The herald., 1895-09-22
AT THE THEATERS
Sseeeeseseeeeeeeccoseeesc

heard story lately that caps the
climax for expensive dinners. 1t was
about one given to the Prince uf Wales
BY Sir Arthur Sullivan on the first night
of Iolanthe some years ago. His royal
highness sent list of eighteen guests
whom he wished to meet ut the board
and Sir Arthur thought it would be
pleasant thing to let his guests listen TO
the new opera, as they ate the delicious
plates that he had provided, SO he arrang-
ed with a telephone company of pat in a
big sounding board at the theater and pro-
vide telephone connected with the stage
for each guest. The banquet was pro-
nounced success, and Sir Arthur was
very happy until he got his bill, which
called for something over thousand dol
lars plate.
But that was really nothing for the
great English composer, who makes
money hand over fist. 1t is q known fact
that the first week of Patience in London
returned to Sir Arthur. Mr.. Gilbert, and
D'Oyly Carte the tidy little sum of a
hundred thousand pounds which they
divided share and share alike.
4 4 x
Sir Arthur has brought out in New
York his new work, The Chieftain, for
which Mr.. f. G. Burnand wrote the
libretto. The opera is The Con band
ista and Peretta rewritten. The most
reliable critic in New York, Mr.. Steph en-
Fiske of the Spirit, speaks as follow of
the presentation:
The Chieftain, comic opera in two
acts, the music by Sir Arthur Sullivan
the liberetto b. f. G. Burnand, the editor
of Punch, was produced a t A bbey's theater
on Monday, by Sir Francis Wilson and
was an immediate success. The public
seemed delighted to hear sullivan s
music again and could not get enough of
it,
The New York Herald critic speaks as
follows Of thu score:
1.-The score OF The Chieftan is richly
studded with the prettIest melodies mag
Unable. And they all flow without a trace
of effort, as if the composer had tossed
off the whole thing in four weeks so.
journ at the seaside OF doggedly. as |
have said, in his music room, with blank
sheets staring him hopelessly in the face.
'And If you want to see how exquisite
ly alive to the beautiful even u composer
OF comic opera can be, just note the
dalntiness. the. mirth. the delicacy OF his
oIchestration. l doubt whether Strauss
himself has done anything more beauti
full. OF course l am now simply speaking
of the art OF scoring.
'How some OF our native composers
would have torn and beloved through
the passages beginning. Jumping on "A
steed | gallopd. Yet even here Sulli-
vans orchestra describes the situation
most pictorially. without, for a moment,
employing those cheap and dangerous
devices which only degrade the form of
grand opera without charging or emily"
ening the comic opera form in the least.
With the hand OF master, too, does
of all factors. the couleur locale.
1T isn't thickly spread all over the
score, as a composer of inferior taste
would have done, but applied rather
sparingly and only when the situation
warrants it.
was. and how that bolero did tell when
it finally came!
"Think, on the other hand, of whole
evening of castanets ami boleros and i'm
agine the torture.
ITO recount the strange adventures of
Mr.. Griggs the English tourist, who is
elected chieftain against mis- WILL and
who Is as much afraid of his wife as he Is
of brigands, would be like dumping
ton of Goals in Newcastle.
Nor can l see that it is OF any great
importance to be told that Just such an
ST. Georges hall. London. in 1862 and
that it was then called The Contraband-
ista.
.'For The Cheftain as it is now pre-
sented. is incomparably the brightest.
the freshest, the most sparkling comic
opera. in purely musical sense. that has
been heard here in many q year."
The only local theatrical news is that
the lobby of the Los Angeles theater is
being beautifully painted in white, light
blue and gold. The more of the latter
about theater the better.
Away off in the middle of October I
understand that Mr.. Modini Wood prom
ises to put on Ermin,e with his excellent
company Of professionals and amateurs.
That tip-top comedian. Mr.. L. r. Sull-
van, is cast for Caddy, o. W. Kyle for
Ravvy and stage manager, Mrs. Schnabel
as Erniinis, Bernioe Holmes as Celia,
DR.. Sender as the marquis. George Dali
ton as the cbevalier and Mr.. Merle Man
ming as Eugene.
MI. Wood will make a serious mistake
II he casts Miss Holmes in a female part.
To conceal those legs. which are sonnets
in fesh, by skirts, would be an artistic
capital sin. But seriously. Miss Holmes
il that rara avis, young woman who
can play the part of q youth in perfect
ly delicious way. She Is even more enjoy
able than was Jennie Winston when OF
her best, which was many years ago, and
she can sing as we'll as act. If M. Wood