St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-03-13
AT THE THEATERS.

Francis Wilson and his opera company pre-
sented .The Chieftain" at the Metropolitan
opera house last night. 'The Chieftain" is
the Joint production of Sir Arthur Sullivan and
+. G. Burnard. The composers work is much
of it charming. That OF the librettist suffers
by inevitable comparison with the delicious
wit, satire and grace that characterizes the
librettos Of Sir, Arthhrs former collaboration,
w. S. Gilbert. Yet 1.-THE Chieftain," produced
by Mr.. Wilso4, with its beautiful scenery,
large chorus, delightful music and amusing
story, affords The most enjoyable recreation.
The opera is bnstructed on different plan
than the Gilbert and Sullivan productions. 1t
is devoid of satire, and the choruses have not
the distinctive peculjarities Of rythm and &C
ton so characteristic of the ensembles In
"Pinafore," Patience" "Iolanthe," "Mika-
do and the others: Nor is there such a
quantity of choral music. But to atone for
this, the famous composer has enriched the
second act with Succession Of duos, trfos,
quintette and other concerted numbers, all Oh
them perfect gems Of sparkling melody and
exquisite harmony. Though invariably origi-
nal, they are distinctly Sulliyanesque in char
acter, and therein consists much of their
charm. The orchestration accompanying these
numbers Is elaborate to degree, adding I'M
measurably to the delightful effect.
The plot of 1.-THE Chieftain'' is anything but
complicated or involved. The central hgure
is Peter Adolphus Grigg, British tourist,
who. while travelling In Spain, is captured by
band of outlaws who, having lost their
chief, who has absconded, compel Mr.. Grigg
to take his place and also to marry the chief
tainess. AS Grigg is already married, the
subsequent arrival of the genuine Mrs. Grigg
puts her spouse in an awkward predicament.
He is released later by the discovery Of the
a1,f 1e H. I,l mad he nf
Polish courier.
Francis Wilson, Of course, impersonates the
British tourist, Mr.. Grigg. To say that his
performance is extremely clever and funny
is to put it mildly. There is no perceptible
change in the comedian since his last visit
to the Northwest. His voice is just as clear
and sympathetic, his sudden starts and antics
just as laughable and his legs Just as comical.
1t is restful and pleasing to hear Mr.. Wilson
speak, his enunciation is so distinct and
free from all effort and his pronunciation so
unaffected and correct. He is unquestionably
one of the neatest, smoothest and cleverest
comedians on the comic opera stage, If he
does not in fact lead them all.
The company is quite satisfactory, though
the absence Of Miss Lulu Chaser, who, by
reason Of illness, could not appear last night,
was necessarily noticeable. The tenor role
that of Count Vasquez de Gonzago-was we'll
taken care of by Rhys Thomas, whose fine
physique and pleasing voice created a favor
able impression. John Brands resonant BARI
tone rendered his impersonation of Ferdinand
&c Roxas, the real chief, entirely satisfactory.
Joseph G. Miron was amusing in the role of
Sancho, the first lieutenant of the Ladrones.
and vocalIy adequate.
The role Of Rita which belongs to Miss
CHASER, was entrusted last night to Miss elena
Wright, who, under the circumstances. ac-
quilted herself creditably. She has a soprano
voice OF good quality. Miss Lillian Carll-
smith looked sufficiently picturesque as the
chleftalness, and sang acceptably. The role
o. Dolly, otherwise known as Mrs Grigg. was
charmingly played and sung by Miss Christie
Macdonald. Miss Alice Holbrook scored
success as Juanita the dancing girl.
The chorus proved entirely efficient.
Inc advance sale Of seats for the great nj
anlst' PaoereWskfs concert at the METROPOLITAN
opera mouse next Wednesday evening, begins
at the box office this morning. The manage
ment expect the largest sale of the season for
this attraction.
Inc troupe of performing elephants now at
the Grand, under the direction of Sam Lock-
mart, VIII finish a very successful engage
ment on Saturday evening The vaudeville
performance given in connection with this
great feature contains some excellent speciaItv
performers F'i''