Los Angeles herald., 1907-10-14
PRESENT THE
HIGHWA YMAN
OPERA COMPANY AT ITS BEST IN
REVIVAL
CHIEF HoNoRS FALL TO HEMMI
AND CUNNINGHAM
Music Is Well Sung and Piece Is
Given a Picturesque Mount
Ing-ShouId Have Big
Week
BY sIpLE LAWRENCE

The Highwayman," De Koven and
Smiths romantic comic opera Of England
under George the Third, was revived at
the Los Angeles theater last night by the
San francisco opera company to the very
evident appreciation OF a large audience.
Musically meritorious picturesque and
highly humorous, this presentation OF
Dick Scarlets adventures ION the road"
is perhaps the best thing the company has
given u.s. Miss Hemmi, Cunningham,
Kunkel, Daphne Pollard and Blaisdell are
at their best in roles to which they are
well suited both by temperament and
training. The chorus has been well
drilled, is attractively attired and sings
well.
The music of "The Highwayman'' is of
somewhat better quality than De Koven
usually turns out. Likewise much of it
Is reminiscent, as Is the DeKoven habit.
For instance, the tinker's song from
Robin Hood has its counterpart in this
later work of the same composer and
there are one or two other numbers
which musicians would have little trouble
In tracing back to the same origin If not
beyond 1t.
Wher De Koven first began this scheme
OF borrowing from his own compositions
he was rather severely criticized. Since
then, however. the practice has been fol-
come to expect It, Luders series which
began with 1.-THE Tale of the Kangaroo
included "The Tale of the Bumb.ebee''
and concluded with THE Tale of the Sea
She'll" Is a case in point.
Good Music, Good Fun
There Is good music in the Highway
man''-plenty of it-and an abundance Of
good, clean, wholesome comedy. The con-
stable Foxy Quiller is quite worthy to
rank with the eagle-eyed sheriff of Not
tingham, in fact this character made such
a hit that 1t also made the fortune of
Jerome Sykes, the first comedian who
played it and who later starred In a seq
ond opera written around Foxy Quiller
and so named.
Owing to lack of stage room one scene
in the opera has had to be revised. The
Los Angeles stage is small and it was
found not feasible to introduce a coach
in the second act, where coach belongs.
Thus the passengers are made to walk
upon the stage to be held up by the
pseudo highwayman. The dialogue and
music have been retained intact, howev-
er, so this does not much matter.
Chief honors in the revival fall to Miss
Hemmi and Mr.. Cunningham; to Miss
Hemmi first for the gallant French rea-
son, place aux danes. The San Francisco
masquerade attire and she acts the part
only less pleasingly than she sings it. Her
song, "Vive la Bagatelle," Is sprightly
thing. admirably done, and her voice has
never been heard to better advantage
locally than it was, last night in the duet
with Cunningham do You Remember.
Lover In addition to this duet Cum
ningham has two numbers-one of them,
kitty O'BrieN,'' a foolish thing, that
gives him scant opportunity. The other.
however, Farewell to the Kings High
way" is an excellent composition, and
Mr.. Cunningham sings 1t with dash and
spirit that well merited the numerous
encores accorded his effort.
Eugene Weiper rejoined the company
last night, supplanting Carl Haydn. He
was cast as Rodney and sang the one
solo allotted to the character very we'll
Weiner has not Haydn's voice. but he is
much the better actor of the two
Apart from the songs already mentioned
the best things In THE Highwayman"
are the ensemble numbers, particularly q
rousing chorus at the close of the first
act. William Blaisdell has humorous
song entitled 1.-The Farmer and the Scare
crow in which the chorus joins. and
with Daphne Pollard sings Bread and
Cheese and Kisses. Miss Beatty has one
number, Marching Away" with the
chorus again in evidence. This same
chorus has improved nightly since the
company's arrival here five weeks ago, a
fact which speaks well for the efforts of
Herr Concertmeister Edouard Won Buech-
ner.