"A KNIGHT FOR A DAY."

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1021, 10 January 1911, Page 6

"A KNIGHT FOR A DAY."

MUSICAL FARCE COMEDY. . PRINCIPAL CIIAIIACTERS. . Muriel -.. Miss Olive Godwin. Tilly Day Hiss Lottie Kargent. 1-jlaine Miss Ivy Freshman. Mme. Woodbury Miss Stella Melbourne. Marco Mr.' Herbert Clayton. Emile Mr. Frank Greene. Marcelin Mr. W. S. Percy. Adam Mr. Victor Prince. Sir Anthony Oliver Mr. A. Lissant. Pietro ...-. ' ■. ; Mr. O. Albert". Jeremy Joy , Mr. liert Gilbert. "A Kiiigh; for.a Day," which was staged by Mr. J. C. Williamson's Comic Opera Company at tho Opera Houso last evening, before a largo audience, is not comic opera; neither is it nuisical comedy. It is a potpourri of vaudeville, ballets, burlesque, .designated'musical farce comedy, and served a la pantomime. Tho plot —what there is of it—is so simple that ono hardly notices its frequent absences from the stage, leaving to a select and inimitable few the congenial task of keeping the audience highly amused. ;It almost seems unnecessary to describe it. However: There-are two lockets, an old estate in Corsica, a Ja'rge..sum .of money, charming Miss Muriel Oliver, who is being educated ;at Evanston Seminary, Illinois, l anfl- Emile.' Miss Muriel has ono of the" lockets, and Emile has the other, and the aforesaid old estate and the large sum of money may be claimed by tho owners of tho lockets, if they find each other, and marry. Unfortun-' ately, Emile lias already married—secretly, of course—Elaine, daughter.. of Madame "Woodbury, the lady principal of Evanston Seminary,.and Muriel has fallen in love with Marco, a handsome Corsican. Hence, the complications which servo as tlie basis t>f the comedy. These complications serve, also, to introduce Ml'. Jeremy Joy—a soi-distant waiter. An. amusing rascal—who parades as a lawyer, and endeavours, upon the rare occasions upon which he gives some attention to the plot, to secure the lockets; also, Tilly Day—the most diverting domestio who has enlivened the Opera House for many a long.day —she is' the apple of Jeremy's eye; Marcelin, the ch?f at the. seminary, wlioso forte is the preparation of sauce; Sn Anthony Oliver, ...Miss Muriel's papa; Adam, and Pietro, porters, who deliver.a case, of champagno at tho Evanston Seminary, which same case is appropriated by Mr. Jeremy Joy, who, in tho excitement of-the moment, drops the case down the school well, thus contaminating tho water, and ultimately 'reducing Tilly Day to a condition of hopeless depravity. The heat and burden of the show is borne by Miss Lottie Sargent (Tilly Day) and _Mr. Bert Gilbert (Jeremy Jov). It is tneir "night out." Miss Sargent's work last evening was particularly good. Her antics after partaking—not very sparingly—of the well-water which had received and mingled with tho misplaced champagne convulsed the house, while her association with Jeremy Joy in an amusing skit on conventional vaudeville turns towards the end of the second act "was also conspicuous for its vivacity. She made a hit with her songs '.'Looking for a .Place," and "Sho Hasn't Bono Her Hair up Yet." 'Mr. Bert Gilbert is entirely in his element as.chief fun-maker, and.has a. strenuous part. Miss Olive Godwin, as Muriel, gives a characteristic interpretation of her role, which is not an exacting one. Miss Ivy Freshman. takes the part of Elaine, and performs her easy task with cbtirming naivete. As Marco, Mr. Herbert Clayton is not called upon to extend himself. His best song was "Once in a Blue Moon," with chorus, but" tho effect of it. was marred by the tenors in the invisible chorus getting out of tune— and remaining out. Mr. Frank Greene's responsibilities as Emile, are comparatively light. His singing of "A Legend of Corsica," was a pleasing number. The part of Madame Woodbury was taken bv Jliss Stella Selbonrne, who exactly suited the role. Mr. A. Lissant makes, a typical English baronet in his impersonation of Sir Anthony Oliver. The eccentricities of Marcelin, the French chef, are capably portrayed by Mr.' W. S. Percy, while Messrs. Victor Prince and C. Albert, in tho characters of porters aro very happy in their respective roles. The incidental music is brislit, and characteristic of the comedy. There are ono or two rather attractive ballets, tile skipping-rope dance in the first act being the best. On the whole the performance gave evidence here and there of ,hasty preparation, " and there was an apparent lack of cohesion ill the general scheme of the second act. The "Ivrijht for a Day"—by the way. tho puzzle is to find the knight—will bo repeated this and to-morrow evening.