BLENHEIM OPERATIC SOCIETY.

Colonist, Volume LXI, Issue 151044, 8 August 1919, Page 4

BLENHEIM OPERATIC SOCIETY.

"THE MIKADO,"

I Playgoers rolled -up m strong f orco at the Theatre Royal last evening to witness the opening performance by the. I Blenheim Operatic Society of Gilbert > The Mikado " Every seat was occupied Wahp B?'gr?at^Was the d6mand for the highest priced seats that it was found j necessary to extend the reserved portion !?Lr, U"eto tiiesta"s. The large aur out pUTh m°-S^ a PPreciative th?oughhearttt f B VlSlt? rs were accorded a hearty Ayelcome. This was not surnrisS&JSedT $ - he Pleasant retained by Neison people.of the soeieunfaSbr er + laStf <<The Jffikado" *sot 'wneStfon £ P^ygows- of the older generation, it having been played here whit ifCCaSIOIIS by Society, while if we remember rightly, it has also been played m Ndsokby Mr Wk society is to be congratulated upon the general success achieved last evening a jst? Pertormance in every way was a creditable one. The opera was 7staged , under the personal direction of Mr Tom I oilard, and evidence of his training wis j apparent in the excellent grouping's ofjthe chorus and. the acting of the principals, which, was decidedly O od throughout. The majority of the principals were new to Nelson, and in this connection the society is fortunate in having such a wide range of talent to j select from. Several of the male prinj cipals were not strong vocally, 'but any I shortcomings in this direction were comjpensatod for by the excellence of their I stage work. The society is likewise fortunate in having such, an able and en- ' tliusiastic musical conductor as Mr C. A. Forrest, under whose baton the perform-- | anco went with a good swing throu°-h-------',out. lhe orchestra, of which Miss j l<anny Langley was pianist, was fairly evenly balanced, but could have been j strengthened with advantage by the inclusion of more violins, while better assistance could have been given by the 'i drums. The production was splendidly ; staged, the Japanese costumes being i bright and effective,, and the scenery! •, which we understand was painted by Mr ' j Forrest, was admirable. 1 "The Mikado" is really a travesty in ; i what are purported to be Japanese cus--1 jtoms and the humour is distinctly jGilbertian, while the music is appropriately Eastern in style with the in- ! terpellation of tuneful melodies. The' story takes its rise from a decree by the Mikado against flirting, the penalty for the breach, of. which, is death, by. beheading. This renders necessary the apjpomtment of a Lord High Executioner, ane one Ko Ko (a cheap tailor) attains the exalted position to the disgust of the other high, officers of state, who resign jin consequence, with tne exception of JPooh Bah, who undertakes all the other j offices and becomes "Lord High Everything Else". Ko-Ko has a charming :>vard,- "Yum-Yum'',. with, whom Nanki [Poo (a son of; the Mikado), who is disguised as a. wandering minstrel, has fallen in love. Finding that \um-Yum is betrothed to. her guardian,. Ko-Ko, he leaves in despair, but on learning that j Ko-Ko has been condemned to death I for flirting he returns to Yum-Yum in ithe hope that his suit will be successful. I However, Ko-Ko is reprieved, and while1 j Nanki Poo is making inquiries, Yum- '; Yum, with her sisters, Peep-Bo and ;, Pitti Sing, arrives from school. Nanki i Poo however has had the misfortune to •j captivate Katisha, an elderly lady of the Mikado's Court, who has claimed him in_ marriage under his; father's law. The Mikado insists upon his laws being carried out and orders Nanki Poo to :. marry Katisha within a week or suffer ithe extreme penalty; and Nanki Poo. • flees iron* the Court.. Struck by the ■ s fact Lhat no executions have taken place the-Mikado; infomns Ko-Ko that, unless somebody is-beheaded within a month, the post . of. Lord High Executioner will become vacant, and the> city of Titipu be reduced to the rank of j si village. This causes concern to Pooh I Bah an&Pish Tush, a noble lord, and; the former imforms Ko-ITo that he 'muttcut off his own head.: Whilst Ko-Ko. jis soliloquising on. his unfortunateposition,,Nanki Poo enters with the intention of. terminating, his unendurableexistence because Ko-Ko is to marry ■ Yum-Yum, and Ko^Kq suggests that, as, he has resolved to die 4 he might just as, well be beheaded by. the Lord High Executioner. Eventually it is agreed that, • Nanki Poo is "to marry Yum-Yum on condition that he agrees" to be beheaded,, • and. after she is a. widow 6he can marry jKorKo. Katisha tnen arrives on the - j scene, and claims her "perjured lover," Nanki Poo, whom she tries to tell tn o , • crowd, is the..Mikado?s son, and tne acj;, ■ closes, with the, retirement of Katisna ; baffled and furious. : The second, act opens with the preparations for Yum-Yurn's wedding,which are interrupted by the entrance of Ko-' Ko, who.informs her that he has just been informed that by the . Mikado's, law when a man is beheaded his widow |i&. buried alive. Ine consternation ■ aroused is intensified by the announce- : ment that the Mikado is about to arrive Sand Ko-Ko, presuming that he is com'- ; ing to see that his orders are carried-. ; out, insists upon Nanki Poo being executed. Eventually Ko-Ko arranges, 'that the Mikado is to be informed&by ..an. attendant that an execution has taken* . place, and Yum-Yum and Nanki Poo. are sent off to be married. The Mikado duly arrives "with Katisha, his daugh-ter-in-law elect, and is informed by Kg- [, Ko that an execution has duly, takea place. The Mikado, however,, informs , Ko-Ko that he has come about a totallydifferent matter, to find his missing son Naafcc Poo. Ko-Ko endeavours to. shelve the question by stating that. Nanki Poo has gone abroad, butKatisha; reading the affidavit, finds jthat Nanki Poo has been executed :[ The | Mikado then orders the punishment of ; Ko-Ko and the others responsible for j the death of the heir to the throne. To * square nmtt-nrs it is arranged that KoKo shall r:>rjei'.vcr.r to persuade Katisha to man-; iuia, which she does, and they l>ey tho Mikado's forgiveness. At this stage Nanki Poo and" Yum-Yum enter, and although Katisha is indignant ut Kc-Ro's deception, she succumbs to his '• '"nnaisnments and accepts the position, ifte Mikado being satisfied witfi Ko/vos explanation in. regard to the mythicai execution, the play ends in general rejoicing. ''ho choruses throughout were eveniv balanced, with a fine 'volume of sound, and m their rendering the most captious, critic could find little to cavjl at All were given with ime effect, particularly tiie opening male chorus, ."If you want rf» -°i w Vvil° we ar<V t^e ladies 7 chorus iiraid the raven hair," and the finale,.' I* or he & gone and married Yum-Yurn,'' ■I a king tne principals in the order m i? Tiloy aPreiU"Bd on the stage, ur. J. i(. Bennett gave a careful stuciv uf pania.i»oo. the disguised son of the'lvjiicado. He has a pleasing tenor voice out appeared to be handicapped somewhat in his solos by a coici. ihl i i>Ui! as Pish Tush (a noble llvu) was quioLiy unobtrusive, and sang carefully lisa solo, <K>ur great Mikado, virtuous 5"a«: which was well rendered. i\ir L 1. 1 ifht-hs is to be congratulated upon his o..vcllent portrayal of the pompous Pooh •••h (Lord i-hgh; Even-thing), his per-'■':-rm»ncs being distinctly crood jDr R ; Oi; jlc Adams fairly revelled in the part ; -f Xo Ko (the cheap tailor who has own promoted to the exalted position of Lord High Executioner). It might easily have been overdone, but he showed excellent discrimination in his business and made the most of his lines, i-iis local allusions were fceenlv amm*, jciated by the aadienoe. Of his'wlcw he 'r5. 8i P^h? 8 al Mb best i»''Pw got a •httle hst," and he might well hay© t*.

