The Portland daily press., 1881-11-05
MUSIC AND THE DRAMA.
PATIENCE.

| PATIENCE.
"Patience. or Bunthorne's Bride" the lat
| est work of Messrs Gilbert and Sullivan, re-
ceived its first representation in Portland last
evening before very large, fashionable and
| critical audience, the audience, without doubt,
embracing majority of the musical dtlettants
| of the city. The company was the Grayson
opera troupe, which has Mrs. II. E. FL. Carter,
Boston singer of repute, for its prima donna,
and which has earned an enviable record for
its production of Audran's 'Mascotte."
Patience is a musical extravaganza that
requires thorough knowledge on the part OF
the spectator, of the aesthetic craze" So
called, which has fully taken possession OF 80
ciety in London, and which, in mild form,
has gained a slight foothold in some OF our
larger cities We have all read OF, and some
Of US have seen, the rage for pottery, old
China and embroidery that has seized upon
certain set who have adorned their rooms with
Japanese curios, old tapestry and costumes
from the antique, some of the deyotees exhib-
iting an artistic taste in their arrangement,
while others have piled Pelion upon Ossa, so
to speak, turning their apartments into old
curiosity shops. These athletics have also
adopted a language of their own, style OF
costume, and carriage of the person, and even
kind of versiication which they considered
true copy Of what the lords and ladies OF me-
dieval times believed to be the correct thing.
All this Gilbert has satirized most admirably
in the dialogue of the operetta, which fairly
sparkles, while Sullivan has linked to the
words some of the most delightful music i'm
aginable.
The company last evening apparently gave
Patience for the first time, and yet they gave
an interesting and effective performance des-
pite faults and deficiencies. The audience
was cold at first but became, gradually, stirred
up, and towards the close of the first act ap-
plauded literally. One feature, that has been
a source of the great success of this piece when
presented elsewhere, was wanting in this pro-
duction. We refer to the superb costumes OF
the aesthetic school which have made good
part of the reputation attained by other COM
panies. Still the extravaganza was well
enough put upon the stage, and will probably
become one of the principal operas in the re-
pertoire of the troupe. The orchestra was far
and the ensembles very will given.
Mrs. Carter looked exceedingly well as Pa
thence, and, sang, for the most part, very &C
ceptably. She was not well and it was an eff
fort for her to go through with the part but as
the opera proceeded the excitement partiaily
removed the pressure of her illness and she
was heartily encored for her excellent render
ing of the beautiful ballad Love is plaintive
song,', in which her artistic method was ad-
mirably shown and her trils were very sweet
and bird-like. Miss Grayson made very
pleasing Lady Angela, while the gentlemen
were all good. Mr.. PERI as Grcsvenor, was
admirable. AS the 'sidyllic poet" with his
velvet suit, and his long flowing blonde locks,
his languid poses, and his delicious lntonatlons,
he fairly took first honors. Mr.. Molten as the
Duke sang 'sYour maiden hearts, SO well that
he received the compliment of an encore. Mr..
Maflin as Bunthorne, the "feshly poet" was
hardly our idea of the character, but he made
it very amusing, especially in connection VIII, with
characterization while it created much
laughter, we do not think it quite what Gil
bert intended as he called her a ''gaant, for
midable, portentous, black-haired asthete'
MeSsrs. Dalton and Allen were respectively
good as the Colonel and Major.
The music, as we said, is delightful, both
brilliant and pleasing aeThe fnaies OF the two
acts where the soldiers and maidens balance
each other in the chorus, with the solos inter-
jected by the principals; the delightful chorus,
sPrithee, pretty maiden; the charming SEX
tette, IT hear the soft note of the echoing
vsice''; the chorus of madens, Turn, oh
turn; the quartette, "If Sophir choose to
marry; and the sturdy, solid soldier music,
The extravaganza will be repeated this al
noon in place of "Olivette" and it should be
seen by every one. In the evening the MAS
cote" will be presented.
UNCLE DAN'L.
The sale of tickets at Portland Theatre indi-
Gates large audiences at the performances of
"Uncle DAMP by Barney Macauley and COM
pany next Monday and Tuesday evenings
The Buffalo Express says:-"Mr. McAuley's
Uncle DanI is not caricature, but an honest
Down Easter, simple and rugged. Uncle
Dan'l is in form tower Of strength, his face
open and honest as day, but with determine
ton in all its lines. He knows but one way,
that of duty, but his heart is as tender as a
childs. Such is Mr.. McAuley's Deputy Sher-
if of Jarvis Section. The full sympathy of
the audience is continually with him, and it
seems entirely natural that Uncle Dan'l should
be considerable daring and even heroic:
hundred diffarent- expressions and actions
each brought down the house, and he was en-
Enthusiastically called before the curtain at the
close of every act.
The Gerster concert, to be given at City
Hall on the 10th, will prove one OF the must
cal events of the year and the plan at STOCK
BRIDGES shows large advance sale.
One evening next week Mrs. Halves, Berthe
Webb, vlolinist, and the Weber Club will give
a concert at Saccarappa in the Congregational
church course.
The comic opera, in three acts, by G. Hill
locker, "Das Verwunschene'' CThe Haunted
Castle'') with Nine. Marie Geistinger in the
cast, was performed at the Thalia Theatre,
New York, Thursday evening for the first
time in America
Mime. Janauschek, at the Union Square,
New York, next Monday evening will make
her first appearance in Mr.. Salmi Morse's new
play, 'The Doctor of Lima" This will be
looked forward to with curiosity. Mme JAN
auschek has another new drama which she
will bring out shortly in Boston.