Morning journal and courier., 1890-04-01
..THnRp BY MIN. WILSON.
How 0rhe Gondoliers'' Affect TN
Philadelphlans.

HOW 0rhe Gondoliers'' Affect the
Philadelphlans.
Nav Hayeners who saw "The Gondoliers"
n,aved here will be interested regarding Mr..
Wilson's presentation of "The Gondoiiers" at
ph,ladelphis. The New York Times says:
A representative of the Times attended the
nerformsnce of "The Gondoliers" in the
Broad street theater, Philadelphia, on Friday
evening to Judge for himself of how far these
renorts were based on truth and what cause
M. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan have to
comnlaip of Mr., Wilson's treatment of 1.-THE
Gondoliers." He witnessed performance
of the operetta before house that was hlled
by an audience that apPiaudsd every number oaoes
ostchy of the melodies until the art
ists were forced to deaist from sheer
exhaustion. 1t was very evident that
If M. Wilson had really made the radical
changes reported, he had struck the right key
for an American audience, and had made OF
HThe Gondoliers," 30 far as Philadelphia ID
concerned, one of the most popular OF the
point of view his innovations, such as they
are. have certainly been amply vindicated.
AZ matter OF fact, however, Mr.. Wilson
has not made the radical changes about which
so much has been said, and more than this.
in what he has done he has the authority of
D'Oyly Carte himself, the English manager
of Gilbert & Sullivan. Mr.. Carte made q
trip to Chicago to see Mr.. Wilson on the
subieot. and the comedian told him exactly
what he intended to do with ''The Condo
Iiers." Mr.. Carte's chief anxiety was to be
sure that all the text of Mr.. Gill;
bert should be spoken and that no lib
critics should bs taken with the music of Sir
the lines of the author should be spoken,
but he warned him that he should add lines
of his own which he thought he could add to
| the effect, and that be should Americanize
certain things which were two utterly Brit
| ish for an American audience to appreciate.
| He also told Mr.. Carte that he had no no.
| ton of substituting any inferior music for
the melodious members of Sir Arthur Sulli-
van. All that he proposed to do was to
| adapt the opera to the American market
and treat it after the first performance as he
| would treat the work of an American au-
| thor, avoid the mistakes of frat night and
| improve the work as performances progress
| ed. Mr.. Carte was thoroughly satisfied with
| the interview and told the comedian to dc
| what he thought best, so long as he made
| "The Gondoliers" a success.
That Wilson has made of "The Condo
Tiers" big success nobody can doubt who
has witnessed the performance at the Broad
Street theater He is an agile Giuseppe, and
he uses his marvellous slegs to as good adj
vantage as he did In ''Erminie" or "The
| Oolah" Every line of Mr.. Gilbert il
spoken, but to them a1b added some lines
| that never entered the head of the English
| author. He has not trifed with Sir Arthur'a
music except in one particular. The song Of
Giuseppe at the beginning of the second act
describing the royal duties, he found fell
rather fat with the audience, and after sing
ing 1t for three weeks he last week cut il
from the opera and introduced in its place 9
new lullaby by Hubbard Smith, the com
poser of the "Tale of Woe" melody. Thu
| lullaby sung by Wilson and the male chorus
| took with the audience at once, and 1t has to
| be repeated three and four times at every
performance.
The secret of the success of "The Condo
liers' in Philadelphia. leaving out question
for moment the excellent company which
interprets it, is the "businsss" which Mr.
Wilson has introduced to illustrate the text
Every bit of this, from tho entrance Giu
seppe and Marco in the first act to the dis
covery OF the real king of Barataria in thu
| last is irresstibly funny. Wilson pays NJ
attention to the stage business as arranged IL
London. He has staged the opera TO sai
himself, and the result Is that the theate
rings with one continuous peal OF iaughse
| until tho anal curtain falls. When the Join
Kings are discovered in the second act. Marco
is Frightening the scepter as the EnRlisf
stage manager directs, but Giuseppe is iron
inc the royal linen. This is but one sample
of the bits of "business" introduced, but it il
fairly illustrative of the spirit of fun whict
pervades the entire performance