The Opera Season.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5167, 28 January 1895, Page 2

The Opera Season.

THE MOUNTEBANKS. A large and expectant audience assembled at the Opera Hous. , on Saturday evening, when tbe Royal Comic Opera Company appeared, for the firßt time here, in The Mountebanks, the libretto of which 13 by W. S. Gilbert, and the mueic by the late Alfred Oellier. It may be said at once that the expectations formed were largely doomed to disappointment. The new opera is in no sense worthy of the writer of Princess Ida or of the composer of Dorothy. Not that it ib lacking in Burnt repartep, broad fun, droll paradox and, truly Gilbertian topsy-turveydom. Not that it is not marked by many graceful melodies and some highly-effective choruses. AH these are present, but there is something absent whioh makeß the opera distinctly disappointing. That something Beems to be a coherent andengrossing plot, in this respect T7ie Mountebanks is distinctly weak. Its incident turns upon the drinking of enchanted wine— a plot reminiscent of the love philtres of The Sorcerer, with the difference that the effect of the wine is to transform those who drink it into the characters which they havo. temporarily desired to assume, or to fix upon them oertain moodß which they hnve feigned. Thus, a band of aßsa.s ne is transformed into a company of monks, a young bride becomes an old woman of seventy-four, a coquette becomes a love-lorn maiden, and two of the characters are transformed into automatic figures. This last-named transformation ia the one that yields the most interest and amusement. The antios of the *' figures," in faot, redeem the movement of the opera from utter dullness, and provide the audience with a rioh fund of amusement. The opera is also disappointing, in that it does not give adequate scope to the principal performers. There iB partial compensation for this, however, in the very excellent way in. which the minor members of the company play the roles and sing the music allotted them. Having said so muoh in dispraise of the production as an effort of operatio art, it ought to be added in fairness that the libretto is marked by all the "snap" and drollery whioh the pnblio expeot from Mr Gilbert, though it is ineffective for purposes of stage representation. The staging of the piece left nothing to be desired,- and so far as the singing and acting of the company are concerned tho performance waa quite up to the high standard that has marked the present season. The orchestral music, too, waa moat artistically performed, and the overtures — more especially the subdued,, religious strain that introduces tho seoond act — were warmly applauded. The scenery, which ia the work of. the Messrs Gordon, is superbly done, and the costuming of the Sicilian peasantry, banditti, ana co forth, is picturesque and pleasing. The "cast" is a strong one, and, as already indicated, affords an opportunity of showing the all-round strength of the company* Miss Nellie Stewart haß the part of Tereeo, the village coquette; Miss Marietta Nash haa that of Nita, a dancing girl ; while Misa May Pollard and Mies Florence Yonng have both rather important parts, the former aa Uitriche and the latter aa Minestra. The male members of the company have also large demands made npon them. The part of Arrostino Annegato, captain of the Tamorra, is entrusted to Mr Wallace Brownlow ; that of Alfredo to Mr Joseph Tapley; that of Pietro, the Proprietor of the mountebank troupe to tr Howard Vernon, that of Bar toi o, the clown, to Mr George Lauri ; and that of Elvino, the innkeeper, to Mr Arthur J_i6santj while the parte of Giorgio,. Luigi and Risotto, members of the Tamorra, are played by Messrs Sydney Deane, Bobert Fitzgerald and William Eosevear respectively. Mr F. Yonng takes the part of Beppo. Every one of these named has a considerable part to aot, and many of them have large singing parts but all acquit themselves admirably, and the result is a performance that is a rich artistic treat, and a varied display of histrionic and vocal talent whioh redeems the structural defects of the opera. Coming to particular items, the monkish chants may be dismissed with the remark that the excellence of their rendering hardly covered the incongruity of the introauotion of a saored confraternity on the comic stage. The opening ohorus of the Tamorra band, "We Are Members of a Secret Sooiety," with solo by Mr Sydney Deane, was exceedingly well done. Then oame a very entertaining duet by Miss Young and Mr Eosevear, whioh was honoured with the first recall of the evening. The girls' chorus, »' Only Think, a Dnke and Duohess," went very well, and waa followed by a very taking song by Mr Brownlow, " The Duke and the Duchess, aa They Travel Through the Land/* with an effective ohorus, "And a Hey Jerry, Ho!" Alfredo (Mr Tapley) has a very pretty love ballad allotted to him, and he aang it with rare feeling. He also performed well in the quartette with Mr Liasant and Misses Stewart and Pollard. The ladiea especially shone in this quartette. Mr Howard Vernon, in the character of the mountebank-in-cbief — " not a ; common mountebank," but one with " money in the oonntry Bank," makes his entry with some lively versicles, while Mr Lauri produces an impression with the song " Thongh I'm a Buffoon," and Mies Nash followa with an attractive dance and song. The -latter item proved so acceptable that it had to be repeated. Another performance that earned an emphatic recall was the danoing trio by the throe mountebanks, Miss Nash, Messrs Vernon and Lauri. Miss Stewart has to sing a very pretty ballad, "When Man | in Love-sick Passion. Lingers," and ehe did it with beautiful expression and finish, bnt merely bowed her acknowledgements, in response to an undoubted enoore. In company with Mr Tapley, she takes part in a duet and ensemble j the lively and amusing musio and words of whioh were faithfully interpreted. In the seoond act there are not so many beautiful aire, bnt Miss Stewart'a recitative and ballad, in the character of the love-sick maiden were especially well rendered. The feature of this act is the performance of the two automata, Hamlet and Ophelia, most comically rendered by Mr Lauri and Miss Nash. The duet, " Put a Penny in the Slot," is intensely funny, and the immediate and emphatic recall Bhowed the readiness of tbe audience lo appreciate a good thing. Almost aB good was the trio in which the "figures" wero joined by Mr Howard Vernon, and the dialogue in which the showman and the automata take part, with funny "busineßß" thrown in, kept the audience convulsed with laughter. The performance of. the "La, La, L*'" chorus by the assumed monks, with solo by Mr Tapley, disguised aa the Duke, wm also highly entertaining. One of the besfc things in the opera ia the duet in this aot, " In ileye Gone By," which was charmingly sung by Miaa Nellie. Stewart and Mr Tapley. The trio, " Ophelia was a Dainty Little Maid," sung by Misa Nash and Messrs Vernon and Lauri, aleo deserves mention. The opera is, in faot, exceedingly rich in solos, duets and trios, which are alwaya tuneful and pleasing. Nearly every oharaoter in the opora has two parts to aot— -the real character and the assumed one— so that it is rather a tax npon the histrionic powers of the artistes) but they all proved equal to the demand made npon them. The Mountebanks will be played again thiß evening. Despite itfl confused and unsatisfactory I riot, the attractive music, the smart diaogue and the funny " businesa" make it well worth hearing and Beeing.