J. C. WILLIAMSON'S COMIC OPERA COMPANY

Evening Star, Issue 19385, 20 October 1926, Page 4

J. C. WILLIAMSON'S COMIC OPERA COMPANY

GILBERT AND SULLIVAN OPERAS. Tho J- C. Williamson, Ltd., management has enjoyed some very successnil tours in New Zealand, including those enjoyed by * Chu Chin Chow, 1 Tho Maid of the Mountains,’ the BoucicaultVanbrngh Company, and other attractions, but these triumphs must now all pale into comparative insignificance alongside those achieved by the present Gilbert and Sullivan Comic Opera Company. The tour started at Auckland, where a season of three weeks witnessed every known record being broken. On tho day on which tho plans were announced to open a queue nearly a mile long assembled by 3 o’clock in the morning, and during the day over 4,000 seats were booked up. At 5 o’clock, when the box office closed, there were still over 100 people waiting for scats, and these had to go homo disappointed, and return tho iollowing morning to line up ogam. Tins was the case throughout the season, tho queue never once being broken during tho whole of tho company’s stay. The gallery was sold out before 12 o’clock each day, and it was a very hard matter to procure a seat in tho dress circle or, stalls after 7 o’clock each evening. Tho matinee performance also proved a big attraction for playgoers. The demand for seats was oven greater in Wellington, ami the company is at present breaking all known records in Christchurch. Tho approaching season, which begins Saturday, October 30, is limited to ton nights, 'but during that period the company will appear in six of tho best and most popular of the Gilbert ami Sullivan operas, beginning with a brilliant revival of ‘ The Gondoliers,’ which will be staged with magnificent dresses, which recently cost over £3,000 to create, and with scenery painted for the Melbourne revival by Mr W. S. Coleman. Only two per foimanccs of ‘Tho can ba staged, and on Tuesday and Wednesday nights and on Wednesday afternoon, November 2 and 3, ‘The Yeomen of tho Guard ’ will be staged. On Thursday. November 4, ‘ Tho Pirates of Penzance ’ will be revived, and on Friday and Saturday nights and on Satnrday afternoon, November 5 and 3, ‘ The Mikado ’ will he produced. On Monday, November 8, ‘H.M.S. Pinafore ’ preceded by ‘Trial by Jury,' will bo presented, and the season will close with three performances of ‘ lolanthc,’ which will be staged on Tuesday and Wednesday nights and on Wednesday afternoon, November 9 and 10. The company, which numbers over eighty people, includes Mr Charles Wale'nn, the Gilbert and Sullivan comedian; Mr James Hay, whoso rendering of ‘ Sparkling Eyes ’ proved a feature of the last production of ‘The Gondoliers’ here; Miss Strclla Wilson, said to be tho finest soprano who has ever appeared in Gilbert and Sullivan operas m New Zealand; Mr Leo Darton, a noted London baritone; Miss 'Winifred Williamson, a brilliant English contralto; Mr John Ralston, who last appeared hero in ‘ Lilac Time’; Mr Bernard Manning, one of the most noted of tho Savoy Theatre artists; Miss Patti Russell, Miss Mabel Gibson, and Mr Lance Fairfax. A big feature of tho operas is tho work of tho magnificent chorus, and a full operatic orchestra is under tho direction of Gustave Slnpoffski. Tho box plans for the whole of the season will be opened at The Bristol Piano Company on Wednesday morning next at 9 o’clock.