LONDON STAGE GOSSIP.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1261, 30 April 1896, Page 17

LONDON STAGE GOSSIP.

“ THE GRAND DUKE, OR THE STATUTORY DUEL." GILBERT AND SULLIVAN’S LATEST. From Our Special Correspondent. London, March 14. Do the Gilbertian quips and cranks and topsy-turvyisms begin to pall upon our sober, middle-aged palates, or is tho elaborate artificial humour which delighted us in “ The Sorcerer" in 1877 a little thinner than it used to be ? I confess I think both things are true. “ The Grand Duke" seems more like a rehash of very old materials than a novelty, and despite finished xvorkship Mr Gilbert’s mine of wit shows signs of petering out. Sir Arthur’s music, too, struck me much in tho same way. It might have been scored from his recollections of the nine previous operas. Even the first night’s audience at tho Savoy, packed as it was with friends of all concerned, grew thoroughly bored towards the close. Tho first act went well, and scorned to promise a success of the usual dimensions. But tho long interval and attenuated incidents of tho second wearied us all unspeakably, and when at midnight the. curtain finally fell, there was a disposition to be off without calling tho three Savoyards. Energetic friends, however, soon remedied this, and Mr D’Oyly Carte especially received cordial congratulations on his convalescence. Sinco Saturday Mr Gilbert has, I’m told, reduced and much improved act 11. Of course in estimating this accomplished librettist’s work, one can only compare Gilbert with Gilbert. At his worst he is miles in front of the writers of “ Shop Girls," “ Artist Models " and “ Gaiety Girls." Consequently ono finds plenty of good things to quote from “ Tho Grand Duke." THF, PLOT. Tho curtain rises on the Market Place of Speisesaal, in the Grand Duchy of Pfennigllalb Pfennig, where Ernst Duminkopf’s theatrical company arc celebrating tho marriage of Ludwig (chief comedian) and Lisa (soubrette). The chorus (Gilbertian from tho first) declare it to bo a pretty wedding; — If her dross is badly fitting,

Theirs tho fault who made her troussoau If her gloves are always splitting, Cheap kid gloves, wo know, will do so. If her wreath is all lop-sidod, That’s a thing one’s always dreading. If hor hair is all untidied,

Still, it is a pretty wedding ! Oil, it is a pretty wedding ! Such a pretty, pretty wedding !

Tho wedding feast, however, is being oaten before tho ceremony, becauso tho Grand Duke has selected this very day for a convocation of all the clergy in tho town to settle tho details of his approaching marriage with tho enormously wealthy Baroness von Krakonfeldt, and there will not bo a parson to bo had for love or money until six o’clock that night. Tho company arc rather awkwardly placed, for a magnificent classical revival of “ Troilus and Cressida " is to be given at seven. Wo learn that tho despot is to bo dethroned, an Association having been formed for that purpose. Tho secret sign - of tho Association is explained : By the mystic regulation Of our dark Association Ere you open conversation With another kindred soul You must eat a sausage-roll! And poor Ludwig groans that he has had to eat six sausage-rolls that day. Damn)kopf, tho theatrical manager, is to bo elected Grand Duke in Rudolph’s stead, and ho tells us if a man can rule a theatrical company he can rule anything. Both A and I! rehearsal slight— They say they’ll ho “ all right at night ” (They’ve both to go to school yet). 0 in each act must change hor dress, D will attempt to “ square the press”; E won’t play Romeo unless His grandmother plays Juliet . E claims all haydens as her rights (She's played them thirty seasons); And G must show lmrsclf ill tights For two convincing reasons— Two very well-shaped reasons! Oh, the man who can drive a theatrical team,

With wheelers and leaders in order supremo, Can govern and rule, with a wavo of his fin,

All Europe—with Ireland thrown in ! So far so good, but tho unfortunato Ludwig (admirably played by Rutland Barrington) gives literally tho whole show away. Mooting an affable person who consumes three sausage-rolls in rapid succession, the actor assumes 110 is a conspirator, whereas, in point of fact, he’s tho Duke’s detective. Ludwig (in song) relates how lie confided every detail of tho revolution : Lud. Quito reassured, I lot him know

