The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-12-16
Sidney Jones' Charming Work Is
Produced BY Amateurs.
SEATTLE THEATER CROWDED.
Clever Anateurs score . Decided
suecess In Comic ODers-RleA Eff
fee4s In Cosfsntng and stage
setting Individual Werk 81
PrsneipaIs ELECTS Unstintea Ap-
plasse-To He Repeated Tonight.

That Seattle has an abundance Of anna
teur musical talent, 50 often proven In
amateur performances in the past, was
again thoroughly demonstrated In the pro-
duction of The Geisha." a musical Jap
anese play by Sidney Jones, composer, and
Owen Hall and Harry Greenbank, COLA
borators in the book. An audience OF xeil
known Seattle people. filing every niche
OF the Seattle theater, testified to the I'M
qualified success won by the soioists and
principals and chorus in applause and
encores which followed every one of the
important numbers OF the work. Indeed,
II Vas largely because OF the persistent
encores that the performance was nor fin
is1ed until almost 11:30.
Undoubtedly The Geisha" IL the most
difficult and pretentious work ever UNDER
taken by company OF amateurs in Seat
tie. The work was originally produced in
London, where IL enjoyed a run Of many
months. II requires not only skill in ar
ranging the stage pictures, adaptability
In acting on the part Of the principals in
the cast, but strong work by trained
chorus and real knowledge OF music by the
soIoists.
Slightly reminiscent az 1.-THE Geisha"
is of Sir Arthur Sullivan's operas
there is a fascination and charm In the
music, a sprightliness in the acting and a
make it a work OF real merit. The con-
certed numbers and choruses follow on
each other In rapid succession through
the two acts The solos are set between
with tact and at the proper time the
clntaxes come In the finales.
There are no dull moments in THE
Geisha." 1T is go from start to finish and
despite the fact that last nights perform
ance was the first night" usually SO
notifying and the source of so much
apprehension by the performers them
selves, the piece was rendered with scarce
ly hitch and those only of minor con-
sequence.
OF the principals In the cast. it IL scarce
ly enough to say that every part was most
admirably filled and that the selections
made were most fortunate. Miss Marguer-
lite Mckinney has many personal triumphs
to her credit In Seattle. Her voice was in
perfect form last night. In the duet with
Reginald Fairfax. in the first act, and IN
her SOLO 1.-The Geisha," In act two, Miss
McKinney's unaffected naturalness. the
sympathetic quality OF her voice and her
pure method were all emphasized. Ii is
not too much to say that Miss Mckin-
ney's performances Of o Mimosa San. the
chief OF the Geishas. Is by far and away
the best thing she has done There was
never a moment that Miss Mckinney was
not Mimosa San, the gay, light-hearted
and clever queen of the Geishas. Many
handsome bouquets of white chrysanthe-
NUNS were sent to her over the foot
lights during the performance.
Mrs Waiter Reed who directed the entire
performances, appeared in the difficult part
of Molly Seamore. an English girl, who
jealous OF her fiance's attentions to the
Gesha girls, DISCUSSES herself as one of the
girls in the tea house and is caught and
narrowly escapes being welded to the Mar