The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1893-12-21
DwooD FALLS MINNESOTA. THURsDAY. DEoEMBER 21 1898
THE LITTLE TYCOON.
The Charming. Opera Successfully
Rendered by Local Talent.

Rendered by Local Talent.
There is q charm about the opera,
THE Little Tycoon" that everybody
likes. There is just enough sweet,
pleasing music in it, just enough re-
fined comedy, blending with a small
amount Of pathos, to touch and gent
" agitate the agreeable and sublime
passion Of man, and to transport him
from the cares and trouble of business
or life's routine into the blissful realm
that might be termed the Utopia. And
when the principal actors in the most
charming American Japanese opera
are taken from our midst, selected
from an extensive local musical circle,
circumscribed by the broader circle Of
the church, giving it a half-profession-
al, half amateur tinge, it happily re-
wives home patriotic spirit that is
ready to overlook any slight discrep-
ancy in this or that Interpretation, or
the unintentional slipping of a theat-
rical cog.
Needless to say that there was q
large crowd present on both Friday
and Saturday evenings. Needless to
say that there was hearty encore for
each player, for the high soprano. for
the dancing Irishman, for the chorus
The marks Of approval were elected
by talent mot because the audience
knew the player personally.
The story Of the opera has been told.
The players can now be adjudged.
Mrs. O. w. Mcmillan lhad the title
role, Violet, ''The Little Tycoon" Her
Interpretation Of the part is a sublime
picture, q daughter determined to
marry the man she loves, against her
fathers wishes, and willing to submit
to any punishment, to- carry out her
determination. Her stage movements
are graceful. natural, perfection. Her
costuming was in taste, pretty. Her
singing showed the effects of q slight
cold early in the evening,b later she
arose to that lofty stage Of musical art
that carries the audience into silent
joy, eventually bursting into an ocean
lofapplaases prsttJ .f1ok aswastes
yoice, q cultured carriage makes 1frss:
Mcmillan q success in this, Or would
in any other opera.
/ A good, basso voice, has Ed. Houck,
who appeared as Gen. Knickerbocker,
father to Violet, who wanted his daugh-
ter to marry lord. He has good ac-
tions, too. But Mr.. Houck had very
poor conception ofwhat the author in
tended Gen. Knickerbocker 10 be. Not
a dandy young swell of father
J dressed to kill, in long legged boots,
youthful whiskers, etc., did Willard
Spenser intend him to be. Quite the
opposite. An ancient Knickerbocker
proud of his lineage, pillowed abdo-
men, a red nose, gray whiskers, il
whiskers must be worn, knee breeches
a cooked hat, jolly in all things but
the one of wanting his daughter to
marry a lord, and then humorously
submitting when the secret Of the
Great Tycoon becomes apparent. That
would be true Gen. Knickerbocker.
But Mr.. Houck does his conception
credit. He gets more out of it than a
professional iartist. in case the artist
was compelled to abort the role. His
action are manly, his voice clear and
distinct, and occasionally he is humor-
GUS, which he ought to be nearly all
! the time.
If Dewitt Martin could transfer his
real parlor love making to the stage
he would make an Alvin Barry, Violet's
lover, that would be immense. But
his backwardness in making love to
| Violet in public renders the gentleman
just little bit stiff for Barry. His
tenor voice is quite the voice for the
part, in sweet harmony to the soprano
Of Violet, and in recital as well as
chorus Mr.. Martin adds luster to the
opera.
The rich, mellow, basso profundo
voice of Charles Buxton could not ap-