El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-02-09
~& 2. Z ,'..9 ..z.. zg:.=
EAI

&g Ian AsAS y Ez
The Grau Opera company opened
last night, their week Of opera in this
city with strong caste before a large
and fashionable house, and Judging
from the success, the company ought
to do large business, for they certain
ly are one of the most entertaining
: troupes ever to visit FL Paso. True
there are no mastodon voices in the
company like Dereszke, Plancon, An
coma, De Lucia, Salignac, Klafsky,
Melba, Calve. Eames or even Juch. but
the voices are ali good, wholesome,
strong, and the Grau company do not
| labor under the disadvantage of having
two or perhaps three colossal voices,
and the rest very mediocre if not posi-
lively bad-a state of things for some
time characteristic of the Metropolitan
opera house in New York. due to the
| baneful star system. Last nights
singing was melodious-in a word mus
ical: moreover, the acting was excellent
| and the entire audience was pleased
with the evenings experience.
The Beggar Student is a sprightly
little music comedy in three acts, ad-
mjtting of more or less side play in the
way of inserting hits on the follies and
fancies of the day, and the opportunity
was not neglected last night. A grand
duke masquerades as beggar student,
gets married, gets beautifully tangled
up in embarrassing situations, but tinal-
y things are Strengthened out just love-
ly: the brides heart that is badly frac-
tured by apparently blasted hopes, is
all plastered up again in good shape
There is any amount of quaint love
making with witty repartees, and the
usual live-in-peace-die-in-
go-to-heaven-in-a-ha basket winds up
the performance TO the satisfaction of
erybody. Lively acting and singing
with a snap makes lots of difference in
such performance, and the Grau COM
pany appear to be well equipped in this
respect.
The principal honors as to the ladies
were divided between Misses johnson
and Carle although their individuali-
ties are entirely dissimilar, that is, as
tar can be seen on the stage. Miss
johnson was graceful and refined, ap-
parently of sweet disposition and a gen.
tie nature. She is decidedly whole
some looking. and in a drawing room
ought to experience no difficulty in
drawing cultured people around her.
Miss Carle is very pretty, as lively as
cricket, consummate little actress. of
fine figure and feature, and apparently
just the one to have whole lot of fun
with. There will never be any danger
of going to sleep in her company, and
she easily carried the audience with her,
especially in her character sketch with
minstrel themes of the days with orch
estral accompaniment. Miss Carle has
all the attractions of successful and
popular soubrette. And by the way,
she would dearly love to get hold of the
editor of the Tucson Citizen who print
ed Della Fox's picture for hers. She
wouldn't do a thing to him-Oh no.
Miss johnson has a sweet and high but
not overstrong voice. However, it is
remarkably we'll schOoled and was
effectually used. Miss Carle has very
rich and agreeable alto, though at
times from its range one would think
soprano. Her duos with Miss Johnson
and trios with Miss Lodge the countess.
were artistically given. Miss Lodge
sang and acted well; and these ladies,
as in fact the entire company, are
thoroughly "up in their business
figure musically among the men con-
tingent. He sang in both lyric add
dramatic styles, his duos with Miss
johnson being mostly lyric as the si-
tuation would call for that school,
their voices blended well, and their
acting corresponded. The love scene
between these two artists was fine
piece of work and very we'll
received. Mr.. Dunbar is strong man
for any company, for he has made his
voice a very obedient servant, and
its quality is of an high order. Mr..
Lett as the general was the comedian
of the evening. and he Hberally sup
piled his audience with large and
healthy chunks of laughter. His
voice is hardly more than ordinary; but
a good comedian and a fine voice do
not always go together. Mr.. Lett's
parody of ''Oh Promise Me- was one
OF the hits of the evening. Stanley
Felch as the jailor was very good; he
would be drunken porter" in Nc
beth.
The troupe number about thirtyfive
people, and the chorus seem to be
we'll selected both for figure and voice.
One young woman in the chorus is of a
most superb figure, and attracted con-
siderable attention, although her part
was a minor one. Paul Jones is on
tonight.
A young man in Lowell, Mass,
troubled for years with a constant sue
cession of boils on his neck, was COM
pletely cured by taking only three
bottles of Ayers Sarsaparilla. An
other result of the treatment was great
ly improved digestion with increased