The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-04-02
THE PROPERTIES IN OPERA B0UFFE

THE PROPERTIES IN OPERA BUuffE
OF late years there has been developed in
| this country great fancy for that branch OF
the lyric performance known as opera boune.
II has generally been confined, however, to
trouoes who interpreted it i'll the French Ian
guage, prominent among which IN 'n's
country has been Aimees. new departure
has. however taken place, and we now have
an Ea1lish opera bouffs company, or, as 1t Is
called, English Comic Opera Company under
the leadership of Miss Emily Soldene. Inc
troupe is itself far above the average OF trav-
cling organic atoms, aud, as the result OF fire.
ouent performances together, render their
choruses with admirable unison.
Miss Soldene herself is lady blessed with
great personal beauty and voice of much
power and sweetness. In the higher register
she is particularly good and revels amid the
notes with seeming great ease; when, how
ever, she essays the lower key her voice be-
trays signs of weakness and lack OF cultiva-
ton which is at times painfully apparent and
ELECTS much sympathy from those who have
so earnestly applauded her efforts in the
higher notes. There does not appear to be
much flexibility about her voice, and asia con-
sequence, the changes are not rung with easy
cadence, but with AN abruptness sometimes
startling, and always unpleasant. Her ability
as an actress comes greatly to her relief in
such instances, and she fills up the crevices in
her singing by effective bits of acting which
are at times well-calculated to detract atten-
ton from the errors of her vocalization.
As burlesque actress Miss Soldene is re-
markedly clever, bringing to add to those
charms already spoken of, grace and easy
abandon SO necessary in her line of business
In order to bring delight to an intelligent
audience, burlesque actress must needs
exert very careful discrimination. There is
always temptation to throw too much of this
abandon into the performance, and the result
is by no means gratifying to an audience COM
posed of ladies and gentlemen. There must
be drawn very careful distinction between
the burlesaue proper and that sensual, reck-
less style Of acting, which is suited rather to
Jardin Mabille than frst-class theater at
tended by people ofrefnement and education.
In "The Grand Duchess" it is necessary to
throw much lite and vigor, much naire:e and
picturesque grace of pose and movement, but
it is by no means necessary to indulge in a
reckless display Of person, or to pirouette
through those lascivious forms OF dancing
which minister to the delight of the gallery
rather than to the admiration of the dress
circle
No actress ever loses anything in reputation
or success by always strictly eschewing those
Of action OF speech in the drama
which evoke the harsh criticism OF the
more educated among their audi
ences, and we trust Miss Soldene
will in hereafter avoid those bits of
by-play which are SO calculated to make it
unpleasant for the ladies among her audience,
to whom are due SO much Of the patronage
usually extended to the lyric stage. Miss
Soldene has too muci, real merit to need the
introduction Of anything bordering ON the
vulgar to make her performances entirely sue
cessful, and these remarks are prompted
more by a desire to aid her engagement by
advising her Of her danger, than to indulge
in unkind caviling at what may be termed her
errors.