Omaha daily bee., 1897-01-24
H. NJ. S. PINAFORE DUE In PORT
Coming Of the Famous Man-of-War and Its
Interesting Equipment,
SAME OLD SHIP, BUT ANOTHER CREW
. her Occasions on which the Guodly
Vessel Put In ut Omaha for
Brief but Important
stops.

considerable part of Omaha society is
today a great deal more interested in "the
queens navee" OF a couple OF hundred years
ago than it is in the pink teas, cotilions or
other swagger functions of the present day.
1t is all because that staunch craft, III. NJ S.
Pinafore" is expected to sail into port on
Saturday, and the admirals display for the
benefit of his sisters and his cousins and his
aunts" is likely to be remembered as one
of the red letter occasions of the present
season.
The coming event will not be the first ap-
pearance of III. NJ. s. Pinafore" in Omaha,
nor judging from the unusual interest mani
tested, will it be the last The same war
ship, with its full complement of local celeb
rites as officers, jolly tars and pleasing
women, has entered the harbor hereabouts
on at least three previous occasions Each
visit was declared to be notable event for
the days in which it occurred, and was then
the cause of as much commotion, as many
rehearsals and of as general hard work
among the society folk as is the forthcoming
production of the nautical opera.
"Pinafore' was first put on the stage in
London in 1873, and it was not long before
its popularity waited 1t across the Atlantic
to the shores of the United States. Omaha's
chief and only play house at that time was
the Academy of Music, and the piece made
its appearance there as the professional comic
opera singers spread out over the country.
Among the first companies that gave Pima
fore in this city was juvenile aggrega-
tion or rather a company in which all the
principal parts were taken by children under
16 years of age, while the choruses were
made up as usual from the ordinary ranks
Another "Pinafore" company that stood high
m ar1N .ftn t1,,f ~, ,,,k
Choir company, whose visits to Omaha were
so profitable that they were several times
repeated.
1t was on Monday evening, April 2S, 1879,
that the vessel in question sailed into the
port of Omaha for the first time as an anna
teur. 1t was after lengthy series of re-
hearsals and drills, and the entrance was
as auspicious as the master of any ship
could desire. Among the names of those
who took the leading roles on that occasion
will be noticed many still prominent in
Omaha society affairs few have removed to
other cities and nearly all the misses of that
caste write their namss otherwise today
l>ick Deadeye and Buttercup are now hus-
band and wife.
ITS FIRST CREW.
The stage manager was Major Stevenson
The musical director Prof. Blankenfeld An
orchestra of twenty pieces assisted in the
production. The old Academy of Music on
Douglas street now given over to operas
of gayer style, was the scene of the per-
formance. The principal parts were taken
as follows: Sir Joseph Porter, w. o. San
ders; Captain Corcoran, w. B. wilkins Jose
phinc, Miss Jessie Robinson of Chicago; But
tercup, Miss Clara Campbell; Hebe, Mrs.
George b. Harris; Ralph Rackstraw Frank
lin s. Smith; Dick Deadeye. Henry ID. Esta
brook; Bill Bobstay A. Powell: Bob Beckett,
Revel France; midshipmitc, Master Jamie
'.bbott: sisters and cousins and aunts, Mes
JDmpS Mpf'Orn. h..
Misses Kennedy, Wells Eustis Lake, Jewett,
Greenhow. Hall, Rath, Mccormick and
Goetscfius; sailors, Messrs Hubbard, Shields,
Potter Robinson, Savage, Crary, Morris,
SAKE, DeGroat Snow, Drake and Eusrs
In commenting on the production OF the
opera The Bee of the following day said:
The effect of scenery and singing of the
first act was surprisingly favorable. The
ships rigging and everything about the in
ner part of a vessel looked so exceedingly
natural that many questioned themselves
whether they were actually on the rckety
Omaha stage. 1t was a credit to the organ
i2ers, Mr.. and Mrs. Dickey and associates
and particularly to Major Stevenson, who
supervised its arrangement and general man
ag5ment.
las a whole the Pinafore' opera, as rem
dered by our Omaha amateurs is among the
most creditable performances on the Omaha
stage and is pronounced far superior to the
amateur renditions of the same opera in
larger cities"
The performance was so successful that IL
was repeated the following afternoon and
evening.
The example of the Juvenile Pinafore
company above referred to soon inspired
Omaha people with desire to exhibit their
own child wonders, and an amateur PEI
formanCe by children was arranged soon
after Boyd's opera house was opened, which
excited no little public admiration. The
local musicians of today seem to remember
very little about it, except that the hit OF
the evening was made by Jennie McC!el-
land. now Mrs. Powell in the role of Lit
tie Buttercup. The opera was given for
charitable purposes and n neat sum was
realized from the proceeds.
LAST TIME BY AMATEURS.
The last amateur performance of pima
fore" was given at Courtland Beach during
the first week in September, 1887. The initial
performance was given on Monday evening
September 5, and it was repeated upon the
other evenings OF the week. These perform
ances were given under the auspices of the |
WCman's Relief corps of the Grand Army |
of the Republic. 1t was during the trans |
mississippi encampment of the Grand Army |
of the Republic in this city and the opera |
was largely patronized by the old soldiers |
and their families. The cast Of characters at |
that time again included w. O. Sanders as |
Sir Joseph Porter, Mrs Edith Edwards |
FrankO as josephine, Mr.. Gilbert of Chicago |
as Captain Corcoran, Miss Lawton of Chi |
cago as Hebe and Miss Waltze of Chicago |
as Buttercup.
The special feature of this presentation |
was the fact that 1t was an out-of-doors rem |
dtion, the stage being a hastily constructed !
scow floating on the water and separated |
from the land lubber audience by quite ar |
expanse OF sea. When Sir Joseph Porter. !
X. c. b., and Hebe and all the sisters and !
cousins and aunts arrived they were rowed |
across to III. NJ s. Pinafore" by a set OF |
stalwart oarsmen and the effect OF the songs |
as they skinned along the water was realis- !
tic in the extreme.
"Pinafore" has since been given any num-
ber of times in Omaha by professionals |
good, bad and Indifferent, at the different |
play houses. The temperance OF the YES !
sci this week manned by local seamen, how |
ever. while IL must suggest comparison with |
predecessors. promises to surpass all of them |
in the grandeur Of the equipment and the |
excellence OF the cast.
First VI. 70. Chnutnuqun.
The chautauqua program tomorrow even
ing at the First Methodist Episcopal church .
In bn ppp of 1OugilaI rnarlt Nh |