The Portland daily press., 1893-10-07
MUSIC AND DRAMA.
The Fencing Master.

Portland theatre, to present 1T Win an
orchestra fully acquainted with the
music, a thoyoughly:drilled chorus, and
principals that would be credit to opera
in any city in the Union. 1t is therefore,
a pleasure to speak of De Koven's &
Smiths The Fencing Master" because
it was brought out by the Mapleson &
VIII itney company at the theatre last
evening under just such conditions. 1t
is not necessary to compare the work
with "Robin Hood" or any other of De
Koyen's operas. 1t speaks for itself. It's
scenes are laid in Milan and Venice and
the spectator. got some idea of the
romance that attaches to those famed
cities by such of the scenery as could lie
used, supplemented by the magnificent
costumes that were historically correct
The audience was very large, composed
to great extent of the social and must
cal life of the town, and the applause was
generous and discriminating. The cur
tain was called at the end of every act.
In the second act the celebrated duet
between Mrs. Mapleson-the Fencing
Master-and Fortunio-Mr.i Wilkes-was
given with SO much spirit and feeling
that the audience called them back after
they had left the stage. s Mrs. Mapleson
was forced to repeat aThe Nightingale
and the Rosen Mr.. Wilkes solo, with
chorus in the second act, was re-
demanded, and the eomical mandolin
serenade, after the Spanish Students
style, by the mock duke, Mr.C, A. Bige-
low, his private astrologer, Mr.. Ire
Denick and the chorus was repeated four
times
Mrs. Laura Schermer Mapleson is a
prilna donna of unusually strong all
around accomplishment. She has voice
that is both strong and sweet, flexible
and liquid, of a compass that embraces
two and half octaves, an excellent in
tonation and an elegant style. Besides
ner vocal accomplishments she has most
attractive face, and a Figure that is
moulded on liberal and graceful lines
Her Fencing Master is, both a spirited
and forceful impersonation. Her
jewelry was something to dazzle in the
last act, and her costumes very fetching
Mr.. Hubert Wilke possesses a most
agreeable baritone at times rising
almost to tenor, and at Others possessing
much of the guilty of a bass. Miss.
Lilly Post, who was the Filippa. has
strong agreeable soprano. Mr.. Gerome,
the Count Guido, proved to be tenor.
with light, flexible voice and refined
style, but lacking somewhat in anima-
ton. The comedy sof the piece rested
with Mr.. Bigelow, the mock duke, and
Mr.. Tre-D enick his astrologer, and while
their business was really opera bouffe
injected into comic opera, their fun was
capital, without being coarse. and APP
peared to be the inspiration of the
moment rather than the set business of
the play.
The chorusesland ensembles were given
with great precision and vivacity, and,
if there was not quite as much delicacy
of treatment in places as we could have
desired, those defects were too trifing to
mar the general excellence of the
performance. Signor Tomaso directed
with much skill.
The opera will be repeated at the matt
nee this afternoon, when Miss Lily Post
will assume the title role. In the evening
Mrs. Mapleson will again essay the
character.
Land of the Midnight Sun.
The story of this play is of two half
brothers who, like Valentine and Orson,
are unknown to each other; the one is an
Icelandic giant of the Northern seas, the
other born in the tropics, with all the fire
OF the Latin race. Each in the cradle
is taught hatred to the other, and enjoined
to revenge the wrongs Of their respective
mothers. The Viking ships cross the
seas, and the brothers love the same
woman. Time and time again they
cross each other in love and war. The
action of this play takes place in regions
Of which we of the temperate zone know
nothing except what we read and that is
marvellously little; scenes Of ships
crushed by the mountains of ice under
the beautiful Aurora Borealis, volcanic
eruption, explosion in the sulphur mines,
and earthquakes are described with
W0ldF0uS realism. ALSO 6ub 1uteolHB
of Althing at the historical Mount of
Laws, an impressive ceremony which
for, a. thousand years has been the Gus
tpmary form of justice and annual
Thanksgiving of Iceland. The piece will
be seen Monday and Tuesday at Portland
Theatre.
Notes.
The Viennese Jabeaux company will
be at Portland Theatre next week.
sThe Aglerian," the new collaborate
work of Reginald De Koven and Glen
Maco Donough, which goes to the Hollis
Street Theatre Boston, Oct. Is, is said to
be staged in the most sumptuous way,
and magnificent effects in the line of
costumes and scenery are to be looked
for.
Pauline Hall goes to the Columbia,
Boston, at the expiration Of the Glne-da-
Lougha engagement, and will present her
new comic opera, The Honeymooners. :"
The repertoire for next week of the
Lyceum Company at the Hollis, Boston,
is as follows: On Monday and Tuesday
evenings and Saturday matinee "The
Charity Ball"; on Wednesday at matinee
and evening, "The Wife, on Thursday
ora,,s,,x, Tho Tdlpr., IN Friday nvapin n,