THE DRAMA.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXVII, Issue III, 20 July 1901, Page 129

THE DRAMA.

MUSGROVE’S GRAND OPERA COMPANY. The above company coniine need its New Zealand season in the Auckland Opera House on Monday last. The company comes with a big reputation from Australia, or, more correctly speaking, the reputation preceded it by a week or a fortnight, being brought here by no less a person than Melbourne’s leading musician, Herr Benno Scherek. The latter had the reputation in his pocket and on his tongue, and gave it to the newspapers, who gave it to the public. It is certainly a big reputation to live up to, but judging, as far as one can judge, from the first night, the company promises to be able to do it. And judging by the size and temper of the audience that witnessed the initial performance —“Il Travatore” ■ — the Auckland public not only expect, but are already satisfied the company can do it. In the matter of scenery, dresses, etc., although “Il Trovatore” does not lend itself to display of this kind so much as most of the other operas we shall see, there is nothing to desire. Goatcher’s and Coleman’s name is a sufficient guarantee for the beauty of the first; the second is all that art could design or money buy. But all that goes without saying when Mr Musgrove is our entertainer; aud after till, though the modern audience demands them, they are secondary things. It is the singing, the music, and last and less than both, the acting that counts in opera. To take the last first, we cannot pretend to be enraptured with the males of the opera, who have got all the conventional posturings of opera artists. If not altogether vox and praeterea nihil w'ith them it is not far from it. Of the ladies the reverse is strikingly the case. Both Madame Slapoffski, who takes the role of Leonora,and Madame Janson, who is Azucena, combine distinct histrionic talent with great vocal power. The latter, as the strongcharactered gipsy, nourishing in her bosom the unquenchable fire of revenge, soars on the wings of her pasBion and carries us with her. And Leonora, quite another nature, is, Especially towards the close of the opera, the Leonora of our most romantic. dreams. Then the music—there, we want columns instead of the little that yet remains of this para-

graph. A magnificent orchestra, led by Orpheus himself in the reincarnation of Herr Slapoff ki, accompanies the singers through the mazes of Verdi’s music, rises to the pinacles of passion or sinks to the deeps of despair—a glorious tide of melody. Madame Slapoffski a d Madame Janson, of the singers, aga n carry off the laurels. The clear, bird-like soprano of the first, ami Madame Janson’s voice, “a lyre of wid st range,” ring in our ears as we write, bearing echoes of those sweet songs which have been familiar to us from of old. It is singing worth going many a mile to hear. The operatic climax of “Il Trovatore” is reached in the well-known scene between Leonora and h r lover, Manrico, lying condemned to death in the castle dungeon. How it carried the house, that superb conjunction of solo, duet and chorus. Signor Salvi's voice was at its best, heard welling clear and pure from behind bis prison bars, and Madame Slapoffski surpassed herself in the dramatic vigour and melody of her song. The infinite tenderness of that farewell tt*nelied every heart in the audience. People held their breath as these two sung' of a love that cannot die, and the orchestra seemed to alternately sob its heart out and waxed delirious as the voices rose and fell. There was nt least one moment in the whole course of the opera when the dullest, least, musical, least imaginative soul in the house could not but believe he was looking on a real tragedy. Mr Max Eugene (baritone) and Mr Chas. Tilbury (tenor) were both good in the parts allotted them. Lastly, the chorus was excellent. On Tuesday (yesterday) Gounod’s ‘'Faust” was staged, but too late for us to give a notice of it in this issue.

To-night (Wednesday) “Carmen” will be given; to-morrow “Lohengrin”; on Friday “II Trovatore” (neweast); and on Saturday “Faust” (newcast).

The grand opera career of Herr Barron Berthaid, of the Musgrove Opera Company, had an interesting beginning. He was singing in comic opera in Boston at the same lime that the Damrosch Wagnerian Opera Company was appearing there, and it so happened that one evening the tenors of the latter company gave out. Some one told the manager that Berthaid could sing Ibe music of “Lohengrin” —the opera of the evening—and accordingly after satisfactory arrangements had been made with his manager, Berthaid was asked to take the part that night. At first he declined, being anxious as to his memory, but when he learned that his name had already been announced, he agreed to undertake the task. Dressed in liis comic opera costume —that of “Prince Charlie”—he drove straight to the other theatre, and within half-an-hour was appearing as “ Lohengrin.” He made an enormous success, and en-

gagements poured in on him as the result of his bold stroke. At one bound he bad reached the front rank in the operatic world. With the exception of the Queen, the caste of “ lolanthe,” the Amateur Opera Company’s forthcoming production, has been completed as follows:—Phyllis, Miss Violet Mount; lolanthe. Miss May White; Selia. Miss Hettie Evans; Leila, Miss Miriam Wrigley (Mrs. Abel Rowe); Ileta, Miss O. Lusk; Lord Chancellor, Mr. G. Warren; Lord Tolloler. Mr. A. Ford; Lord Mount Ararat, Mr. P. Lee; Strephon, Mr. A-bel Rowe; Private Willis, Mr. Bert Williamson.

