The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-03-03
MUSIC AND DRAMA.
edited by Clarissa Careless)

So eminent q performance as that Of
! the Wichita Choral union and Wichita
| orchestra which occurred at the Audi
! toriiiIn Thursday evening should merit
more than a passing notice FIRST
OF all the orchestral work should be
mentioned. With the hinderances that
| a new organization must always meet
and overcome. the orchestra acquitted
| itself admirably. AS director MI.
| Harry Dunbar is born to the art ana
he brought out all the color-shadinS
/ and musical effects possible with thir-
| ty-two pieces, with rare skill. Every
! lover of music IN Wichita should make
! It a religious duty encourage Mr.. Dun
bar and his orchestra.
The work OF the Choral union was
/ equally praiseworthy This organiza-
! ton was formed in November and the
entertainment given THURSDAY was the
| first appearance Of any club OF the KIND
with orchestral accompaniment in Wich
/ ita.
| The first thing on the program was
| ChadWick's overture "Melpomene" by
J the orchestra Mrs. George Parknurst
! Of Topeka soprano soloist. gave Dudley
! Bucks aria Don NuniO." With Il
/ home pride that is entirely natural
many Of the auditors refused to grant
! Mrs. Parkhurst the laurels of the even
/ ing But waving those natural pro-
I tests. her voice is of a very excellent
quality and her work Thursday even
! ing gained her many admirers in this
city The absence OF Mrs. Bracken
was regretted but her place was fully
| supplied by Miss Mabel Larimer in the
! alto parts in the sacred Cantata st
/ John" the feature OF the program pro-
! badly.
| This work was admirably rendered
! throughout The solOists were Mrs.
/ Parl<hurst. soprano: Miss Larimer, alto;
! Robert Sweet, tenor, and Bion Hull,
bass. The accompanying chorus can
! be dignified, without abuse, with the
adjective grand
| Mrs. Nellie Hobbs-Smyth did well as
! accOn1paniSt.
Put the best of all was the audience.
! II was a great crowd and an apprecia-
/ tive one. prodiga1 of its appreciation as
every audience at a musical entertain
nent should be prodigal, in this sense.
! A large audience cheers the performers
| and lavish applause will in itself in
/ crease the worth of an entertainment
! The popular price OF admission is anoth-
el feature that should not be passed
without word of commentator.
/ Last evening the second performance
of the ladies Minstrel show took place at
| the Crawford Grand. Nothing but the
greatest praise is heard on all sides for
the performance. It was original and
| full of grotesque action. The gags
were new and sharp. The costumes
were brilliant, without being gaudy.
! Every member took her part with sig
nal success.
Just one word on the predominating
feature of this performance-its dis
! patch There are some Wichita peo-
] l.. he CT, iNr no n
strel show with profit-those people
particularly who have the bad habit of
making their performance2l oggy. There
was no "andante" movement in that
Minstrel show. It was active and
bright and clipper all the way through.
! The opera house was einpt1ed complete
" at 1890 O'Clock. as il should be every
night of a performance. This thing of
dragging an audience through the tail
end OF a performance half asleep can
gratefully be relinquished-
Another matter that this Minstrel
show demon Strated is the wonderful
uuickneSS and wit of a Wichita audi
ence One would think that the cry of
hard times and deprecated real estate
would crowd out all thoughts of recent
literature and current comment But
il has not The foot of Trilby was a
humorous spark that set every man
and woman and child in the audience
to laughing and the hypnotic passes
made before the face of the sleeping
beauty to win her voice from its dreams
was appreciated everywhere.
There was nothing about the Min
strel show that was course or objection
able. 1t was genteel and ridiculous
throughout and consequently novel and
meritOrious.
| Next Monday and Tuesday Faust"
| will be given at the Crawford. The
| st. Louis Republic says of the perfor-
nance:
1.-The grand opera of Faust is SUI
( bIirne, its music fires the very soul the
! stage pictures are grand to behold;
( but Notwithstanding the grandeur with
! which the opera has been produced it
must be said, and candidly admitted,
/ that the real beauty of the poets ideas
was left to the dramatist The sense of
! feeling. the wondorous thought, the
! real strength and meaning are revealed
most impressively in the drama.
! MoTrison's production was heralded
/ rs something grand and gorgeous, and
every expectation has been fulfilled.
All promises have been carried out.
J Not only did it satisfy, but is sur
! prised. The story is one that carries
/ the auditor into other spheres. 1t
/ makes him think of other than worldly
things. lie realizes during its progress
that there is a hereafter. and ere the
] curtain falls he is convinced, be he
I Christian or atheist.
/ The scene is mounted with the most
! magnificent scenic embellishments.
Startling scenes that make the Door
miserable mortal feel his weakness
when compared to the power Of the i'm
/ mortal, come i'll quick succession, and,
I as the curtain falls for the last time.
! the sinner in the audience starts as if
aroused from some dreadful dream-a
/ dream that has made him a wiser man.
/ He remembers that he, poor mortal,
/ Is like the crawling, helpless worm
! meath the implement of the yeoman S
hand raised to strike il and the only
life he ever knew Again he is forced
. To believe. whether he will or not, that
some future awaits the sinner OF the
! world. For this reason Morrison s
{ Faust is a worthy, moral lesson. as
, well as a gorgeous production of dra-
matte and scenic art. In obtaining the
fine scenic effects the power of eiectri-
. city is taken advantage Of There is
/ many electric surprises and mechanical
novelties. making il as a whole one of
! the most elaborate and brilliant pro-
auctions ever witnessed at any theater
! in ST. Louis. There are several amaz-
ing changes and transformations,
! I find that Mrs. Hays and the Wichita
/ Musical league are working very hard
/ on the Charity concert which is To he
/ given March II Mrs. Hays is. in my
pinion. one Of the very best musicians
I in the city and the ladies who are asso-
( ciated with her in this work are all
| known Tor their excellence in music.
| am anxious that this concert should
get a good snare OF public attention. Ii
Is certainly Tor a laudable purpose. We