Original Jubilee Singers

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 11570, 11 July 1899, Page 2

Original Jubilee Singers

A most hearty welcome was accorded the Jubilee Singers in the Theatre Royal last night, the building bsing packed in every part, and the audience wab the largest seen in New Plymouth for many a long day. It was an audience, too, which hid com 9in the expectation of being amused and gratified, and at the couclusion of the programme he would indeed have been a captious critic who would deny that the material to the3a ends had not been supplied. A restless feeling was manifested — a desire for the bu3inbS3 of tho evening to start— which entirely .faded away at the opening notes of that tuneful and melodious old favourite, 'Steal away to Jesuß,' followed by 'The Lord's Prayer,' in a most harmonious set-* ting. After these, the big audi» ence settled itself down to e/ijoy to , the fullest extent the several gems of minstrelsy provided for ics delectation. It is the concerted pieces that more particularly afford scope for the wonderful display and effect of the singmg of the combination. The richness, power, volume, light and shade, and tuneful harmony of the different pieces were un-. deniable, and a repetition of every chorus was demanded. The chorusea sung were: ' There 'B a Great Camp Moe'ing in the Promised Land, 1 '• Hoar dem Bells, 1 ' Eol 1 , Jordan, Koll,' and ' Brother Michael, hand down that Robe.' . The plantation solo, ' Alaska s in the cold, cold ground,' afforded Mr E. McAdoo every opportunity of displaying his wonder~ fully rich and powerful bass voice, and »n encore was the result. Miss Robinson, who is the possessor of a sweet and Btrong soprano, by special request gave ' The Old Folks at Home,' and at oncts ingratiated herself. The first part was brought to a conclusion by a qoactetto arrangement of Bir A. Sullivan's ' The Lost Chord,' by Misses Hobinson, Webb, Auder*on, and Madame McAdoo. This number also shared the compliment be stowed on the othtr items. The second portion was of a purely secular character, and opened with a vocal waliz, l lhe Danube,' by the whole company! sweetly and effectively rendered. ' Ten Minuces'fuu with Mr Jerry Mills 1 served to introduce to the audience an amusing, yet withal decidedly clever acrona ■ His high kicking was a revela iou. Mr R. tl. Collins, a strong t&nor, was in good voice, und gave ' Susie- ue,' that delightful coon song with which New Plymouth audiences are not unfamilar. In lesponse to an imperative " recall he gave ' Honey, You'se my Lady Love.' Che audience was not satisfied and Mr Collins, perforce, gave ' Honey Do. 1 Madame McAdoo is the possessor of a voice of peculiar timbre, which is dia- | liactly sweet, pure, and captiv itiDg. It is claimed for her that eha is the only lady tenor in the worl J , a ol4<n her performance of last night fully en .idea her to Her rendition of ' Come iuto the Garden, Maud' was of a fiuished cba-acter, and a double recall followed, when Madame deligh'ed her listeners with two 'yodelling' son^s A quartette ' Bingo ' by Messrs Notr, Collms, U. A. White, and ale A -ioo, given in a rollicking m inner, found favour straightaway, and these performers were not allowed to depart without substituting two more numbers. Tho programme waa drawing to a close, and the audience were evidently determined to get as much of a good thing as they could. Miss Su ie Anderson, 'America's Black Melba,' ia ' Queen of the Night,' was responsible for an artistic treat which we in the colonies seldom hive the <h«nco of listening to. Her beautifully dear, flaxible, and sweet soprano voice charmed all. She graciously gave ' Maggie, the Cows are in the Clover ' as an encore, and also had to repeat a verse of* this again. In Miss Anderson the Company possesses a singer of exceptional merit. Oho of tha gems of the eveuing was the duet ' Only Tbee, 1 by Miss Robinson and Madame McAdoo. To a recall, ' Life's Dream is O'er' was Bweetly and sympathetically given. The programme was brought to a conclusion by the company giving ' The Band,' a capital imitation of a band of instrumentalists.

TO-NIGHT a complete change of programme will be given, and we have no doubt the company will_ be again greeted with another large audience.