The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-09-22
MUSIC AND DRAMA.
El Captain.


Portland at the Jefferson, taking as
medium for his initial performance
Sousa's opera of "El CAPTAIN" the
libretto by Charles Klein. This was the
cast of the opera:
Don Errico Medigua, recently APP
pointed Viceroy of Peru,
DeWolf Hopper
Senior Anabile Pozzo, Chamberlain,
Alfred Klein
Don Luiz Cazarro, ex-Viceroy,
Th onas S. Guise
Count fernando Verrando, Peur-
Scaramba, an Insurgent, John Parr
Montabla, Harry P. Stone
Nevada, Robert Pollard
General Herbana, Commander of
King Phillips force, Louis Shrader
Estrelda, Cazarro's daughter,
Edna Wallace Hopper
Isabel, Medigua's daughter, Nella Bergen
Princess Marghanza, Medigua's wife,
Alice Hosmer
Taciturnez, Katherine Carlisle
The story deals with Sixteenth Cen
fury scenes and the locale is laid in Peru.
1t is tale of the assumption during one
of those revolutions that broke out in the
Spanish-American countries with sys-
tematic regularity, of the character of a
dreaded chieftain, Ell Captain, by Don
Errico Medigua, lately appointed viceroy,
who compels Senior Pozzo, the chamber
lain, to assume the viceroy's name and
suffer the imprisonment and penalties
that the poor fellow had to endure. But
Of course matter are all Strengthened out
in the end, everything is explained and
Ell Captain assumes his proper rank.
Hopper, as the fire eating, ferocious
Ell Captain, the upper portion of his man
ly frame rugged out in medieval armor,
while his legs were dressed somewhat
after the style of the japanese soldier OF
the olden time, his face made up so that
he looked like Barnabee, was awfully
funny 1t wasn't so much what he said
that kept the house conyulsed as what he
did. His dances and his songs, his ges-
lures and his movements, each and every
one, were permeated with his individual
ity and the audience was quick to re-
spond with applause and laughter. One
of his most effective dances was that with
his wife, Edna Wallace Hopper, who
possesses a dainty figure. is light as
fairy and a delightful dancer At the
close of the second act, after persistent
call, Mr.. Hopper came before the curtain
and made witty little speech.
The opera is one which it is difficult to
analyze on first hearing. Those who
think Sousa is merely writer of
marches make autonomous mistake, The
music Is richly coIored, the Demonstration
fine, and there are many beauties deyel-
oped in every number. But it is in the
concerted music that the opera is espec-
tally happy. The choruses are very large,
the voices of excellent quality and they
are finely drilled. The ensembles were
superb. The grand close of the second
act, with the famous Boom march SO
enthused the audience that the curtain
was called four times. The principals |
are all strong. Mr.. Edmund Stanley has
a capital tenor voice, and he was encored |
for his artistic rendering of his song in |
the first act. Miss Bergen's lcostume was
particularly becoming in the second act. |
and she sang the prayer, with chorus |
accompaniment so grandiy that she re-
of great compass and delicious quality.
The opera was beautifully staged and
superbly costumed. 1t is rarely so sump-
tuous production is seen on any stage. |
The orchestra under the direction OF Mr..
H. A. Cripps, was excellent.
The audience was very large and fash
ionable, aud as we have said, extremely
enthusiastic. Those who were not pres
ent last evening should not fail to attend
either the matinee or evening performance
today.
Head Usher Frank Wardwell of The
Jefferson theatre, is in need of four or five
young gentlemen to act as ushers at the
theatre this afternoon. Applications may
be made to Mr., Wardwell at the theatre
this forenoon between 10 O'Clock and
noon.
Sporting Duchess.
"The Sporting Duchess that beautiful
spectacular drama which made such an
enormous hit in New York comes to the
Jefferson tomorrow, Friday, Saturday
and Saturday matinee. The cast this
season is even stronger than that which
appeared in it last year. 1t includes
among others Rose Coghlan, as the Sport
ing Duchess, j H. Stoddard, Jetfreys
Lewis, Ffolliott Paget, Louis Massen and
Harry Lacy. There are over 100 people
in the production. The thoroughbred
race horses in the great Derby race scene
present this most exciting racing spectacle
that. has ever been seen on the mimic
STAGE The horses are ridden by profess
sional jockeys and it is a race for "blood"
from start to finish. The magnitude of
this production is almost uncomfortable;
fourteen huge scenes form the various
stage pictures. 1t is necessary to send
men in advance to arrange the details and
Mr.. Roberts, the stage director of the
company, has been in the city for two
days making preliminary arrangements.
Rose Coghlan in the part of the Ouch
ess Of Milford, is seen in a particularly