Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1879-06-06
The Launch of q. M. s. Pinafore,

Mr.. Frank West.
The Launch of q. M. s. Pinafore,
on Wednesday night must have been sur
prise to every one of the five hundred spec
tators who witnessed it. PROFESSIONALLY
it was to the writer of this; SO much so that
it requires great deal of putting down Of
brakes to prevent enthusiasm getting the
better of judgment. In the first place the
scenery and the setting of the stage, both
the work of Mr. Gilbert Firth, were such
as would have been applauded had the
curtain risen in New York tlleatre-the
mast and cordage. the rising sail, the guns,
the wheel, the harbor of Portsmouth in the
distance, ships boats hung on the davits-
nothing was lacking. The dressing of the
characters was accurate and not tawdry-
a sin our amateur performers are much
given to. The acting was acting and that
of Sir Joseph Porter, John McQuaide)
Capt. Corcoran, wv. H. Daniels Of Wash
ington.). Little Buttercup, miss Lizzie
Daniels) and Josephine, MRS. W. L. Bum
gardner), was beyond fault finding, as
would have been that of Ralph Rackstraw
&c. L. Cooke), but for little exaggeration
of manner. The sailors chorus was an ad
mirable one in the quality of the voices,
and both choruses the sailors and the
''sisters and cousins and aunts" did excel
lently. The music is hard to criticise.
With the exception, we suppose of
Farewell, my own!
Light of my life. FAREWELL"
there isn't All air in it that will he remem
bered twelvemonth from now, or that
deserves to be for it's sweetness, but the
composer has so contrived to infect the
concerted pieces with novelty of arrange
ment, and has so exquisitely arranged the
ludicrous antithlses between the senti-
ment ard the music and between the stu
atoms and the sentiment that the whole
score is charming. The audience encored,
and no audience could help encoring, that
delicious nonsense in the duet, ''Things
are seldom what they SEEM" which was
given with such irresistible humor by
Capt. Corcoran and Little Buttercup.
Our readers are familiar, or think they
are, with the voice Of our resident anna
teurs, but we think nobody was prepared
for such beautiful vocalization as Mrs.
Bumgardner exhibited in the scena and
aria 1.-The hours creep on apace," or as was
shown in several scenes by Miss Daniel.
AS to Mr.. Daniels, his Fair moon, to
thee sing,'' was simply exquisite. Among
the concerted pieces we think we. may set
it down as the general judgment that the
finale of the first act, beginning "This
very night" and that Of the second act
commencing Carefully on tiptoe stand
ing" were the best executed of the
evening.
Last night those who witnessed Pima
fore saw it as second representation with
the light of success quite bright upon it.
1t is most remarkable success and sis
greatly to the credit" of every one con-
nected with it, not emitting that exceed
ingly comic Sergeant of Marines Mr..
Phillip Francisco) who, without a word
of the text to say or sing, convulsed the
audience with laughter. We trust these
two short nights Of Her Majesty's ship are
not the last. and also that we have not
seen the last of that admirable naval Or
GAMER, Mr.. W. H. Daniels.
If we have omitted a tribute to the
charming "Hebe" and have not said a
good deal of good about Prof. Ide and
Prof. Turner and the orchestra it is only
because we are sadly in want of space.