The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-12-10
AT ACADEMY LAST NIGHT
NEVER SUCH A PACKED HOUSE
HERE BEFORE.
AND NEVER A FINER ATTRACTION
Of Course De Wolf Hopper Was Good in the
Title RtIe, But les Not the Only Good
Thing--His Beautiful Wife is the
Life of the Opera.

Lovers of genuine comic opera, from
all parts of the State, thrOnged the
Academy of Music last night to honor
and applaud De Wolf Hopper and his
beautiful wife, Edna Wallace-Hopper,
supported by splendid company.
Never has an attraction visited this
city which has been greeted by so large
and intelligent an audience as that
which laughed and applauded the de-
lightful opera, "El Captain" last night.
1t was most remarkable success. 1t
seemed to me that | could go on seeing
funny De Wolf Hopper as Ell Captain
for month and beautiful wife as
Estrelda forever. l was grieved when
the first act was finished, still more
grieved when the second act was
concluded, and quite inconsolable when
the curtain went down and my neigh
bors on the "baldhead row" began to
feel for their hats.
1t was one bewildering scene of sound
md gaiety, of which Edna Wallace
Hopper is the life Her voice is sweet
and clear, and her charmingly perfect
depreciation of the character of Els
zelda makes her an actual queen of
comic opera"
Do you ask what it was all about
How do / know? Who can remember
anything in such very revel of love
and passion and music and bewildering
caprices-except rose leaf faces, fairy
forms. a swirl; of skirts and tuneful
ankles? 7n-
But now | think me, there was some
thing more a story of love and war,
and here is how it runs:
The King of Spain dethroned Iuiz
Cazarro. Viceroy of Peru, and put in
his place Don Errico Medigua, who
proved very unpopular. So, great became
his unpopularity, nursed and famed by
the deposed Cazarro, that his subjects
rebelled and asked a famous insurgent
leader. Ell Captain, to come to their
aid. He promises, but fails to come,
and Medigua, who is the greatest of
towards, driven from his palace, dis
guises himself and appears before the
insurgents as Ell Captain, and has his
chamberlain and trusted adviser, Senior
Amabile Pazzo, whom none of the in
surgents knew, arrested and thrown
into prison as the Viceroy.
There, gagged and bound, the poor fell
low remained until the Spanish govern
ment sent over troops to quell the in
surreetion.
In the meantime, while Medigua was
playing insurgent leader, CaZarrO's
daughter, Estrelda, fell desperately in
love with him and wanted to marry, I'm
and when he would not she became in
sanely jealous. OF course, Medigua
couldn't marry her, for he already had
one wife, but this fact he dare not reveal.
And then, as the authors have limned
the episode, Estrelda had previously had
another sweetheart. He, too, was jealous,
and many times came near running the
cowardly Medigua through for. his ad-
vances to the love-sick Estrelda.
Then, when the Spaniards come to
capture the insurgents, the mighty Ell
Captain deserts to the Spaniards, for
which act Estrelda ceases to love him
and returns to her soldier lover, Sea-
ramba.
The insurgents, including Estrelda
and her jealous lover and ambitious
father, being taken prisoners by the
Spaniards, Ell Captain having returned
to his throne, forgives the old man his
treason and blesses the young couple.
A most delightfully."- absurd story,
truly, and delightfully."- told in song and
dance and march.
episodes, delicate pictures, convincing
Characterization and lifting song
sprinkled in rich profusion through all
the three acts-enough to make you
laugh till your sides are sore and your
hands are red with clapping.
An entertainment more pleasing and
fantastic has never been offered here.
II came under a guarantee Of $500 from