The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-05-31
THE BOHEMIAN GIRL.
Season Of Light Opera Opened at the
Academy With Good Success.

The summer season of light opera was
opened last Monday night at the Academy
Of Music with that old-time ~favorite 1.-THE
Bohemian Gfrl.,' The house was good, and
the attendance has kept up well since.
The cast is we'll chosen, the chorus as a
rule well-drilled, the production well
staged. The "Casino Opera Company" as
it is called, deserves to stay here at least
during the summer and grow up with the
country. 4
1t is several decades too late to tell the
story of "The Bohemian Grip or to offer
any criticism of the opera. 1t stands to
reason that any stage production that can
draw at this date from its trst appearance,
must have touched some chordi in human
nature. If one could collect all the people
that have listened to it, all the singers that
have sung in it, and not least important,
all the dollars managers have made by 1t,
it would be the best ratSon d'etfc that the
opera has. 1t is rather too soon to say
whether it will be successful here, from
the standpoint of the box-office. Opera in
English IS always a risky experience
around New York. as they found out in
Harlem and elsewhere.
The Airline is Lucille Meredith, a
sprightly little woman with very pretty
CIV Go ILL WV IL 41ttJ
not be proper to speak of these before her
voice, but one cannot help noticing them
first. The voice is a high soprano, very
true and clear, in fact so clear as to be
almost piercing in spirited ensemble.
Marion Chase, as the Gypsy Queen, de-
serves especial praise for her force and
fire, and evident appreciation of the part.
Her voice has a dramatic quality, and her
attacks, especially in ~recitatives, are ex-
celleRtdy made. Her SON .By the Sad
Sea Waves earned continued applause.
Horace d. James, as the Count, has an ex-
cellent- natural voice, married only by a
habit of taking breath in the wrong
places. His Heart Bowed Down." was
one of the features of the evening. j. B.
Bradley, and enthusiastic young tenor,
sang Thaddeus. His enthusiasm is in
ferredfrom the way he threw himself into
his work. ''Then You'll Remember Me"
was his best number, receiving a lou re-
call, Henry Peakes appeared as DevilshoH.
His acting was spirited throughout, his
voice satisfactory. Harry Scarborough
made an amiable idiotic Florestan, the
foolish nephew. Edith Hall, Lidia Darrell,
Ada GODFREY and Louise Courtney ap-
peared in small parts.
The chorus had been well-trained, and
there were no decided bitches. There
were. of course, traces OF the nervousness
incident to a first performance, but this
will probably wear off in the course of an
other performance. The most pleasant
feature of the music is the number Of
familiar airs, including besides those
mentioned II Dreamt That l Dwelt in
Marcle Halls Come With the Gypsy
Bride I'm the Gypsy's Life" and such
other favorites. There were two interpola-
lions, a very pretty Gypsy dance in the
second act, to the music Of the "Gondol-
liers', bolero, and a song and dance by the
baby Airline in the first act,s
The part was played by Baby Spencer,
the remarkable child actress that played
here with Emmett in Fritz. The little
creature is one of the prettiest features of
the opera and certainly the most popular.
It must be confessed that 'Ta-ra-ra-Doom-'
de-ayer and Pm Seventeen Today do
not belong to the same epoch as the b.
hemian Girl, but that makes very little
difference to the applause.
The opera will continue during the week
with matinees on Wednesday and Sattr-
day. ~