OPERATIC PERFORMANCE.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 10157, 12 November 1894, Page 2

OPERATIC PERFORMANCE.

YEOMEN OF THE GUARD, OR THE MERRYMAN AND HIS MAID. Ox Wednesday evening next the Hawera Musical Society will perform in the Alexandra Hall the opera of " The Yeomen of the Guard, or the Merryman and his Maid." The period of the plot of the opera is the sixteenth century, and the scene of action is the Tower of London. Colonel Fairfax (Mr H. Hooper) is lying in the Tower under sentence of death, on a false chargo of sorcery brought against him by his cousin, Sir Clarence Poltwhistle, Secretary of State, for the purpose of usurping his estates. But to baulk his cousin's plot, Colonel Fairfax secretly marries Elsie Maynard (Miss Carrie Knight), a strolling dancer, on the day fixed for his execution. Elsie is blindfolded -for the ceremony, for going through which she receives one hundred crowns. Through the instrumentality of Sergeant Meryl (Mr S. Fairhall), and hi* son and daughter, Leonard (Mr D. Blytbj, and Phoebe (Mrs Horace Baker), Colonel Fairfax is enabled to escape, and assumes the dress of a Yeoman of the Guard, in which disguise he meets Elsie, and they fall. in love, Elsio believing Colonel Fairfax to be dead, and imagining the young Yeoman to be Leonard Meryl. The escape of Colonel Fairfax cau&es great consternation, and Jack Point (Mr J. C. Hutchi son (a strolling player, and Elsie's admirer) and Wilfred Shadbolt (Mr Horace Baker) (the jailor) agree from personal motives to concoct a circumstantial account of the death of Colonel Fairfax. The detioumnit is reached when a free pardon for Colonel Fairfax arrives, and Elsie and Colonel Fairfax are happily reunited, to the utter discomfiture of Jack Point, who swoons as the curtain falls.

The scene between Jack Point and Elsio is very amusing. The chorus is composed as follows:—Misses Dive, Brunette, F. Duckworth, N. Flynn, Mea.cb.am, Kolly, Parsons, Pitcher, Adamson, Baird, Elliott, and Maule; Mcsdames Parsons and Scott; Messrs Wilson (l.sfc Citizen), Smart (Ist Yeoman), R. Tait (2nd Yeoman), Buchanan (4th Yooman), 11. Monro, Moore, Campboll (2), Oliver, S. King, and R. Boyd. The orchestra consists of the following :—Violins, Mr Higham (leader); second, Miss Harrison. Viola, Miss Espagnc. Piano, Mrs Fairhall. Double-bass, Mias Flynn. Cornets, first, Mr E. Tait; second, Mr F. Horneman. Flute, Mr G. Kemp. Clarionet, Mr M. Brunette. Drums, Mr R. Robinson. Tho box plan has been opened at Mr Gilmour's, and as thero in likoly to be a crowded house, those who intend being present should secure their seats to prevent being inconvenienced on the night of tho performance.