The Grand Duke.

Hastings Standard, Issue 24, 23 May 1896, Page 4

The Grand Duke.

The London correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald v.-rites :—The production of "The Grand Duke " at the Savoy Theatre has kept the house crowded all th* wwk with appreciative audiences. This is not only due to the merits of the piece, but to the genuine satisfaction which playgoing people feel at the reconciliation between the author and the composer. The true inwardness of their quarrel has never been reven]fd. It is notorious that Mr Gilbert's temper is a trifle peppery, and Sir Arthur Sullivan is certainly under no obligation to take the " small potato " view of bis own share in their joint efforts. However, it is pretty evident that the dispute was not of a deadly character, and since it has now been proved by ample experiment and repeated fnilun* that the one cannot, do without the other, it is to he hoped that we are in for a fresh succession of cvnuine Savoy operas. I do not think that '• The Grand Duke " will take a permanent place among the very best of Gilbert's ■works—unless lie partly r (•!'-> it. Tt is certainly not the gem like " The Mikado," for instance. In {'arts the humor is decidedly thin and tb» plot too much !>•'• iter, out, But f< r p'l that it contains some of 'be most whimsical notions which Mr <iili • <-c has ret hit nr-on. The statutory dn-d which is the law of the Grind Duchy of Pfennig TTalhpfonnig has a real Gilbarfcian flavour a-fut it. Tf two people quarrel they do not "fight with falchions bright," but each draws a card from the pack, and h-' who draws th' -1 low t car l is con-id'U-f d dead. and In- s ill his civic rights, including hi v r e, whi'<- the winner take* ovc •• ciU /)?> rf-ponzihiiir ineluding the maintenance of the defunct's wife and family. Give i a parsimonious and timorous Grand Duke, who, to avoid a conspiracy against his life, consents to die in this fkshion for 24 hours at the hands of an actor on tour, who thus finds himself landed with all sorts of responsibilities, and the sudd n revival of the Duke through the discovery that tne ace counts the lowest instead oE the highest in the pack, and it will ho easily imagined what kind of fun Mr Gilbert makes of the plot. Tt n-ually happens with Mr Gilbert's best works that you are sorry when the two acts are over, but in this case the second act seems too long. The music is good throughout.