"THE MERRY WIDOW" AND "THE DAIRYMAIDS."

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12212, 3 May 1909, Page 5

"THE MERRY WIDOW" AND "THE DAIRYMAIDS."

Local theatregoers are looking for : ward with pleasurable anticipation to the short season of J. C. Williamson's Royal Comic Opera Co., which commences to-morrow night, .and the demand for reserved seats bids fair to establish a record in our city. The first production will be "The Merry Widow." The popularity of this opera has long been a matter of general knowledge. The story has been compiled with abundance of dramatic interest, and the composer's music is always charming, an unceasing flow of rich melody, haunting refrains, and ravishing harmonies. "The Dairymaids'"' is in quite a different style, but almost as popular of its kind with *a wealth of light entertaining songs, and an equally great wealth of stage groupings and dances and merriment of the brightest and most original order all the time." To interpret such plays satisfactorily Artists of more than the average calibre are requisite, and that Mr Williamson is fully cogniscant of this fact is shown by the remarkable array of talent revealed by a glance through the. cast. "The Merry Widow" opera, for it is quite worthy of the name, and worthy to be classed with the works of Offenbach, Lecoq, Con Suppe, and others of the school of opera-bouffe whose works will live when most of the musical comedies, if not all of them, are completely forgotten. The pieces are mounted in Mr J. C. Williamson's best style, the rich and elaborate dressing is an outstanding feature of the production, which has rarely, if ever, been equalled in New Zealand. Box plans are now open at Messrs Jones and Son's. .