"TALES OF HOFFMAN."

Sun (Christchurch), Volume VI, Issue 1846, 14 January 1920, Page 4

"TALES OF HOFFMAN."

WILLIAMSON GRAND OPERA. The season of grand -opera by the talented J. C. Williamson Opera Com- | pany opens at the Theatre Royal on { Friday evening. The initial performance will be "Faust," an opera that I under any circumstances would comi mand a good house. On Friday Miss j Amy Castles will appear as Marguerite, Mr'Alfredo Yalonti as Mephistopheles, •Mr Ralph Errolle as Faust, and Carl ; Formes as Valentine. All these artists have attained wide European and Ameirican distinction in their respective ! roles. Saturday next will be signalised by an event of the greatest interest to connoisseurs. "Tales of Hoffman," 'the melodious work of Offenbach, will Ibe produced for the first time in Christchurch. Tt is said to be a true work lof genius, full of grace, exquisite deli'cacy, and withal of a fantastic, love--1 liness. The play opens in Luther's wine cellar, where Hoffman is seeking '.oblivion. He relates to the roystering istudents his tragic experiences in the 'pursuit of an ideal. The first tale is of jOlympia, whom by a trick of magic : spectacles he believes to lie a beautiful woman, and discovers to be a doll. The jnext object of his affections is the worthI less Guilietta, who is living in a palace Jon a Venetian canal. Dappretutto, a I magician, has Guilietta in his power, ■and he persuades her to secure for him ! the soul of Hoffman. Eventulally i Guilietta forsakes her victim, who sees I her depart on a gondola with another lover. The third tale is of dispel's \ beautiful daughter, Antonia. She is i possessed of a marvellous voice, but is iso frail that she is warned she must ! not sing. Her father disapproves of her love for Hoffman, but in spite of his attempts to' frustrate their plans, j they meet. Hoffman beseeches Antonia not to sing, but through the doctor, I an evil spirit iu disguise, she does, and | her effort results in death. Such are the three tales told by Hoffman to his j companions, who have all the while been I making use of a pliant imagination so that the scenes are visualised, and thus I presented to the audience. The curtain falls upon the epilogue, where Hoffman is shown in a drunken stupor in the midst of the students' carnival. The effect of the opera is weirdly romantic. "La Boheme" on Monday night, "Madame Butterfly" on Tuesday, the two gems "I I'ag'liacci" and "Cavalleria Rusticana" on Wednesday, | "Faust" on Thursday, and "II Trovajtore" on Friday complete the first j week's programme. The box plans are now open.