The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-03-07
AT THE THEATERS.
" His Majesty" in a New
Light.
General Public Approval of the Work.
Business at the Other
Houses Last Night.


Certainly the operate event OF the week
was the reproduction of His Majesty
the StewartRobertson opera-at the Tivoli
last evening. The auditorium was crowded
TO its utmost capacity. and the attendance
included the fashOnables of the city, the
dilettanti and the average people who sim
ply attend tn derive pleasure from the per-
Torrance. unmindful of the authors of the
opera or its eXecutantS on the stage. 1t was
an audience therefore the best able to pro-
nounce on the merits OF the work submitted
to them, and you may be sure that
the spontaneous applause that reward
ed tile singers in their different acts
throughout the piece was tribute TO ex-
celience, Swayed by no eXEraneeus in
fuences. The applause was hearty, sus-
tanned, dtScriminative and effective. As
kchelieu said TO Joseph of Adrien de
Mauprai, the people in that vast assem-
blsge "applauded in the right place." which
was not the case at the Grand OpeIa-hOuse
presentation. We find, however, that a
wholesale revision of the opera has been
made stree its first introduction to the
public. 1t has been wrenched from its
society gives and manacleS and allowed to
walk in the liberty of first intention. 1t
has been introduced to ''the people" and
the result is q success
What we had in His Majesty" as pro-
dueed at the IivOli last evening, that We
did not have at the Grand Opera-house,
was action" Those who were in the
Tiyoli distribution were there for business,
and had no care beyond the footlights what
they did, so they did the work assigned them
by the stage manager and the reyiseTs of
the opera. Therefore, we had good music
well sung and scenes well acted. And,
moreover. satisfied audience. One gentle
man, an operate expert with a European
experience, confessed in our hearing that it
was the best work in local operate way
he had heard in San Francisco"
We do not say the merit of the work was
brought out at its beat by the 1ivoli CON-
pany. We only speak of it as comparative.
We expect to md this opera in more
important hands by and by. In such hands,
the universal and not a local verdict
viii be rendered, 'iinls cOronat opus"
We think Messrs. Stewart and Robertson
ought to feel proud of what they have done
and comfortable also that their united
labors have so successfully passed through
two such tentative ordeals az San FIan-
cisco amateur society and Tivoli operate
company. Now for fresh woods and
pastures new" in the East, where true talent
will be accepted, shoTn from all local
iealousies and parasitic adhesiOns.
SalBger was great in the Princess Enid,
singing in splendid voice and acting neatly
So was Plaisted as Donna BETH Martini of
the comic opera company, and the singing
by the two Of How Loves Message Came"
was the pleasure of the evening. Miss Sal
niger also distinguished herself in singing
with Prince Fedor arthur Messmer) that
delicious romaunt, "The Drop of Water and
the Rosa bit of poesy that ought to im-
mortaize Peter Robertson. Messmer was In
fine voice and action all through. Hart
mann made comic King. which Dickman,
the amateur, did not do, and gain ed great
success Dickman, we understand, wanted
to do the part In this way in the first in
stance. but was withheld by the tmidity
of the librettist and thereby lost an
opportunity for society fame. Grace Vernon
was so good as the Queen that she was aD-
plauded even In her speaking lines. Taking
the performance altogether it may be said
that the composer and the libretIst could
have laid their heads on their respective
pillows last night with the comforting re-
Election, We have not labored in vain"