The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-03-22
"MANDARIN" WE'LL LIKED.
But Not As Well as Some of De-
Koven's Others

The opera, ''The Mandarin produced
at the Grand Saturday night, had its
weak points, and probably no produc-
ton, no matter how excellent, is with
out them, but on the whole it was ex-
ceptionally good and the audience liked
it.
1.-The Mandarin is new. It's songs
did not precede its appearance, as is US
ually the case with New York successes
in the comic opera line. No creation of
a composers brains ever went better in
Topeka than did ''Trif1es Light as Air and
First Love is Best" and 1.-The Emperor
of China" were pretty and pleasing, and
deserved the hearty encOres they re-
ceived
AS Fan Tan, the vagabond, Geo. Bon
face was funny, though at times he
seemed to shun eXertion. The bit of
business he brought in in the last act
with ''Trifes Light as Air. was one of
the best things he did, and took well
with the audience.
Geo. Honey, as the Mandarin, did
some good comedy work, although he
also appeared to let his work drag
slightly. Joseph Sheehan, the comic
tragedian of the Imperial theater, dis
played a fine tenor voice, but is anna
flourish in action, and particularly in
pronunciation.
Miss Bertha Waltzinger as 'Jesso,"
deservediy Won much applause She
has a sweet soprano voice, and her songs
never failed to receive encOreS. AS Ting
Ling, the Mandarin's favorite wife,
Belle Harper is not the success in the
lie, was, but she has a good voice and
is at home in her part.
The orchestration of the opera is ex-
cellent as is true of all of the operas
arranged by Dekoven, and the drums,
bells and tOm-tOmS impart the necesSa-
| ry Chinese flavor to the production.
The orchestra was augmented, and
under the direction of Signor Antoine
DeNovellis, who has been associate
| with DeKoven for years, and was late
with the Half a King company. The
could be desired, and in all particulars
| the chorus was much above the aver
age.
Persons familiar with the New York
newspapers will remember that shortly
| after the commencement of the theaIer
| season last fall, the New York Journal
one day sent out a corps of reporters
| to select the nine most beautiful women
| then on the stage in the metropolis. On
| the following Sunday pictures of the
nine beauties, together with snort
| sketches of their respective stage ca
| reeers, were printed in that paper as a
! special feature of the Sunday edition
| Three of these nine young ladies were
seen in Topeka Saturday night with
The Mandarin company, and one of
| this number was the enVied mortal who
| was declared to be the most beautifu III
| of the nine. This was Miss Helen Red
| who took the part of Ping-Lee, the wife
of the Mandarin next in favor to the
| faithless Ting-Ling. The other two were
! Miss Claudia Carlstedt, "Kwei-TsO,'
| valet to- the Mandarin, and Miss Jane
English, who played the part of the
| turnkey.
| rs the parasol dance patterned after
a real Chinese dance? Well, 1 guess it
| is. Yes, stree. It's almost a reprOduc-
| ton of a feast dance they have in the
| heather country every year. said Mr..
| Sam Marion, the man who has charge
| of the dancing in THE Mandarin" and
| who was seen as the court physician in
| that opera Saturday night, in reply to
a query. Il have made a few innova-
| lions of my own to- make the dance
more interesting, for the Chinese are
| more of tunblers than dancers, but
aside from these We have the dance just
| as they go through it in China"
You see," continued the expert in the
| terpsichOrean art, who is as clever in
| his line Ceiling stories) as anyone on
| the stage today. Il have travelled a good
| deal in my time. and once, a good many
years ago, I was in China. CThis was
| Mr.. Marion'S first time on earth.) While
| in Pekin [ witnessed the celebra ton of
a national feast, [ forget now what they
| call it, and during the festivities L saw
| this dance. 1t struck me then as a clever
! piece of work, and resolved to make
| use of it if 1 ever got the opportunity.
! When arrangements were being made
| last summer for putting on The Man
| DARN Mr.. w d. Mann, one of the pro-
| prietOrs, sent for me and asked me if
| 1 could reproduce a Chinese dance if l
| was furnished with pictures and draw
ings representing it it in its different
| phases. I told him l thought l could,
and asked him what the dance was call
| ed. He replied that it was the 'parasOl
| Dance one of the feast dances of the
| celestials. Here was the very oppOrtu-
nifty I was looking for. 1 told him that
| I hardly thought L would need the pic
| lures. as 1 had seen the dance myself,
| and at once commenced to brush my
| memory. l afterward worked it up with
| DeKoven, and the result is that we
! have as correct a reproduction of a for
eign dance as has ever been offered on
| the STAGE