The instruments used by the orchestra of Mr. Musgrove’s Opera Company. came from Messrs. Hawkes and Son, of London. They are made to Continental pitch. Mr. Musgrove also had a set of military band instruments specially made for use on the stage.

It is stated that Mr. Musgrove spent £20,000 in preliminaries before the curtain rose upon his first grand opera season in Australia.

Tn view of the counter-attraction of the Opera Company, Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton Hodges have decided to postpone their concerts till the doge of the opera season.

On Friday evening the Auckland Liedertafel will give a concert in the Choral Hall, the leading attractions of which will be the singing of Mr. Philip Newbury, the Australian tenor, Madam Emily Spado, and Mr. Arthur Hahn. Mr. Philip Newbury will sing “ Message ” (Blumenthal), “ Spirito Gentil ” (Fa-

vorita); Madam Emily Spada, “Av* Maria” (Gounod), “Angels Ever Bright and Fair” (Handel); and th* two together will give the “Garden Scene” from “Faust,” and “Miserere Scene ” from “11 Trovatore." Mr. Arthur Hahn will also sing. Th* Auckland Liedertafel will give the following items on the occasion: “Battle Prayer.” “On the March,” “Evening,” “ Village Blacksmith.” Madame Cadzow, wife of tenor W. B. Cadzow, is now pianiste with Dix's Company at Wellington. The Steele-Payne Company o f bellringers have disbanded. Several Australian would-be actors and actresses, who intended taking London by storm (says Sydney “ Newsletter ”) wish themselves back w th +he Australiaii suburban silvercoin shows. One who went Ho: am hoi -actor) was recently earning twelve shillings a week and' keep, and his wife eight, with a fit-up show. Mr Clarance Holt, father of Mr Bland Holt, who will be recollected bv old stagers in the colonics, was recently honoured at a meeting of the Urban Club, in London, by having his health specially toasted.' Mr W. E. Church, in proposing it, said Mr Clarance Holt had had as much experience of life behind the footlights as any actor living. The great Liston began his career as an actor in the tragic line, but a phys.cal peculiarity provoked laughter, and someone said to him, “Why not try comedy?” And adopting this suggestion he became one of the most famous comedians of his day. The successful manager and for years the lessee of one of the leading theatres in the land of the Southern Cross, Mr Clarance Holt began his stage life as a comedian, but found that his line was tragedy. Mr Holt, in reply, said his experience had been a varied one, and * he had played w.'th all the great contemporary artistes, including Macready, Anderson, Phelps. Helen Faucit, Charles Kean, Benjamin Webster, Mrs Keeley, and many others. He had been three times round the world, was pioneer of the English drama in Australia, n 1853, and New Zealand in 1862.

When Mine. Sara Bernhardt recently arrived at San Francisco, the management of the California Hotel would not give her pet terrier the liberty of the house, so the divine one raised her “voice of gofd” in voluble protestation. Her dog must go where she went; to bar her terrier was to bar her. Was such stupidity ever conceived outside of California? The management was firm, and the incensed' Parisian flounced away to the I’alace Hotel, carrying her pet and followed by maids, masseurs, and secretaries. Again the dog was repulsed. Mme. Bernhardt was welcome, but not her pet. She stormed and expostulated, M. Coquelin urged the cause of the terrier with much eloquence, but all in vain. Tired and travel-stained, the Parisian star needed rest so badly that she yielded, and suffered the dog to be put up in the luggage-room with coarse, unfeeling porters. After the briefest possible rest nnd refreshment, Mme. Bernhardt returned to her pet and took him out for an airing.

Mr Clement Scott, in “The Drama of Yesterday and To-Day,” tells of a practical joke played by Irving and Harry Montague upon a number of their friends. Irving and Montague—hitherto the best allies—-began to quarrel on their way to a picnic, and their friends feared some tragic consequences. After luncheon, both of the men disappeared. The business manager Smale’s face turned deadly pale. He felt that his worst fears were being realised. With one wild cry, “They’re gone! What on earth has become of them?” he made a dash down the Dargle, over the rocks and boulders, with the picnic-party at his heels. At the bottom of a “dreadful hollow behind the little wood," a fearful sight presented itself to the astonished friends. There, on a stone, sat Henry Irving in his shirt-sleeves, his long hair matted over his eyes, his thin hands and white face all smeared with blood, and dangling an open claspknife. Tie was muttering to himself, in a savage tone, “I’ve done it! I’ve done it! I said I would—l said I would!” Tom Smale, in an agony of fear, rushed up to Irving. “For Heaven’s sake, man." he screamed —“tell us where he is?” Irving, scarcely moving

a muscle, pointed to a heap of dead leaves, and, in sepulchral tones, cried, “He’s there— then ! I’ve done for him! I’ve murdered him!" Siualn literally bounded to the heap, and began flinging aside the leaves in every direction. Presently he found the body of Harry Montague, lying face downwards. Almost paralysed with terror, Smale just managed to turn the head round, ami found Montague convulsed with laughter. Never was better acting sren on any stage.