Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-11
AT THE THEATERS.
Gilbert and sullivan's New Opera-Rose
Coghian-Drnma rpd Song.

Gilbert md suIIivan's New Opera-Rose
Coghian-Drnma md Song.
| UTHE GondoIiers'' is the best comic opera
of the year-of the last two or three
| years. Usually nowadays a comic opera is
| judged first by the amount of comedy 1t con-
tains, secondly by its share of tuneful airs and
| taking choruses;-in the comic opera
| dragged from the continental STAGE
| pitched into English as to words, washed into
| decency as to morality, we know too well
| never to look at the libretto. The actors even
look at their lines as little as possible. The
popular comedians gag" interminably-and a
| little music is often begged borrowed or stolen
to fill out the deficiencies of the score. That is
| the way with comic opera from the French,
German or Austrian. 1t is not the way
with Gilbert and Sullivans operas. They
| cannot be passed upon In the usual way. Gill
berts lbrettO is wonderfully clever piece Of
writing; Sullivan's music needs no bolstering
up. In THE Gondolers'' this holds true. The
new opera has a very funny plot; the dialogue
is often witty and always brisk, crisp and
pointed The score, while not SO full of airs
that at first hearing stamp themselves on the
memory, abounds in delightful work. There is
not the broad humor nor the catchy melodious-
ness about "The Gondolers'' that made "The
Mikado" so popular, but there is a finer kind of
wit and music that would not disgrace grand
opera.
But ''The Gondoliersr shows no particular
departure from the joint methods of Gilbert
and Sullivan Whimsical words are set to
whimsical music; the tender sentiment of 4
love song is exquisitely assisted in the tender
ness of the accompanying strain; the chOruses
are managed in Sullivan's usual way and there
Is IN all their work that wonderful harmony
which has put these two authors at the head of
the procession. So we rejoice to chronicle the
undoubted fact that The GondolIers" is like
SO many of its predecessors from the same
source thing of beauty and joy forever.
But we confess that one hearing of THE Con-
doliers" is evidently not enough to comprehend
It's merits 1t will bear several hearings.
The company which played "The.Gondoliers"
last night at the Bijou Theater earned the ap-
plause of large audience. Some of the prtn-
cipals made the greatest possible use of their
opportunities, and a few did not. Undiluted
praise can be given alone to the chorus, and
to that wonderful stage director, Mr. Richard
Barker, to whom the chief credit OF finished
and never-lagging performance IS due. The
excellent taste displayed in the grouping of
the chorus, the perfect smoothness oil the
dance the quick change to the tableau after
the first fall of the curtain-for all these things
we must thank Mr.. Barker.
The chorus sang as well as it posed and
moved. An unusual number of sweet strong
voices appear to be in the chorus. In the
ensemble in the second act, In which the
castanet and tambourines of the dancers
blended with exquisite orchestration, the
chorus shone in every direction. Dance, words
and accompaniment all rang truly together
No wonder it was twice encored, 1t is the sort
of thing one could listen to for night. Cachu-
cha. fandango, bolero or whatever the dance
measure is Sir Arthur Sullivan has written, it
is redolent of Spain: reeks with the juice of
the Andalusian grape; echoes with castanet
and tambourine and shines with the bright
night-toned eyes of Spain's dusky daughters.
The fascination of it is not to be escaped.
w. s. Daboll makes great deal of fun out of
The Duke of Plaza 7oro-the Spanish grandee
hoated as joint stock company-and Joseph
Frankau is very dapDer and grotesque Grand
Inqufsltor. These are both comedy parts, and
GuLSeppf Pdtnnteri, gondolier, is the third.
Mr.. Drew was GuiSepDi, and the humor of the
character was not entirely lost with him. But
the drollery of Guiseppfs lines do not appear to
have struck Mr.. Drew forcibly at times. Per-
haps he has not had time to grasp Mr.. Gilbert's
conception of the GOndolier turned king yet,
for Mr.. Drew is recent acquisition in the
company; Ihe Lu,S OF Wiliett seaman, I5.,
role of the second Gondolier showed to ad-
vantage, but his acting is still his weakness.
Miss Addie Cora Reed and Miss Louise Paullin
made pretty pair of Venetian maidens, and
they sang very well, too. Miss st. Henry and
Miss Fannie Edwards as the Duchess and her
daughter were capital. The minor roles were
well filled.
1t is impossible at this writing to do more
than indicate few of the gems of the opera.
The ensemble and dance is likely to be the gen.
eral choice as first favorite. An air. sung by
Marco and Giuseppe in the early part of the
Gondoliers'' it begins and Sir Arthur Sullivan
borrowed the theme from song you may hear
any day in inn Naples, as often as in Venice The
the unaccompanied quartet in 'Tbe Ioeman
of the Guard" and the sextet in spa
tience." Like both of its fellows it is
beautiful. Tersa's song when Merry
Maiden Marries," is very pretty. The quaintest.
oldest most fantastcal thing in the whole
opera is the quartet in the second act: I'm a
Contemplative Fashion"
The piece is splendidly mounted. Both
scenery and costumes are worthy of the opera,
and in themselves are worth seeing.