The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-09-15
The Melville Troupe.

|
vile and troupe at the Theatre next
week is looked forward to with
much pleasure. Among the new
comic operas which they will pro-
duce here is Gilbert d Sullivan 5
Patience" regarding which one OF
the San Francisco papers has the
following:
The Emelie Melville Opera Com
pany, organized with some expense
and trouble by Mr.. Chas. Il. Locke
and Mr.. c. E. Blanchette, made
what may be called the first effort
of the season at the Bush Street
Theatre last evening, in the prOduc-
ton Of Gilbert s. Sullivan's pa
thence; or. Bunthorne's Bride" OF
course, the same piece had been
aired in San Jose and Oakland, a
night or two ago, but this was only
for the object of enabling the differ
ent members in the distribution to
"feel their feet" as it were. The
Bush Street performance must be ac-
cepted as the initial point of de-
partuTe. The house was crowded
by faShiOnableS and enthusiasts.
Not much knowledge, perhaps, of
the opera among those who as
sembled: but, nevertheless, q warm
desire was manifest to give the
california Opera Company such
loud and pronounced send-off, that
the echo of the applause would
follow through all the eastern
itinerary. Patience" as an opera,
is peculiar. 1t treats Of a phase of
London society that has grown in
the hot-bed Of intellectual caprice,
and one that has been lately exposed
to the outer air by the pen and pen
Gil Of Pat11ch'S cOterie of contributors
DE Maurier, the cartoOniSt of that
witty periodical, being the principal
agent in the matter. We do not
think the public in the United
States will readily apprehend Gil =
bert's librettO, but we do know they
connOt escape from the charm of
DR.. Sullivan's music. Mr.. LOcke'S
company may be said to have a
doubled task in the production of
this operate teach the general
audience what the text means,
while at the same time, they
charm by the excellent manner
of rendering the illustrative
music. The scene throughout is
charged with catching numbers,
many Of them reminiscent it must
be admitted, lbut mostly original !;
although, as we have heard re-
marked, if Dibdin had not lived,
Sullivan would not have been
known. From the opening chorus,
"Oh, Misery" by the love-lOrn
aesthetic maidens, to the closing roll
licking duet between Reginald
BunthOrne Max FTeeman) and AL
gernon GrOsYenOr tom CasselD,
there is no number we would miss
hearing, interpreted as each is by
the young, fresh Off measurably I'M
trained) voices in the distribution.
We except the voice of the prima
donna, Miss Emelie Melville. In
Patience, the milkmaid, this accom-
plished lady is the representative of
everyday, cOmmon-senSe life, as OPP
posed to the craze of 8stheticism,
and her voice and action must be
wholly commended There is a
pleasant sense of unimpaired sweet
ness and strength in the one, and for
the other, q perfect satisfaction that
the actress knows we'll what all
her stage movements mean.
Miss Melville is embarking in
her new career under the most
favorable auspices. Mr.. Max
Freeman has bestowed close study
on Bunthorne, and for his German
habit of thought it was required.
We do not blame him, that with
such an ineXplicable character he
struck wildly at first; we commend
him that he has grasped the "feshly
poet at last, with his pallid face,
his long locks, his "high-diddle-did-
die" aesthetic poems. His reading
of the incorporated pills poem,
"Oh, Hollow, hollow, hollow is eX-
ceedingly amusing. Casselli's Alger-
non GrosvenOr is a picture in his
banged blonde lair and suit of
sables. He has evidently caught
the idea of his business, and will be
a valuable member of the company.
Miss Lille Post is effective as the
Lady Angela, one of the ''rapturOus
maidens," and Miss Agnes Halleck,
as the massive Lady Jane, also 8s-
thetic, but unfortunately with a
tendency towards cOrpulence, who
thinks there will be too much of
me, by and by" was quite a feature
in the cast, bass-viol and all. The
new tenor, Mr.. Wallace Nc
Crery, has not much to do-Sullivan
and Gilbert do not like tenors,
and arrange their scores so as to
be measurably independent of
them-but his singing of the Duke of
DonegaIs role satisfied us that he is
capable, with a strong sweet voice
that will tell on a proper occasion.
DR.. Dugan, known as well as he is
in private life in San Francisco, was
regarded with good deal of inter-
est in his manner of rendering Cap
tain Calverly of the dragons. OF
course he was nervous; it would be
surprising if he were not, under the
circumstances; but he acquitted
himself remarkably well, and sang
his recipe for a heavy dragoon'
with good effect. Mr.. Al. Hender-
| son, as he showed i'm his mart of Ma