Our plot—each incident explaining; That stranger chuckled much, as though Ho thought me highly entertaining. I told him all, Both bad and good ; I bade him call— He said he would : I added much—the more I muckloJ, Tho more that chuckling chummy chuckled! All (angrily) A bat could sco

Ho couldn’t be A chum of ours if lie chuckled j

t™— Dummkopf and his fiancee Julia are \ naturally much annoyed. Not only are j their prospects of becoming Grand Duke , and Grand Duchess spoilt, but it seems probable the company may have to ] “exhibit their fairy forms all in a row, strung up upon the Castle gibbet." A quarrel commences, but is solved by a convenient notary, who suggests that Dummkopf and Ludwig must fight a statutory duel. None of the company 1 having heard of this convenient aiiangc- ( ment tho notary explains that a ccntuiy ago to “ wipe out the duello " which had

“ To sudden death For want of breath Sent many a strapping fellow,” the presiding Prince passed a special Act, short and compact. By this iugonious law, If any two shall quarrel, They may not fight With falchions bright (Which seemed to him immoral). But each a card shall draw, And he who draws the lowest Shall (so ’twas said) Be henceforth dead— Tn fact a legal “ ghoest.” (When exigence ot rhyme compels, Orthography foregoes her spells, And “ gho3t ” is written “ ghoest ”) The winner must adopt The loser’s poor relations— Discharge his debts, Bay all his bets, And take his obligations. In short, to briefly sum the case, Tho winner takes the loser’s place, With all its obligations.

Lud.: I see. The man who draws the lowest card. Not.: Dies, ipso facto, a social death. He loses all his civil rights—his identity disappears —the Revising Barrister oxpunges liis name from tho list of voters, and°the winner takes his place, whatever it may be, discharges all his functions and adopts all his responsibilities. Ern. : This is all very well, as far as it goes, but it only protects one of us. What’s to become of tho survivor ? Lud.: Yes, that’s an interesting point, because I might bo tho survivor. Not. : The survivor goes at once to tho Grand Duke, and in a burst of remorse, denounces the dead man as the moving spirit of tho plot. Ho is accepted as King’s evidence, and, as a matter of course, receives a free pardon. To-morrow when the law expires, the dead man will, ipse fado, come to life again—the Revising Barrister will restore his name to the list of voters, and he will resume all his obligations as though nothing unusual had happened. Julia: When ho will be at once arrested, tried, and executed on the evidence of the informer! Candidly, my friend, I don’t think much of your plot! Not.: Dear, dear, dear, the ignorance of the laity ! My good young lady, it is a beautiful maxim of our glorious constitution that a man can only die once. Death expunges crime, and when ho comes to life again, it will be witli a clean slate. Ludwig wins tho duel with Dummkopf, and in due course presents himself to Duke Rudolpli a meanly clad, halfstarved, sickly, depressed creature, who has just been rendered extremely unwell by news of tho conspiracy. 110 sing 3 : WTion you find you’re a broken-down

critter, Who is all of a tremble and twitter, With your palate unpleasantly bitter, As if you’d just eaten a pill; When your legs are as thin as dividers, And you’ro plagued with unruly insiders, And your spine is all creepy with spiders, And you’re highly gamboge in the gill; When your lips are all smeary-like tallow, And your tongue is decidedly yellow, With a pint of warm oil in your swallow, And a pound of tin-tacks in your chest; When you’ro down in tho mouth with the vapours, And all over your new Morris papers Black beetles are cutting their capers, And crawly things never at rest; When you doubt if your head is your own, And you jump w hen an open door slams, Thou you’ve got to a state which is known To the medical world as “ jim-jams.” If such symptoms you find, In your body or head, They’re not easy to quell; You may make up your mind You are better in bed,

For you’re not at all well!

