy • and ■-. ' . - ■: Nix (bo'sun of tho Wasp) Mr. Bert Gilbert. Flappers: Mi66<* .T. -Pendergaet, '.L.' : Hin- ■ richa.'lda Bradley,'-Helen Moseley, 1L , Bradley; and N. M'Quoin. ' ' ■:.::■ Cigar'and Cigarette' Girts, Havanese'Sol-' . V' : dicrs,- Conspirators, etc. ; .■ ' .

"Havana," which\was. produced for the first time' by v the .'Williamson 1 Company at the . Opera House' last evening, ,is well up' to/the, standard of "recent ."musical J plays." The. music, by the composer of, "Floradora," is. bright'and''.'catchy,"-the lyrics,, humorous and sentimental, were generally-, encored last evening,-. and tho plot is.quite sufficient to,string dialogue andjyrics together. - It goes: without say-, ing that the. .scenery is beautiful, and tho staging' beyond reproach.,.- But. the great attraction of the now. play is that it has two funny mon.of exceptionalability, Mr. Gilbert and Mr. Percy, who play into each other's hands iu humorously contrasted parts. Corisuelb.'.a Cuban heiress is languidly in lovo with her cousin, Don Adolfo, and they agree' to spend the last «ay of their; freedom in promiscuous flirting. Consuelo falls inlovo with a voiinc Imglishuian, Jackson Villiers, whose yacht; is ; touching at Havana. Don Adolfo finds recreation with a: sextet of pretty little London ladies,.who- sing and, danco in a, variety of charming dresses,- and wno are called' the- "flappers." Tho element, of ■ conspiracy and excitement.-is introduced by a band of - swarthy Cubans known as the .Bed. Liberals, who plot to make_ 0n0..0f their number,' Isabefita, yueoii of Cuba. One does, not take their plotting .very; seriously.' Don Adolfo is Kidnapped prior., to his betrothal, and Placed .under , a, Cuban- guard: on board tho. English : yacht. The course of"true love runs anything but. smoothly, with Jackson . ; .Villiers, but he -takes -the haughty, .slights .of -his quick-blooded '?■ "* e tui j; d act. she. receives his demonstrative affection qmte docilely. \ The .most interesting people of .the.play, how1h rf 7} °i eU K - most attention, arc' the doleful bo'sun, Nix, and the cheerful yacht Sj boy,.Eeginald'Brown.. 'NiV ha"d married. a ( youthful Cuban lady on a S vious visit, seven years before, and had been dragged away,to sea within;half."n-----^...pi.-.the.-coromony.'. He is" , terriblv afraid ofymeeting her again,' andgoes WTJ ° f :l& ' CubVn" ladies do not.-appear.to-regard ugliness as'much ipt. a..disadvantage;;... Nix is, of course, dis-covored-by.his wife of-half-an-hour, Anita who is^uch.auprightly,-handsome damsel tnat Jia.is more than reconciled,to the'.reunion. . : Reginald Brown: is also' conquered by rhe ; charms ofi.Cuban.boanty/andDori' Ado fo.cousolos!himself 'easily for 'losing nis heiress by a.marriago with■ the smallest of. the hyely "flappers. , ' ■:-"■> ' Mr. Herbert Clayton, in the part of Jackson Villiers,' sang well and acted naW ■ rally. . As -. Consuelo,.': Miss'-Olive-- Uodwin ras sumcieutly. imperious. and. passionate, •• and she also sang effectively. Her solo/A Ouoan Girl," was .deservedly encored, and .she j'-nras heard to advantage in -the $S et ■,■&>§■> W- ' Clayton.'..'Move's tast Word. ~, Mr. Clayton's-most-popular sonE wwevev,, ,was. the amusing ."Would you •S to ,, lß , o , t ,9, ri yi t li mater? , ; which he sang iVitli.the llappers," the chorus being-il-aistrated by . an : ingenious mechanical enect. JlissLotrio; Sargent was a piquant and. pleasing Anita, As the melancholy bosun Nix,: Mr. Bert, Gilbert kept .the audience convulsed with his sad drolleries, and ho w.as,repeatedly'..recalled ■for several of his. : songs..,'.Some-.of -.theso.were unusually, amusing as he ; delivered them;-. Ihe ;lmmour-of-.the .part' of Nix.is .not so'much-inherent, as : it is dependent on Air..Gilbert's clever,portrayal. Mr. Percy was .consistently amusing in;,the part oftho irresponsible, yacht's . boy, who ..provides a foil; to,the dismal Nix.; One of the,.:.clcverest. things: .in the plav-was a delightful travesty, pf.-th'e .''Merry' .waltz, ; by/lliss:Sargent and .Mr. Percy, who contrived at the same time tp.burlosque; their own .Apache- dance.:, A good many, pepplo' \rill'.prc : fer the .burlesque. to. ! the serious dance in bothcases.. 'Mr. Frank Greene,; as Don Adolfo, made the'most of a slender'part. :He.sang the soli also, .in the, two most i novel and. effective musical numbers of the play, "Hollo, People,': and "Cupid's ..Telephone," the -cheerful flappers forming • his, chorus; in , .each-, instance...,: Mr.; Greene.-,has; a -very:.pleasing baritone,-voice.' Mr.:Bathursti, as-Biegp de'.la Concha,' .was' an impressive lowering conspirator, Mr. Victor Prince was a. fitly pompous ,Mayor' of ..-.Havana, and : "M.T. Hoguo acted naturally' as' tho Hon. Prank Charteris,; a member of tho yachfs party. Miss Ada Stirling, acquitted herself well as: Isabelita,. the stately Cuban lady who aspired to queenship, and tho 'smaller .parts were all well filled. ■ Miss: Stevensou, as Pepita, a- cigarette girl,- sang pleasingly witlr Mr. Clayton in. the duet, "A Little Supper-table.for Two.". Sho also danced cleverly and audaciously, ; in a manncrwhich cannot bo very usual at supper parties a dens. ■ .' : "•• '-'■ ; . .; The scorieTy. is good in the first act—, a .cigar stores-improves in , tho second, which takes place, in, a ; 'leafy Spanish -. courtyard, and:reaches the climax of beauty in .-the',-third,' a harbour .'scene, in which .the.;wharves..and. the .brown sails of yachts, stand out against: a sea of brilliant blue,.' the 'blue-costumes ,-of •.'■ the : sailors; in : the foreground ..aiding-,-the ', effect. . all the :acts:-the dresses and ' costumes aro bright ...and., pleasing. "Havana"'-will .be., staged ■ for ; five ~mp'ro nights, and will thenvbe:,succeeded , by l -a ;'" .revival of "Tho (Country Girl." . '■:;■■■■:'■