St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-08-13
ADJUSTMENTS.

The Bellini Opera company opened
its engagement at the Harris Hennepin
Avenue theater last night in "The
Pretty Persian" before a full house.
The cast was as before published, with
the exception that Miss Mae Worden
played and sang the part assigned
to Miss Hattie Harvey, who was
unable to reach the city last evening.
''The Pretty Persian" is a typical
Oriental opera teeming with r ich cos
tunes, ugly men, pretty girls. love,
marriage and OSCILLATION. The story is
pretty one, and though it deals with
delicate subject, and displays some
critical situations, it is sufficiently
chaste for the most refined. The plot
turns on the marriage Of Nouzima, the
Pretty Persian, to a Hullah,
or go-between, who becomes
husband, limited, to fulfill the
letter of the law and enable her to re-
turn to her first love, from whom she
has been divorced, in fit of passion,
by Persian process, as rapid as any
thing in the American courts. The
Hullah marriage is performed when the
prince, who has taken occasion to be-
come smitten, of the pretty Persian's
charms drops in at the wedding feast.
He makes himself violently agreeable
to his subjects, and winds up his
princely attentions by stealing kiss
from the sleeping bride. This act intro
duces new complication. 1t is laid
to the Hullah bridegroom, and the
law declares that they can be
parted no more. The original lover.
who has been SINGING a disconsolate
tenor to himself, goes all to pieces the
moment this legal discovery is made;
the Hullah husband is discouraged too,
his betrothed is wild, and everybody
but the pretty Persian herself is dis
mayed. The point of law is gotten
around, however, and the lovers all find
themselves happy Ill the end. Miss
Laura Bellini, as Nouzima, has de
served prominence in the score. She
is superior vocalist, and the music
of the pretty Persian, while not at all
difficult, is quite varied, and gives her
herself Splendidly last evening, eS-
pecially in the Persian song, and will
become warm favorite before the en-.
gagement ends. Stuart Harold sang
the Prince very well, except for his
solo, in which his voice showed evidence
of straining. The solo in the sleeping
apartment was better rendered. Mr..
Abdill, the Nadie. is a good tenor, and
sings we'll with Miss Bellini. There Is
plenty of comedy in the piece. Burt
Haverly as Hool Alb Bouin, the Hullah,
makes great deal of fun and is ably
seconded in this line by Van Vehten, as
Salemilekem, and Edward Lyons as
Moka, the cadi. The chorus is neither
numerous nor ravishingly beautiful. 1t
is the weakest part of the company.
The same bill will be presented to-
night.
W. S. Cleveland, the proprietor of
Americas Greatest Minstrel company.
which plays at the grand opera all of
next week, is liberal manager but
still never guilty of paying more for
thing than its just value. In negotiat-
ing with one of his many excellent per-
formers he figured very closely, and the
sum at which the artist was engaged
was not quite up to that exalted indi-
vidual's ideas, and he made the fact
known in forwarding his portrait. writ
ing: Enclosed find my photograph. 1t
is as well as 1 can afford to look for the
money" Cleveland appreciated the
point.
The Enoch Arden company. which
was to have opened the regular season
at the Harris Hennepin avenue theater,
has been Cancelled, and saucy Kate
Castleton will have that honor. Nat
Goodwin is among the early attractions.