Morning journal and courier., 1883-05-15

On next Saturday evening Palmer and U1- mer's company supporting Lizzie May Ulmer will appear at the New Haven Opera House in Mckee Rankin's latest and greatest success
 entitled ''49." The company is one of the best and will no doubt draw a crowded house
 as is their custom in this and other cities.
 l FAUST AND YALE.
 | Grand opera IS serious matter, and to at 1 tempt it without absolute failure is more
 than should be expected from amateurs. | When we say that last nights ambitious eff | fort did not wholly fail we have paid all con-
 nected with it high but merited compli-
 ment. Indeed we record with pleasure the
 fact that several portions of the opera were
 excellently given, and many of the choruses
 were absolutely good. And yet we cannot
 but regret that some lighter work was not
 selected by Professor Thomas G. Shepard, a
 regret shared we doubt not by many of the audience. who would have more heartily en- joyed s'Pinafore" or a repetition of ''Peni- keese, some work, in short, better adapted ! to the conditions of an amateur performance | for the benefit of Yale college club. But
 having said this much in justice to ourselves
 and in harmony with what we cannot but l think was the prevailing sentiment among
 last nights audience, we feel it a duty as
 well as pleasure to add that all connected
 with the performance deserve great credit for
 the care and zeal with which they acquitted
 themselves of their difficult task. Mrs. Ora ziella Robertson sang with charming senti-
 ment and grace, her vocalism in the Jewel
 song being exquisitely finished, richly de.
 serving the imperative encore with which it 1 was received ,while her conception and acting of the role of Margherita were true to the i best ideal of the character and well carried
 out. This accomplished lady, true artist, l was in excellent voice and it seemed to us to | have gained in power during her long
 rest from public performance. The sim | pie dresses worn by Mrs. Robertson were very | becoming to her and in admirable keeping
 She looked Goethe's heroine as pictured by
 Ary Scheffer in the well known print. Miss
 Adelaide Phelps wore her doublet and hose l in an unembarrassed and piquant fashion
 that made her most picturesque and attrao
 tive figure, while her beautiful voice was we'll
 adapted to the lovely music of Siebel. With admirable versatility she gave as good 8
 rendering of the comic part of old Martha
 Of the male performers the place of honor 1 was fairly won by MT. Ericsson Bushnell as Mephistopheles. His fine voice found excel
 lent opportunity in the difficult music of the
 part and he acted and sang with an ease and
 vigor that savored but slightly of the anna | teur. He was entirely at home on the stage and filled it. Mir. Charles Bonney, who sang the music of Faust upon the whole acceptably, was unfortunate in 8 costume
 that did not do him justice. MT. D. S.
 Knowlton and MT. J. B. Woodward were excellent as Valentine and Wagner, the voice
 of the former being especially good.
 | The choruses of the second act were gem
 erally well sung, and the various groups on | the stage presented an animated picture. The
 soldiers chorus in the fourth act left nothing
 to be desired. As we have said, great credit is
 due to Mr. Shepard and all connected with the
 performance, and yet we cannot but wish
 that some less% formidable task than
 Gounod's masterpiece had been at semp1ed- 10 g,Vs " as It should opera house, large orchestra, trained chor-
 uses and artists of the frst rank. Last
 night the audience was neither as large nor as | enthusiastic as could be desired4 We hope
 that Wednesday and Friday nights there
 will be fewer vacant seats, otherwise we fear the treasury of the Yale navy will not be | much profted. Some arrangements should be
 made for lighting the orchestra. That made
 last evening was distracting and unsatisfac. | tory alike to the players and the audience.