The Portland daily press., 1893-10-13
MUSIC AND DRAMA.
vern ona Jarbeau.

Tonight, Saturday matinee and even
ing Miss Vernona Jarbeau and her excel
lent company will appear at Portland
Theatre The New York Journal says;
@Ihe Park Theatre contained larger
audience last night than has been seen
there for some time past 1t also VII
messed better entertainment than M mas
been given here for long time. The
performance was something in the nature
of a musical farce, of which Vrnona
Jarbeau was the star, and around Wnom
there were a number of rather clever
singers. dancers and comedians. To
Miss Jarbeau herself, however, Were all
the houors due, and by her clever sing
ing she won repeated encores, and at the
conclusion of her song in the second act,
wherein she gives good imitation of
Nine. Theo in Where are You Going,
NV Pretty Maid, she received a number
of large and exquisite bouquets. There
is 2 spirit and dash about the perform
ance that centres from the star that
keeps it always on the go and free from
drags."
The Two Johns.
"The Two Johns,n roaring farce,
will be presented at Portland Theatre
Monday and Tuesday. The play abounds
in laughs Among those especially no.
ticeable in the cast are John Hart, Frank
Rush, Dan Hart, we'll known as Hand
some Dan, Wiley William and Harry
Allen Lousie Montrose as MISS
Weymess, Miss Arcadia Stewart as Eu-
genie, and Miss Marjorie Blair assNanette
were exception ally good. The songs,
dances, choruses and medleys were ex-
ceptionally well rendered.
The Ryan Concert.
It is to be hoped that our readers will
patronize the concert to be given Mr..
RYAN. the blind chair-mender, most
literally next Wednesday evening. Mr..
Ryan is hard working young man sui
fering from a terrible inf1rmity. He
WILDE assisted the celebrated Apollo
male quartette and other talent.
Clara Morris.
The theatre going public who desire
to honor one of the leading actresses OF
America will hasten to Stockbridge's to
secure seats for Clara Morris's appear
ance in "Odette, !" Sardou's great play, on
the goth inst Already there has been
a good demand for seats, but City Hall
is capacious and there is room for very
large audience, such as is necessary to
cover the expense of the undertaking,
for Miss Morris brings large company,
who are strong support.
Jean De ReszISe About Opera.
The great tenor, Jean de Reszke, says
he cannot imagine what the next de-
velopment of the opera will be, We
seem, he says, to be altogether decadent
lust now. Look at all the new works OF
the last few years, and what is there?
Putting aside Verdi's last opera, and,
since I have not heard it and have no
opinion about it, Puccini's Manon
Lescaut.n is there anything which you
can declare to be a work of genius? |
can see nothing, and, until some new
genius shall appear, operate managers
will hayeto be content with repertoire
that is constantly decreasing, as the
older works get more and more out
of date What will be the end OF it? NO
doubt there are some old ones which
might be revived, but we can't go on
living on the past for long, nor can
one often hit on such a happy idea OF
novelty as that of the impresario who,
last winter. determined to give Berlioz's
Examination de Faust"n as an opera,
apropos of which, I think that, will
make a great success in England, for
you will be aston1shed to ind how read
ilv the work lends itself to the stage.
And when YOU come to the question
of singing. things seem even worse. OF
course t is largely the fault of the COM
posers. who no longer write music Jhat,
like the italian music of the old school,
can only be sung perfectly IN one way.
But it is, / think, more largely the
fault of the singers themselves, VINO
simply refuse to learn their part. You
have no notion of the enormous num-
her of young singers who come to me
and ask me to hear them and advise
them, WE'LL what happens? | listen
and say, yves, you have an excellent
voice and you ought to have fine car
reer before you. But you must go on
Iearn!n Then he, Or she says. Must |
really go on studying? And for how
long9p swell, have been studying all
my life, and am still learning. But you
ought not to think of making your debut
for another five years at least. Five
years!n they always cry in horror
abut I can't afford to study for more
than six months longeri"
What can you do with people ike
that, and how is it possible that pro-
fession recruited in such a fashion can
keep on the level of it's great traditions?
I tell you quite frankly that for some
years / have been on the lookout for a
new tenor to come and tap me on the
shoulder and say, aGo-your day is pastl
But he has not appeared yet as far as
can see 1t is not the voices that are
lacking, but the study, the style, the
method. The immediate result of the
imperfect training which is all that most
singers get now, is that few of them
can sing more than two or three parts;
but when I began, no man was counted
a great artist until he had been success
full in at least seven or eight different
roles.
Switzerland.
Miss Charlotte NJ. Allen gave her
monologue entertainment entitled
"Switzerlandn at the Church of the
Messiah last evening to a well pleased
audience. The imaginary tour through
that delightful country was evidently
appreciated by the audience During the
evening Miss Allen appeared in several
Swiss costumes Miss Allen was sup.
ported by Miss Dorothy Harrington,
who gave several character recitations in