Middletown transcript., 1883-12-21
Queen I5stllei

dianca that filled every seat on the main
foor Of tie hall and id the gallery. Nearly
hundred chairs, borrowed Of irving
T,veeum by the oratorio committee were
placed in the passage ways, and these 700,
ware soon filled at the price Of reserVeu
seats. BUYERS Of general admission tlche'S
i tt;rtv-f;ve cents found seats only on
raw Or two Of benches at the rear II -
~ tI,a gallery. More thaI IllIoo-
fourths Of the regular seats in the auuI.o'y
had heen purchased before the doors
onanad. Middletown has not IN lohs
ti,,o had an entertainment that drew 80
we'll as & Queen Esther" me prouuo''on
was highly creditable to the pefioriiei' p..
and their instructor, Professor wyatt
we have heard only words oi pfaise n
III efforts of those who sung the leadihg
parts, and for the excellence OF the cnol
nses. The cast Of representative charac-
ters was as follows: queen hsase''
Mrs. q. w. Price; Queens A.se"-
oants, Miss Laura jump anu Mis5
Flora Bean: Zeresh, Mrs. Samuei
Price: zeresh's attendants, MISS JENNIE
Ietherbury and Miss Sailie Pauiin
Zeresh,s child. little Mary Given; PfopA-. !.
etess Mrs. R. l.. Price; MordecaTs StStea''
Miss Mary Paullin; angel, Miss Bessie
Budd; Maid OF Honor, Miss Mary buuu
Oneea,s Maids, Miss Alice McCoigah anu
Miss Cora Stephens; Queens RACES, MSS
Mary Pleasanton and Miss Nellie Blggs;
6-;an 4basucrus, Mr.. J. L. Gibson;
Hama,a. Mr.. George G. Rowe; Mordeca''
Mr.. Samuel Price; High Priest, Mr. r.
r. Wilson; Hegai, Mr.. ". NJ. wilson !
Scribe. DR.. w. f.. Kennedy; Herald, Mr.
Cvrns Tatman; Hdrbond, Mr.. James
Mitchell: Guards, Messrs. John. ]. Hol-
fecI,er James Burnham, Cuthbert Greeh'
James Warren; Kings Pages, Masters
Harry CLAYTON and Curtis Holten. Al
tbe narts we're finely rendered. me
handsome costumes and tasty stage SET
tinps added much to the pleasurapie
offact The efficient organists were Mr..
IT. Price and Miss Lille Kanely. me
cantata Of Esther opens with chorus ol
Persians. with Hanan in the foreground
Mordecai enters and sits sat the King 8
pate.a The closing chorus Of this scene
was especially well rendered. Scene sec
ond shows Haman before the King petl-
tioninr for the overthrow OF the jews =
"song Of joy between the KING ana
| Haman follows, at the end of which the
Prophetess enters with song Of warning.
The closing tableau Of thisscene was much
applauded. The third scene shows Nor
| decai laInenting the condition OF ms peo-
Die. The duet between Mordecai and
Esther. "Go Thou Unto the King" Es-
theirs solo. Mordecai's prayer, To Thee,
Oh Lord and the choruses were all hne'
The fourth scene shows Esther appear
inc before the King. In the fifth scene
Hanon receives the invitation to Esther's
banouet. The solos and choruses in this
scene were sung with good effect. The
sixth scene shows the King upon his
couch at midnight with an angel near
This was very effective tableau and the
| audience demanded repetition. The
King learns from the Scribe that nothing
has been done for Mordecai, and the pres
ence Of Haman is demanded. He appears
and suggests an excursion for himself
that the King adopts for Mordecai. The
commandment is given. The solos Of
Hepai. the High Priest, and Mordecai's
Sister. as we'll as the choruses in this
scene. were we'll rendered. The tri'
umphal march in scene seventh is very
pleasing feature OF the oratorio. The very
little folks, boys and girls, in it are de-
serving Of great praise for the pretty ano
J orderly way they performed and suns
, their parts. The eighth scene shows
Zeresh pouring out her sympathy fol
Haman in his defeat. The Herald sum
, mons HaInan to Esther's banquet. Th'
closing scene is that Of Esther's banquet
/ The duet and chorus, "Long Live ou
Beauteous Queen" was finely rendered
The King asks Esther's petition. Esthe
denounees Haman. The King isiniormet
) Of the building Of Haman's private gal
: lows. and the command is given, sThereoi
r let Haman dieE The parting scene be
tween Haman and his wife and child wa
very effectively presented, and the quartz
between Mordecai, Zeresh and Mordecai
4 Sister and the solos and choruses Of thi
i scene were highly creditable to the singers
g The oratorio concluded with the gran
chorus, Praise ye the Lord,' the efe'
! Of which was, in a measure, marred 9
Z Monday evening by an untimely rush tC
n -. ,J.o~e ~ soma Of fI,n nndipnan
T. The oratoio was repeated on Tuesda
'r evening even in more creditable wa
than on Monday evening. Nearly all
g the stiffness incident to first performant
2 had worn away and the large undienc
At seemed to be greatly delighted with Il
entertainment all the way through.
IN the close Of each scene there was e
thusiastic applause. The audience W
as perhaps larger than on Monday evenin
y The gross receipts for the two evenin
u amounted to S409,
r. On Tuesday evening Mr.. Gibson W
se the recipient Of handsome bouquet fro
ne the choir Of Drawyer's Presbyteri
~ Church. AT the close of the oratorio
olr audience, BY request Of Professor Wya
re arose and sung a part of = Nearer My God
re- Thee" with effective earnestness.
On Wednesday evening the oratorio
'ol again repeated, the price Of admission
~, ing twenty-five cents to all parts Of
m house. The weather was stormy and
Ird streets were in a sloppy and slippery g
he dition, and not more than one humid
vas and fifty persons came to enjoy this th
to performance Had the evening been
tus vorable, the hall would probably Ii
by been crowded. The object Of the til
ed. presentation Of "Esther" was to r;
'in. money to buy chairs for the Town Hal
I'VE Unfortunately the amount realized y
not buy many chairs.
Decennary of the w. @. T. Y. in
/, is Nj. IL. Church.
wn On Sabbath, at 1917 O'Clock, in the Nj
odist Episcopal Church Of this town,
,ro- pastor will preach the last Of the serie
lex sermons on the "Spiritual BIRTH"
.esi- snbject will be, "The evidences Of
Ex- new birth, or, how may we know that