Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-11-05

comicaily hopeless chaos-and an honest
manly, commonplace company of the
Dragon Guards, who once were beloved bv
the ladies, and to whom the ladies inevitably
return at the last. the result is admirably en-
tertaining. The text is all very clever. the
verslfication ingenious, after Mr. Gilber,'s
own high standard Of ingenuity, and the
libretto as full of good quotable passages as
an egg full of meat Even the stage d.
reetions have more humor than whole dia-
logues in many pieces which figure on our
stage. Lady Jane, for example, is described
IN the first of the directions as a ''gaunt.
formidable, portentious, black haired, heavy
browed aesthetic" Bunthorne's description
of his poem az a "wild, weird, fleshy thing,
yet very tender, very yearning, very prec-
lous, and his request that the ladies in lis
tening to it will "cling passionatey to one
another and think of faint lilies" is only ex-
celled by the poem itself, which is a mastery
humorous parody on the Oscar Wilde STYLE
of verse,-as witness its first stanZa:
What time the poet hath hymned
The writhing mad liihr-limbed,
Quvering on amaranthine asphodel,
How can he paint her woes,
knowing. as well he knows,
That all can be set right with calomel
Lady James scorn of the dragoon uniform
ofred and yellow is accompanied by praise
VI Aic dstuttC stNh-- tODWtDDN gray
velvet. with tender bloom like cold gravy
Swinburne is exquisitey travestied, or rather
initiated, in another Of Mr.. Bunthorne' 5
verselets:
oh, to be waited away
From this black Aceldama of sorrow,
Where the dust of an earthly to-day
Is the earth of dusty tomorrow.
Phrases most felicitously and wittily ex-
pressive occur by the half dozen in every con
for I al .-Tha,e
is a transcen lentality of delirium, an acute
accentuation of supremest ecstacy. which the
earthly might mistake for indigestion; but it
ia not indigestion; it is aesthetic transfgura-
ton" Take Grosvenor's 81 have loved Won
with a Florentine fourteenth century frenzy
for fifteen years" Droll hits, of that fan
tastic and unexpected sort which Mr. Gilbert
so delights in, of course abound, as, for ex-
ample, where Grosvenor, finding that his face
is not remembered by the playmate of his
childhood. exclaims, "Oh, ChronOs, Chronos
this is too bad of yon," and the lady Angela $
exclamation, ''Oh, forgive her, Eros y when
Patience declares her ignorance of the divine
passion. The most complete and varied ut
terance of the authors humor is found in
Bunthorne's song, wherein after first admit
ting himself to be a humbug, he describes the
true aesthetic STYLE We wish we could
quote every word of it, from the recitative in
which he speaks of 'stained-glass attitudes
to the last line of the verses; but the third
stanza must suffice now:
Then a sentimental passion OF a vegetable fashion
must .xcite your Ianguid spleen,
An attachment In Plato for bashful young potato
or "A not too.too French lean.
Though the Ph-tines may jostle YOU will rankas an
apostle In the high as thu tic band.
If you walk down Picadilly with poppy or lily in
YOUR medieval hand
And every one will say.
A. walk your howery way,
.'If he's content with vegetable love which wonid
certainly not suit me,
why what a most particular pure young man this
pure young man must be-
The song of Colonel Calverly, in which he
describes the composition of 'heavy dra-
COON" is remarkable piece of yersiiication,
but its close resemblance to the song of the
major. general in 1.-The Pirates OF Penzance,
and the occasional compulsion put upon the
sense bv the form, produce an artificiality OF
effect which is not entirely good. After cit
ing all these illustrations, it is well for us to
saw again that almost the whole text Is shrewd'
" and Enthusiastically humorous.
Mr. Sulivan's music is very brilliant and
very pleasing. and in its humorous expressive
ness shows an advance even upon the power
which has already made itself felt IN his
world famous operettas. OF the composers
orches tration we suppose it is impossible to
Judge from the present version of the work
but the vocal parts are scored with great SIKH
and in free, strong, flowing style most apt
to the business in hand. The concerted
pieces, especially those of the most elaborate
character, are worked out in fashion a,
once scholarly and effective. and nothing OF
Mr.. Sullivan's production surpasses tht
finales of the two acts and those IN whicr
the dragons and maidens balance each other
in chorus. with interjected selos from the
al. s.,tIt m . I
and solidly vital and has the suggestion OF
ste,Jv tramp in it. The sentimental strains
though not profound in feeling. are
graceful; and the sextet, 81 hear the SOL
note of the echoing voice" has peculiar
charm, like that of The long day closes
Cav and trippling measures ahound-so"ie'
times very light, jiggy and Ofenoachic, as ~
magnet hung in = hardware shop.
sometimes all aylow with the light OF wit
which seems to have penetrated the SUI
stance of the music as well as to emanate
from il for example in the officers TRIO, II
clear that medieval art And the highei
points of humorous aptness al musicai VI
t.r.nr. mr.. reached in several of the master
,n,ha,s ssnecially in Bunthorne's recital
and song. 1T you're anxiou tor TO shihe'
.nd in his duet with Lady Jane, $50 go I,
him and saw 10 him." The serio comic oil
course sbounds and is delightfully."- ILLUSTRATED
in the heart broken chorus OF languishihe
love sick ladies. There are moments "he'
a faint but irritating sense OF sameness II
the music makes itself felt; but tne 'arle''
in Mr.. Sullivan's work is wonderiui, espee
;aIIv in view of the peculiar and some~ha
i;m;,ei scope of the play which IT Illustrates
The melody of the work IS equaiiy aonnuA"
and bewitching, and of itself would sufflce Z
make the work delightful. even il the tex
were without literary merit.
Ssxentv gallons of confiscated liquor