Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-15
AT THE THEATERs.
The Brigauds Success-A Possible Case
In Good Hands-Other Plays.


In'the first place it is only fair TO say that
Opera House, THE Brigands," deserved sue
cess. The cast chorus the scenery, the cos
tunes were as nearly perfect as mundane
things can be. OF the opera it may be said
that 1t has enough good music in it to COM
mand favorable consideration, though its mer-
its are not stupendous. In the second place
"The Brigands" achieved a great success.
The plot of 1.-THE Brigands'' does not amount
to much. A band of Italian brigands swoops
down upon an inn, the robbers violently assume
the garb of the innkeeper and his servants,
and when the Princess Of Grenada and her
suite come that way the brigands imprison
them in the inn, take their attire
and proceed to the court of the
Duke Of Mdntud, whom the Spanish
princess is to marry. The brigand chief aims
to get 100000 francs which the Duke Of
Mantua is to pay over on the wedding day.
The scheme fails, and yet the opera ends in
general happiness. The truth is, the plot is
very nebulous and devoid of point after the
close Of the first act Still, plot never counts
for much in comic opera.
One is inclined to expect great things from
the lbretto because it is from the best librettst
of the time, W. s. Gilbert, but the fact is that
Gilbert wrote it twenty years ago and is
heartily ashamed of it, as well he may
be. 1t has none of the snap and keen
wit, neatly toned rhymes and iingles
which characterize Mr.. Gilbert's work
with Sir Arthur Sullivan. If it were not for
the excellence Of the actors the dialogue
would flag painfully at times. The music is
in the familiar stain of Offenbach; light
in two senses, it is neither heavy nor dark. IL
is brightest at the finale of every act, and the
waltz movement with which the first act closes,
and also the last, is marveIously magnetic
piece of stirring tuneful music. There is a
grand sweep to the measure that carries one
away from the parquet chairs. and if it lands
you anywhere the place is somewhere near the
Mohammedan paradise. The tremendous ef-
feet of this waltz is upheld and lnfamed
by the incessant movement of the
mass of men and women upon
the stage. The principals sweep up
and down the stage in step with the ravlshing
strains, and the torches of the fair brigands on
the rocks at the rear wave to the tune. Then
the voices, swelling and falling alternately, and
finally soaring into crashing climax, complete
the whelming fascination of the scene.
Now we come to the company, and uncom-
monty pleasant it is to be able to say that there
is not a weak spot in it. The women are all
pretty, the principals not only, but the chorus
also. We expected all along to find a corps of
less favored choristers filling in the crevices,
but we were disappointed. Every girl was
pretty and some of them entirely too good
looking for the safety of weak vessels. Let
us start off with Miss Lillian Russell,
there is no other; way to start. She is royal
beauty, and far loveiier to-day than she was
few years ago. Her voice has improved also,
and is a powerful, rich soprano well under
command. The depth and purity of this voice
was tested severely by the numerous high pas
with a wonderful spirit and enthusiasm;
was cheered as she deserved, and
won approval in other quarters
by her exquisite dresses. Miss Fanny Rice
plump, pert and pretty as ever, made herself
prominent enough in thin, thankless part-a
part in shadow most of the time. But her
vivacity shone all the same. She seemed to be
suffering from cold and her voice would not re-
spond to her demands upon 1t always. Miss
Urquhart appropriately completed the central
group in this dream of fair women:
Her beauty is of a statuesque and
slightly severe order, and 1t contrasted well
with the CHEEKY roundness and redness of Miss
Rice and the queenly but sunny Lillian Rus
sell. All the chorus girls deserve mention on
the score of looks. and they sang well, too, and
the little morsel OF dancing in the last act
showed that some of them were graceful in
that direction. There is need of more rapid
rhythmical movement in the chorus more
dances, more quick marches
The comedy element was not so strong as it
has been in some recent operas, but Mr.. Fred
Solomon was funny as brigand of the type of
Cddeaur in "Erminie, and Richard F. Carroll
made decided hit as a most whimsical Cap
tain of Carbineers. George Olmi was very
satisfactory as the Captain Of the Brigands and
several others in the cast deserve praise. The
chorus as whole was the best we have
seen in comic opera for a long while.
Thescenery, splendid bit of italian mountain
and sea in the first act "a charming inn of the old
italian style in the second, both by Marston,
and one of Mr.. Hoyt's famous interiors; Law
perb. The costumes could hardly be richer in
color or more gorgeous generally. A crowded
house applauded the opera literally, and many
encores were demanded.