sponded to an encore. MJss Nellie Da-i vies made a dainty Yum-Yum, and se-! cured a well-deserved encore for her ren-' dering of "The sun whose rays." As Pitti Sing and Peep Bo (her sisters), Miss Dorothy .Sharp and Miss May Pigou were happily cast." Their trio, "Three little maids" from school," wa"s a very pleasing number. Miss F. E. Pen-] ney, as Katisha, "the ugly^old tiling," was inclined to lack dramatic iorce, but improved in the second act. Her recitative, "Alone and yet alive," well de-( served the encore she was accorded. Mr J. R. Sharp infused the required dignity into the part of £he Mikado. His impersonation was excellent, and he earned a well-merited encore for his solo, ,: "A more humane Mikado." The concerted numbers were most enjoyafble, among the best being the -madrigal, "Brightly dawns our wedding day,'* by Yum Yum, Pitti Sing 2 Nanki Poo and Pish.Tush,\and the trio, "Here's a how-de-do," by Yum Yum, Nanki Poo and Ko Ko. and "The flowers that bloom in the spring," by Nanki Poo and Ko Ko, ■with Yum Yum, Pitti Sing, and Pooh Bah. The performance was not over until 11.15, time having been lost by a late start .and a long interval. No doubt this will be remedied this evening, when the final performance will be given. Another bumper house may be expected.