Ludwig begins to confess by avowing himself the most miserable man in Ilia Serene Highness’ dominions. Bud. (still sobbing): Yon tho most miserable man in my whole dominion ? How can you have the face to stand there ami say such a thing? \\ hy, look at mo! Look at mo ! (Bursts into tears.) Lud.: Well I wouldn’t bo a cry-baby. Bud.: A cry-baby? If you had just been told that you were going to be deposed to-morrow, and perhaps blown up with dynamite for all I know, wouldn t you be a cry-baby ? I do declare if I could only hit upon some cheap and painless method of putting an end to an existence which has become insuppoitablo, I would unhesitatingly adopt it! Ludwig, with much presence of mind, proposes"a statutory duel. The Duke agrees, but, of course, there must be some pretence cf a quarrel to justify it. Bud.: Just to give colour to tho thing, shall I give you a sound thrashing before all the people? Say tho word—it’s no trouble. , , ~ Bud.: No, I think not, though it would be very convincing, and it’s extremely good and thoughtful of you to suggest it.. Ultimately a mock statutory duel is fixed up (Ludwig having tho ace up bis

sleeve), and comes off before all. Ludwig, of course, wins, and becomes Grand Duke of Pfennig Halb Pfennig. TIIE SECOND ACT. The schemes of Mr Gilbert’s books seldom differ. The first act creates topsyturvydom ; the second shows it in action. Ludwig’s first proceeding as Grand Duke is to insist on an attempt to revive the classic memories of Athens at its best by making everybody adopt the dress of the period. Tho song in which Ludwig details the scheme of this revival is one of the best in the piece, though too long to quote. After describing how the ancient Greeks ate and drank ho sings : Then caruo rather risky dances (under cer-

tain circumstances) Which would shock that worthy gentleman, the Licenser of Plays ; Corybantiau maniac kick —Dionysiac or

Bacchic — And the Dithryambic revels of those undecorous days. (Confidentially to audience). And perhaps I’d better mention, Lost alarming you I am, 'That it isn’t our intention To perform a Dithryamb. It displays a lot of stociiing, Which is always very shocking, And of course I’m only mocking At tho prevalence of “cram.”

Yes, on reconsideration, there are customs of that nation Which are, not in strict accordance with the habits of our day, And when I come to codify, their rules I mean to modify, Or Mrs Grumly, p’raps, may have a word or two to say. For they hadn’t macintoshes or umbrellas or goloshes, And a shower with their dresses must have played the. very deuce. It must have been unpleasing when they caught a lit of sneezing, Bor, it seems, of pocket-handkerchiefs they didn’t know the use. They wore little, underclothing—scarcely anything —or no-thiug — And their dross of (Joan silk was quite transparent in design, Well, in fact, in summer weather, something like the “altogether” And it’s {here, I rather fancy, I shall have to draw tho line ! The balance of this act is very thin, being mainly taken up with Ludwig’s discovery that he must marry both Julia and the venerable Baroness von Jvrakenfeldt as the fiancees of the men lie’s killed in statutory duels. Finally, of course, tho embroglio is at the right moment solved by the discovery that the aco which won both duels is the lowest, not the highest card, anJ counts only one. Rudolph consequently becomes Duke again, and pairs off with the Baroness, whilst Dummkopf and Julia, and Ludwig and Lisa are reunited. THE MUSIC AND PKKFOKMANCK.

At first hearing there do not seem to be many very catchy numbers in Sir A. Sullivan’s score. The most popular will probably bo tho opening chorus “ Eloia ! Opoponax," the Herald's Song “ The Prince of Monte Carlo," Ludwig’s “ Classic Memories," and a madrigal on the statutory duel. “The Grand Duke" is splendidly mounted, and efficiently cast, its most remarkable feature being a particularly strong chorus which has a great deal to do. Butland Barrington, as Ludwig, divides tho “ fat" with the new prana donna, Mdlle. Ilka von l’almay, Mr Walter Passmore (who has succeeded to tho Grossmich parts) being the Grand Duke Budolph, and Mr 0. Konninglinm, Ernst Dummkopf. Miss llosina Bran dr am makes an admirable Baroness, and all the minor parts arc thoroughly well fitted.