New-York tribune., 1880-01-01
<pE PIRATES OF PENzANCE:
vipsr NIGHT OF THE NEW OPERA:

y4HK PlkA Ed tE - ;. = -
,;psr NIGHT OF THE NEW OPERA. :.
r;s.h Avenue Theatre was crowded 4ess
- lonohter rang there loud and long. Inc
mc"' mc,.s .rderce assembled to see The Pirates OF
sp..osr speu v;tuessed most brilliant and compiete
success. 49,. A.. n.v onarctta by
-. sullivan and Gilbert will be how 1t COM
Saoss 18th piusfore.n OF course every work ought
s..rd or fall ON fts own merits, but utcompaT1son IN
.h. ca.e IA nuav voidable 1t can hardly % douoteu
thst ~ play. presented as successor 10 'se
.,.v.r niece which had such an extraordinary popu'
I.,;tv Last season must'Oe seen at olsaaVah'age'
a. r..e,k Porter Dick Deddeye, Cousin Hebe, Captain
C.o.r. L;tle Bxttercap, the Midshipman, the Boat
.s. sfe too firmly established in the public affec-
.;". TO be easily dislodged. and If the now set OF
.Ssr.cters were really better than the old we
.houd still regret the familiar favorites We should
r,.s the Jokes at which we have laughed so many.
m.nv times and feel that nothing could be so
Irrnv as /" No. never or I" His sisters, and his
cousins. and his aunts," or Heis an Englishman."
somabody asked an old manager whether The
Pirates of Penxance promised to run as well as
"Pinsfore." The veteran sadly shook his mead ana
replied. I've shall merer have another Pima
fore.'" His melancholy prediction was rash but
in the nature of things q phenomenal success like
another work of the same class. If Jefferson should
play new part nobody would find it as good as Zip
Von Wiakh, though it were ever 80 much better.
We may touch lightly upon few points
Of difference between the two operettas
which seem to provoke legitimate COMPARE
ison. The fun Of "Pinafore" was 30 clear
and simple both in the text and the music, that it
forced itself at once upon the most careless listener
The humor Of the " Pirates" Is richer, but more
recondite. 1t demands closer attention to the
words than the ordinary playRoer will always give;
perhaps it requires more distinct enunciation than
singers usually think it worth while to cultivate:
On the other hand there are great stores o: W.T. ana
drollery in the dialogue and the songs which Will
well repay exploration, so that tho opera ought to
gain greatly upon the favor OF the public after TWO
or three representations. Tho music is fresh,
BRIGHT. elegant and merry, and much OF it belongs
to a higher order of art than the most popular OF
the times of rPinafore" There are little gems OF
melody : and there are duos and concerted num-
bers of the most delicate device and the most
careful construction of which Mr. Sullivan hos o
good right to be proud. Whether the principal
airs arc destined to be strumnied in all our
parlor and whistled in oil our streets. remains to
be seen They will last longer if they escape such
Aattering hard usage. Add to the sparkling text,
the excellent music the drol situations and an un-
usual abundance of laughable business" the
further charm Of series of stage-picturcs in which
beautiful scenery and the glow of light aud color
are defty used to heighten the effect of very pretty
groups and we have o catalogue OF attracti0nsto TO
which the public cannot remain insenslble.
The play opens in the Pirates Lair on the Cornish
Coast rocky recess with caves on either hand and
In the distant background view of the sea with
the Pirates cutter at anchor. Here Rath in capi-
tai song tells the story of the bunder by which she
apprenriced Frederic to Pirate instead
Of a Pilot, and some amusing dialogue and
music, between the apprentice Frederic and his pi-
rate companions with part for Rsth ingenously
interwoven introduces the main-spring Of the ac-
ton Frederic s about to complete the apprentice
ship to which he was bound by mistake, and to
leave the band forever He has been faithful to his
lndentures through sense OF duty; from sense OF
duty be will now devote the rest Of his life TO the
destruction of pirates Voices are heard in the dis
lance "Can it be Custom HouseT No. it does |
not sound like Custom House. The pirates retire |
and watch. The TWENTY-FIVE beautiful daughters |
of Major. eneral Stanley come tripping over the |
sand and clambering over the rocks all clad in the
most bewtching Of costumes, and smiling under the
qualntest of hats. After pretty bit Of chorus.
they propose to take off their shoes |
and stockings and paddle In the water. |
This is too much for Frederics sense |
of duty. He surprises them with one shoe |
of, and remarks that he is bound TO let them know
that they are not unobserved. How 1t comes about |
that when they have hOpped little. and screamed
little, and sung little, they are made acquainted
with the young mans singular story, we confess |
that we do not know; but it Is all according to |
operatc precedent, and it is operatically regular
also that tho prettiest of the daughters. Mabel |
abould straghtway be in love with Frederic and that
they twain should become exceedingly tender and |
tuneful. What were the twenty-four other girls to
do in such embarrassing crcumstancesf They |
would not leave their sister alone with strangers |
they determined to sit on the sand and talk about
the weather. This is Q very drol scene, the twen-
y-four girls, seated in groups at the foot OF the
rocks. having o rafting chattering chorus. of
weather observstions, while Mabel and Frederic
arm in arm, exhale their souls In delicate duet
Whenever the lovers pass near, the chattering
ceases and the girls lean forward to listen, suddenly
their talk about the weather as soon as
Mabel turns Seized by the Pirates, the whole bevy
are about to be dragged away and married out OF
hand when Major- General Stanley, in full uniform
equipped with many cheerful facts about
the square Of the hypOthenuse." appears
at the summit of the rocks. and dcscends
with the remark that ooh, yes it is glorious
thing to be major-geperal." The catalogue of his
which he rehearses in a galloping
" rstter song" embraces almost everything that
soldier does not want and nothing that be needs |
Even hi, martial aspect, however. does not move
the Pirates from their resolve and the abductions
would doubtless have been effected had not tie |
gallant officer bethought him to appeal in the char
acter Of an orphan, to the gencrosity of the gang
Now, it was o rule With these Pirates
las we learn In the first scene). never to
rob an orphan. They surrender the girls to this
s. Door orphan boy" with ludicrously compassion
alta chorns. and tha Pirate Kipo having observed;
although we live by strife,
We're very sOrry to begin it;