Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-03-29
THE OPERA.
Vance and sOusa's New Composition.

vance SOuba NC" OOulPOSIt1Ons
Queen OF smugglers. Miss Fanny Wentworth.
stubbs. s......................... Mr.. }. H. Rennie.
Enrique ..'-..........;;Mr MI ); Q: Pugh.
Mateo.. MI J. F. Ii. Blois
Captain OF CarbineeIs Mr.. J. +. Rule.
Orderly Sergeant............Mr. Frank Baxter.
''The Smugglers is the title of a new
opera, the joint production of MIR. Wilson
Vance, a Washington journalist, and Mr..
John Philip Sousa, leader of the Marine
band there. Last evening 4 party Of
sixty young people, travelling under the
name of the "Vance and Sousa opera
company, sang it at Fulton opera house
to an audience that comfortably filed the
building. 1t had been given out that the
piece made hit in Washington, where,
it has been su ggested, the abundance of un-
tanned congressman from the boundless prai-
ries of the West accounts for the otherwise
singular circumstance of its success. For,
excepting few bits of nicely concerted
mu sic, there is painful paucity Of merit in
the score. Here and there evidences Of the
composers military training are noticeable
in march movements and sharply accentua-
ted waltz time that are rather pleasing; but
for the most part the tunes seem to have
been surreptitiously transplanted from
the pages of a Sunday school hymn book.
There is quintet early in the first act,
and later on the concerted piece, He is a
Spy" and the "Wine Song" that are
skillfully scored. The piece has some
points Of humor, which the librettist
frankly acknowledges are borrowed ac-
cording to the most liberal rules of our
present international copyright from ''COn-
trabandista," written by Burnand, Of Lon
don Punch. The plot hinges on the adven-
lures of band of fsmugglersin Spain, whose
queen, buxom young widow, has resolved
to marry the first male captive taken by
her subjects. Just what ''smugglers'' want
with captives is not explained, but it is Sin
zee piece" all the same. Mr.. Stubs,
travelling photographer, happens to be this
individual, an Englishman who mixes up
his his in the most reckless fashion, and
the fun comes in with this persons strug
giles against his fate as revealed by the
cards. Mr.. Vance states that when he
appropriated Burnaud's idea hs took good
care to clothe it himself and crudely
enough he performed his work, for the dia-
logue is considerably worse than the score.
OF the cast it may be fairly said that Miss
Wentworth sang her music very nicely
with good, pleasant contralto voice, that
Is HUI IcIudEAdOiy StIOLS uut WAiCh ID very
sweet, and she acts with zest and vivacity.
Mr.. Rennie made a good deal of fun, such
as it was, out of the part of the cockney
photographer, and he has fair vocal ability,
which is not common with como dams Of
his compass. The other men sing toler-
ably we'll, but without any approach to
excellence. The ensemble though very
large, numbering perhaps fifty or sixty,
nj
tune and out of time. They are amateurs
and mostly youthful and will improve
with cxperince in public singing. Some OF
the young ladies are quite pretty and ap-
parently enjoy the novelty Of their position.
The orchestra was one the best that has
played at any operatic performance here
this season and was skillfuily handled by
the composer himself. The piece will be
given the remainder of the week at the
Chestnut street opera house, Philadcl
pbia.