St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-04-02
THE AMUSEMENT WORLD.
GILBERT AND SULLfVfN'S "UT0PH
LAUNCHED IN NEW y0RK.
BRIGHTEST OF THEIR WORKS.

How Theatrical Manager Is
Making His Fortune by Being
Assailed as Indecent = Marie
Tempesrs Successor-A New
French Actor-Patti Sails and
Entails Loss on Her Manager.
Special correspondence st. Paul Globe.
New YORK, March 30.-1he produc-
ton of Utopia. Limited the newest
Gilbert and Sullivan opera. which has
been running since last October at the
Savoy theater In London, was the occa-
sion of bringing together remarkably
large and conspicuouSly fine audience
at the Broadway thaater. The opera
cannot be said to have scored distinct
or absolute success, though whether the
outcome is due to the opera itself or the
commonplace character of the company
sent over to give it interpretation, is a
point that has yet to be decided. The
libretto. an advance copy OF which was
sent to me for perusal, struck me as
being one of the best that ever came
from The pen of the brightest OF Eng
lish writers of this time. But this part
of the entertainment went for little or
nothing OH Monday evening. owing to
the nervousness and consequent inco-
herence of many of the company. At
times there were long stretches when
the dialogue was entirely inaudible.
Mr.. Carte appears to have been under
the impression, when he organized this
combination of players, that any
thing was good enough for Amer
lea. 1t does not Seem to have
occurred TO him that there has been
some little advancement in taste In this
country, SO tar as matters of this sort
are concerned, since he first began to
bring combinations over here. Utopia"
is, however. magnificently produced as
to scenery aud costumes, and the chorus,
which had been drilled by the untiring,
profane and bumptiouS Charles Harris,
won about all the applause that was be-
slowed during the evening. The story
of Utopia, Limited" is that of a mon
archy in the South Seas, where various
abuses have crept in. \ number OF rep
reSentative EmgliShmen undertake to
reform these conditions by converting
the kingdom into Il limited liability COM
pany on the strictly British plan. There
is a lot of gentle satire which is aimed
at English institutions, and there are
numerous lyrics which have the true
Gilbert ring. | have no doubt that when
the actors arrive at such Il state of per-
lection that they can make themselves
heard, Utopia" Will become popular
- al
Ned Rice has set the town all agog
over his presentation of living pictures
in conjunction with ''1492' ut the Gar
den theater. These pictures, as have
already Informed the readers Of this let
ter, are produced by The grouping of
living figures i'll tableauX reylving the
well known art triumphs of painting
and sculpture. They were accepted at
first rs being merely examples of beauty
III art, until when, toward the end OF
last week, one of the important metro
politan dallies came out and assaulted the
whole institution on the ground that ii
Was indecent and detrimental to the
best interests of public morality. That
had the effect OF sending every dude
and Johnnie in New York over to the
Garden theater i'll wild and hySterical
stampede. As the authorities have moi
yet shown a disposition to Interfere
with the living pictures, it is probable
that they do not agree with the estimate
placed upon them by the newspaper re-
ferred to. and that being the case, Mr..
Rice Is in q fair way OF coming for
tune.
Miss Adele Richie, the beautiful
young woman who mas succeeded to the
place made vacant by the withdrawal OF
Marie tempest from the company play
ing The Algerian" made her first ap.