The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-06-19
THE PIRATES PENZANCE
THEY TAKE THE FASHION OF
JERSEY CITT By STORM.
A Great Entertainment at the Academy
Last Night for the BENEFIT of the
JohnstOwn Flood Victims.


Johnstown Flood Victims.
If, when D'Oyly Carte came to this
country in 1879 with the PIRATES of Pen
zance," he could have gone up on the
Heights and had his company selected
fol him by the Jersey City Athletic Club,
that opera, one of the prettiest and most
tuneful of Gilbert and SuIlivan's produc-
tions, would not have had the short lived
career it did. a
Never was the work more handsomely
mounted, better sung and acted, or more
pieturesquely dressed by amateurs than
it was when it was produced at the Acad-
emy of Music last evening, for the benefit
of the Johnstown sufferers. Neither
would it be exaggeration to say that sell
dom, If ever, has the opera been produced
more satisfactorily by professionals.
Everyone who took part in the perform
ance trod the boards and sang their notes
with all the self confidence OF the veteran
actor
There was some little delay in getting
the performance under way, and during
that time one of the largest and most
fashionable audiences the Academy ever
held began to fill the orchestra and bal
cony.
THE AUDIENCE. lsi
Mayor Cleveland sat as serene as
cherub up in box ID beside Sam Finney,
from whose immaculate shirt front the
diamond given him at the recent fair
of the Jersey City Athletic Club so reck-
lessly shot forth piercing rays that one of
the newspaper men in the opposite box
almost lost the sight of an optic. On the
other side of the Mayor was viii Double
day, eXpatiating on the advantages of
the King estate as a park site, while in
the rear of the box 'Carmo Nichols was
explaining to r. G. Loesch, Jr., H. S. Bel
tair and John Green how to tell the good
points of a greyhound
Down in box f., |. Vanderbeek and
Messrs. Hulsliizer, Dunbar and Strubel
were maintaining the awful dignity of the
Palma Club in regal style and casting
killing glances at the opposite box, which
was filled with bevy of pretty girls from
the New Jersey Athletic Club,
In the second row of the orchestra sat
Fred Wolbert telling Eddie Vultee of the
days when he sang in the chorus of Jersey
City's first amateur troupe to try the
Pirates, " and paralyzed the orchestra by
his imprpvised words when he forgot his
lines.
Ex-senator Brinkerhoff was there, sit
ting near Flayel and Mrs McGee "Docn
McCree and Herb" Rice excited the ad-
miration of several young ladies as they
came in together and took seats near SEN
ator and Mrs Edwards. Mr.. and Mrs.
w, FL, Carson, Colonel and Mrs. Toffey,
Colonel w. +. Taylor, Mr.. and Mrs. Will
lam Muirheid, Mr.. and Mrs. w. X. Vidal,
Fred Carter, Thomas McGinnis, Mrs j.
G. Young, Miss Young, A. K Littlefield,
A. l.. Soper, Mr. and Mrs. j. +. Klumpp,
Finance Commissioner and Mrs. Hitler,
Mr. and Mrs j. ii. Gilmore Mr.. and Mrs.
Isaac Romaine, Mr.. and Mrs. ID. G.. De
Witt Rpd q host of others listened to the
delightful music and unsparingly ap-
plauded the performers.
THE PIRATES TAKE POSSESSION.
When the curtain went up these "ath-
letic pirates" were disclosed, seated in
picturesque attitudes about the stage:-
Messrs. Alexander A. Ahrens, Edward p.
Baggott, II. c. Bennett, w Hunter
ing, George r. Herrick, w. II. II. Kase,
J. S. Newkirk, II. G. Nichols, Charles
Purdy, A. N. Perlee, George Rice, Will
lam Robertson, Jr, Charles A. Stenken,
Thomas Smith, Herbert Scott, James C.
Young and John Alvin Young.
Director Louis Dressler waved his baton
and the chorus, Pour, oh King, the
Pirate Sherry" was taken up with the
time to the end of the opera the perform
ance moved without hitch.
Mrs. Charles Herbert Clark was an ad-
mirable Mabel and completely won the
hearts of the audience with her sweet,
sympathetic voice. Mrs. Emma Wheeler
Smith was most Clever Ruth, and left
nothing to be desired in that part.
The Major General Stanley of William
L. Vidal was capital impersonation OF
that difficult character, and Mr.. Charles
Herbert Clarke, as Frederick, the Slave of
Duty, was o finished performance
throughout
Mr.. Elliot w. johnson made an excel
lent police sergeant, and in acting and
make up was most irresistible. His topical
verses in reference to the Palma and
Jersey City Athletic Clubs picnic brought
down the house, and he was presented
with large edition of the "pigs in
clover puzzle and responded with a verse
as comical as the first.
When he ordered his men to about face,
disclosing on their back the large letters
p. A. l.. NJ. A. and j. G. A. c., the club
men simply howled with delight. MIR.
Mr.. John d. Shaw was an excellent
Pirate King, and George r. Herrick, as
his Lieutenant, acquitted himself of his
part to everyone's satisfaction.
But the daughters of Major General
Stanley! Where was such beautiful,
bewitching chorus of maidens ever seen,
or any stage before? They sang and
acted with sprightliness and piquancy
which made every susceptible man in the
audience wish there were about dozen
more acts for them to appear in.
GENERAL sTANLEY's DAUGHTERS.
They were:-Kate, Miss w. Sandmeyer;
Edith Mrs. f. H. Molten; Isabel, Miss
Nettie Hellerman; Mrs. w. Hunter
Brown, Mrs. p E. Bird, Miss Isabel
Ferris, Miss Fannie B, Crossman, Miss
Martha Dalzell, Mrs. L. r. Dressler, Miss
Georgine Dressler, Miss Clara <. Greer, Miss
Constance Hewettson, Miss Ida Hogan,
Miss Louie l.. Hornig, Miss Minnie Mel
son, Mrs H. C. Nichols, Miss Grace Pat
terson, Miss Annie Smith, Miss May
Smith, Miss Jessie Smith, Miss Lena
Marie Vreeland. Miss Ella Wooley.
Much of the success of the performance
is due to the able stage management of
Mr., George w. Young and the efforts
of the musical director, Mr.. Louis Dress
ler
Mr.. Henderson kindly gave the use of
the house for the performance, and Mr..
Frank Henderson and Mr.. Harry Hyams
did all in their power to insure the sue
cess of the enterprise,