Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-10-14
OPERA AND COMEDY.
Pauline Hall in Amorita-My Aunt Bridget
Hearts of New York-Variety and

Pauline Hall in Amorita-My Aunt Bridget
Hearts of New York-variety and
Other Amusements.
'Amorita" !" with Miss Pauline Hall and q
new opera company, were attractive enough to
fill the Grand Opera House to the doors last
night. The warmth of the applause, and its
continuance throughout the piece, showed
moreover that the opera and those who rem
dered it captured the people. "Amorita" goes
beyond mere popular success; its artistic
claims are more than respectable and no doubt
the musical side of it. which is far more i'm
portant than most comic operas boast.
will present greater attractions when
orchestra and singers that were strange to
each other last night, become better ac-
quainted. "Amorita" is the work of Czibulki.
but much of the version that is given by Miss
Halls company must be attributed to the tai
ented musician who conducted last night, Mr..
Edgar S. Kelley. Taking it as a whole, "Am-
orita" contains more music OF positive merit
than is To be found in such works usually.
There are three or four airs that linger in ones
ears, and the ensembles are noticeably dramatic.
The finale of the first act has fine cumu-
lative effect, and that of the second, Mr..
Kelley's, is very striking. Miss Halls first
song in act l to Mr.. Kelley's air "Sweet
Memory Miss Weldon's entrance song. were
both pretty, and trio in the second act, sung
by Miss Hale, Miss Weldon, and Charles H.
Drew-"Don't Shout 1t Sor' was the refrain
was remarkable for the orchestration of the
acc compartment as well as the vocal harmony.
In the last act the opening chorus. a serenade,
while very familiar, was well rendered, and the
duo by Miss Weldon and Mrs. Miller was de-
servedly encored. Nearly every number was
redemanded and the company was recalled at
the close of the first and second act.
Amorita" is not a comic but light opera
The comedy vein in it is slight, and the plot is
Oi i'm Ifali iprn hot
the plot is need not be related here but it deals
with one of those intrigues that made Venice's
politics extremely hot in the fifteenth century
A grand opera could be built on the story of
nAmorita." The title role is taken by Miss
Homie Weldon, who has been seen here
before in extravaganza, but whose voice, a
nne nn1t,, soprano OF great power and no little
Plttsburgers. Her singing is marked by ex-
cellent taste and abstention from meritricious
methods. Miss Pauline Hall, very much
sllghter In form than she was last year. played
the hero Angelo, and very charming boy of
course, she made. She sang and acted with
more spirit and generally good results than we
ever remember before, and the audience en-
cored her songs liberally. Though she wore
the advertised S25 900 6diamond-studded dress in
the second act, the white open blouse, with a
black cloak lined in flame-crimson which was
her costume in the first act, became her beauty
far more.
Of the comedians it is more than gallantry
that suggests the mention of Miss Rosa Cook,
petud. Miss Cook was very funny indeed.
Charlie Drew seemed a little distant in the first
act. but in the second act he made the audience
roar for 20 minutes. The comedy element in
"Amorita" is no.iceably weak, and entirely
wanting for long stretches, but Mr.. Drew
really made the most of all the fun. Mr..
Miller played the tyrant Bombdrdd as a
serious character. and sang acceptably
as before noted, but the part in a comic opera
should be intrusted to low comedian There
was nothing striking in the minor characters
work-perhaps the authors fault, for Miss
Rachel Booth used to be a dashing soubrette,
and her single opportunity in "Amorita,'
brought her an encore. The chorus is very
fair and last night seemed to possess the un-
usual quality of being stronger in mems voices
than women's. The orchestra did very well for
the first night and for this and for the general
smoothness and development of the musical
part of the opera credit is due to the indefati-
gable Mr.. Kelley. The effect of his direction
was manifest to everyone.
There is just one unfavorabie remark to be
made: What necessity is there for allowing
one or two jokes of very doubtful color to mar
SO clean and creditable performance?
The costumes are very handsome and the
scenery about as fne as comic opera has ever
had. The street scene, the palace chamber
and the moonlit chapel and city vista are
beautiful pieces Of scene painting and stage
effect. The lights in the front of the house.
however, should have been lowered during the
last act to permit the moonlit sky and land
scaDe to have been seen to the fullest advant-
age. H