POLLARD'S OPERA COMPANY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2915, 26 January 1910, Page 69

POLLARD'S OPERA COMPANY.

" Olivette." Pleasant memories were revived at His Majesty's Theatm on Wedineedav evening in the T>rodijctio:i of Audra.n'.s oper,a " Olivetti " bv the Pollard Onera f!om- ] nanv, attracted' a 'ars'-" audience. " Olivette" is among, the happiest of light I

operas, and has no difficulty in holditiz popular favour. Its music is as as its humour is bright and infectious. / all adequately produced, the opera, whit. is in most ag-reeabie contrast to mo i modern musical comedy, cannot fail to gi\ < pleasure, and the reception it received ; >

the hands of last evening's audience vv a verdict very favourable ro the ineasu of success achieved by the present Poll a Company in its presentment. As a mat', of fact the company, as compared with i

j showing' in some other recent productio; | appears to advantage in " Olivette," a!.i i gives a creditable rendering of the oper; From u> standpoint of serious vocalisatic; most of its members have distinct limit; tions, but with this reservation their effor; may command' genuine approval. Ti>. opera is capitally staged and dressed, it i well acted, and the music is brightly aiv effectively rendered. It follows that then is much to enjoy in the production, an. the public may be expected to appreciate th©_ opportunity of witnessing the welcome revival of a work net staged here for to< many years. The characters in .the c»s were, generally speaking, happily allotted arid some increase of strength in the com pariy was made manifest. Mies Mirmi< Topping as Olivette won favour as ueua by graceful acting and tuneful singing. though her impersonations lack variety. Ir such excellent numbers as "The Convenl I Slept," " The Sobbing Song," and th< legend, " The Torpedo and the Whale,' she acquitted hevself creditably, the las* .named item, with its effective charm? making, as was to be expected, a special hit. Miss Cissie O'Keefe, as the Countess, achieved particular success in her solos, notably in the valse song, " First Love," and the romance, " Nearest and Dearest," though she has still stage mannerisms that could be dispensed with. Mr Charles Albert as Valentine wa.* somewhat out of his usual metier, which it comedy, but gave a very good presentment of the part and sang above expectation' in solo and concerted music, such a taxing number as the charming serenade of the first act being essayed with cansiH*»™»-W.p success. The boisterous part, of " tne earn fiea dog," Captain de Merimac, provided capital humour in the capable hands of Mr T; Willis, who played it with welcome vigour, though the amusing marine difc'v " The yacht and the brig " did not appeal to the audience as it should have. As the 'persuasive Due des Ifs, Mr Wilfrid Hilary rilled an important role, in which his actinpwas good and superior to his singing, h.i-s rendering of that masterpiece of vivacity, "Bob up serenely'' being somewhat tame. The Coquel.ioot of Mr G. Edwards was responsible for a large measure of the amusement of the audience, and was a. decidcdly clever conception largely on the lines of silent comedy. Mr Edwards may be suspected of being a genuine comedian. Mr A. S. M'Kay was satisfactory in the role o 1 Marvjol. Miss May Topping was an aniinated Veloutine, aud the remaining parts wore adequately sustained. The choruses and concerted numbers, in which the opera is rich, were rendered in good style, and ar. effective finale to each act was never wanting, the " Marriage bell" chorus, with which the first act closes, going -particularly well. "Olivette" is so attractive throughout, however, in its musical numbers that it is unnecessary to single out more for special mention. The orchestra under Mr A. Brahms did capable work.

“ Black Cloaks.” Another change of programme was made by Pollard’s Opera Company on Saturday evening, when Bucalossi’s comic opera “ Black Cloaks ” was presented. The work is not a very familiar one so far as Dunedin is concerned. Had it been the audience would no doubt have been larger, for it abounds in bright, sparkling music of an unusually melodious character. More than that, the music Is of a popular kind, and is sure to meet the taste of all. In the hands of a company such as that brought over by Mr Dunning many years ago, by whom it was first introduced to Dunedin, it is sure to raise the enthusiasm of an audience to a high pitch, and even in the hands of a less talented combination it cannot fail to afford the very greatest pleasure. The music belongs to a distinctly better class than that found in many comic operas, and consequently requires vocalists very much above the average to sing it successfully. The Pollard Company may, perhaps, not be too strong in solo voices, but it certainly gave a very satisfactory presentment of the opera on Saturday night. There was nothing that was specially praiseworthy in the first act, but in the second act both principals and chorus did their work remarkably well, and were well entitled to the frequent encomiums received from those present. All on the stage seemed to appreciate the intense humour of the situation in the old mill, and played their parts admirably. There was a merry swing' all through the second act that quite carried the audience with it, and the singing was the best the company has yet given. Success was also attained in the third act. if to a somewhat less degree. “ Black Cloaks ” gets its name from the fact that three Spanish nobles: Don Philip of Arragon (King Consort), Don Jose de Manilla (Grand Chamberlain), and Don Luis de Rosamonte, visit an old mill at night, the attraction being Girola, and with the object of escaping detection gc cloaked. Philip is there as a result of his amorous nature, Jose is compelled to accompany him; and Luis, who has been secretly married to Girola only a few hours previously, is in quest of his wife. The miller (Drome/.) is also about the mill, and extracts promises of large monetary payments from the three as the price of his silence. The three midnight visitors drop their cloaks, which are taken possession of by Dromez, and are used by him as a means of attempting to enforce payment when he presents himself at court. All is dark inside the mill at the time of the visit, and some very amusing complications naturally occur between the four men and Girola in consequence of the fact. Miss Minnie Topping played well as Girola, and in some instances her singing was decidedly good. She sang the pit-a-pat song with a fair degree of success, but was heard to much better advantage in the very pretty ballad she has to sing at the beginning of the second act. Miss Cissie O’Keefe was well cast as Don Luis, and gave a most capable representation of the parr. She had some good music to sing, and in nearly every case sang it well. “Love is blind” one of her best numbers, and her duet (“ Maid of the dear eyes ”) with Miss Topping was among the vocal treats of the performance. Mr Charles Albert, as Don Mr£.V, ydd not get much chance to distinguish nV>-"lf till the mill scene. and in that he was exceptionally gcod. He sang the

serenade, to which humour was coniarlHated by Mr Jock Willis as Don Jose, very nicely, and the sneezing quartet whioh followed constituted one of the most amusing of the many amusing things heard during the evening. The conoerted music immediately after the entrance of the Queen was cleverly rendered, and the chorus, with which the second act closed, was well performed. Mr Albert provided much of the amusement that prevailed in the latter the opera, and his Don Philip was an all-round good piece of work. Mr Willis was satisfactory as Don Jose, and Mr G. Edwardis infused a good deal of fun into the part of Dromez, the miller. Isabel, Queen of Castillo, was repjresented by Miss Clarice Buokmann, and the minor parts were well filled by other members of the company. The choruses almost invariably went well, and the success of the production was materially assisted by the efficient/ orchestra Mr A. Brahms has under his baton.