The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1908-05-08
THE MIKADO
A BIG SUCCESS
Best Production Ever Given
by Local Talent.
TWO LARGE AUDIENCES
Famous Old Opera Had Two Perform
anees for Benefit Of First Regiment
Band Work Of the Principals Little
Short Of Marvellous Setting.

Fine. splendid. grcat bully, slick, eS
oellcnt, dandy, clever, the best ever, ou
ol sight, marvellous, too cute for anything
all 10 the merry, grand, remarkable, swell
these are some OF the words and phrase
which people have used to characterize
the production Of the opera Mikado IL
| the auditorium "Wednesday aud last even
lngs under the auspices Of the First Req
mcnt hand, the choice OF adJectiycs de
/ pending somewhat upon the taste an,
training OF the user but all of the mean
ing the same thing namely, that the pro
duction was easily the best thing Brattle
boro talent has ever done. II n extremely
doubtful whether a constellation OF anna
tcurs could b. found anywhere with abil
To give this splendid old light opera oi
Gilbert and sullivan in more polished
manner. The various musical number.
from the opening chorus to the splendid
finale IN the second act were sung precise
ly, melodiously and with true interpreta.
tion, the dialogue was cleycrly done with
no loss OF effect in the comedy situations,
the scenery and costumes were handsome
and appropriate, aud the work OF the en-
tire company was backed by splendid or
chestra. IL is the rule of newspaper Of
Il iiccs TO deal iendcrly with amateur pro.
duct pass lightly over the rough
places ana lavish full praise upon the
more mcritorious features. But when a
performance is so nearly up 10 profes.
sional pitch as were the two with which
this article deals the critic feels as ii he
can speak candidly and at the same time
be unstinting in his praise. Let it be
said, then, that the work OF the cast was
little short OF marvellous and that the
chorus, while lacking at times in training
and volume, gave the cast on the whole
splendid support.
The story OF the Mikado is well known
to everyone who is at all familiar with
light opera and its tuneful music has
been whistled for generation or two.
! Laid in picturesque Japan the scene al
| fOrds plenty OF opportunity for lavish set
| ting, while the characters are cleverly
drawn and the lines abound in perennial
witticsms. As the parts were played last
night and the evening before IT would be
difficult to name the principal role. The
bulk OF the work fell upon Myron i.
Davis as Nanki-Poo, the disguised son OF
the Mikado, Il. II. Crane as ko-ko, lord
high executioner. Mrs. Arthur II. Brasor
as Yum Yum, one OF Ko-kos wards, and
Alison Dugan as Pooh Bah, lord high
everything else.
Mr. Davis did all that his part required
and more; his work not only added pro
iessional snap and vim to the production
but inspired those about him to put forth
their very best efforts. He acted the part
OF the lover with unusual cleyerness and
sang finely, his opening solo, \ Wander
ing Minstrel /, being one of the musical
hits of the evening. Mr.. Davis not only
did well what he had to do, but he knew |
what to do when he had nothing to do, |
which sounds paradoXical but is actually |
OF great importance. Mr.. Cranes part |
kt-ua but If ba NVa
without question. His makeup was very |
funny and he made the most of the
ludicrous situations into which the lord
high eXecutioner was continually being
thrown. His topical song, I've Got Him
ON the List, had number OF local verses
which brought down the house, and he
was fully as good in another solo, Tit
willow. Mrs. Brasor was dainty and at
tractive as the winsome Yum Yum. She
made the most of her lines, her actions
were graceful and appropriate and her
singing was unusually good, particularly in
the solo, The Sun Whose Rays, at the
beginning of the second act Mr.. Dugan
made big hit as the naughty and self
satisfied parsonage who was first lord
of the treasury, lord chief justice COM
chief, lord high admiral, master
of the buck hounds, groom of the back.
stairs archbishop of Iitipu, and lord
mayor, both acting and elect, all rolled
into one" Not only did he portray the ,
character well but he sang sweetly and
with unusually clear enunciation, his
principal solo, Young Man, Despair, meet
ng with especial favor.
Miss Gertrude Matthews as Katisha, an
elderly lady in love with ko-ko, was a
'eveation. Her singing was perhaps the :
)est of the evening in spite of the fact
hat to her were assigned some of the
most difficult passages. One solo in par
icular, Alone and Yet Alive, with cello
,bligato, appealed to those who love good
music well rendered. Miss Matthews also
lid well in her acting. especially in her
inal love scene with KoKo ending with
!. Harry Estey in the title role had COM
aratively little to do but he did that lit
lie in so droll manner that laughter
yas his portion most of the time while on
he stage Nee Ban, his devoted attend
mt, was side-splittingy portrayed by ID.
rank Shea who had nothing to say and
ot much to do but was fearfully funny
or all that
Alfred S. Thompson did extremely well
1 the minor part of Pish-Tush and his
Scellent baritone was heard to advantage
1 the solo, Our Great Mikado. Miss
'harena Hall as Pitti-Sing, one of ko-
10 lHTee Wdlus, was lOt oIliy |
/ her acting but in her rendition of the
bio. Sit With Downcast Eye. Mrs. Hal
4. March as Peep-Bo fittingly completed
he trio of coquettish little maids.
In addition to the musical numbers
|ready mentioned there were many 9th
RS which appealed to the audiences on
9th nights. The trio, Here's A Howdedo,
v Ko-Ko, Nanki-Poo and Yum Yum,
as perhaps the cleverest stunt of the
low and won repeated applause as did
$50 the trio, To Sit in Solemn Silence,
Y Ko-Ko, Pooh-Bah and Pish-Tush. Mr..
avis's dramatic ability was displayed to
,rticular advantage in the duet, | Would
iss You Fondly Thus, by Nanki-Poo
I'd Yum Yum. Other especially worthy
umbers were The Flowers That Bloom
the Spring by Nanki-Poo and Ko-Ko
I'd the glee by Ko-Ko, the Mikado, Pitti-
ng Katisha and Pooh-Bah.
The chorus was made up as follows:
Corinne Blodgett, Sarah Gay, Mamie
ooker, Florence Brockington, Hortense
witzer, Mrs. B. M. Switzer, Helen
ohde, Inez Goodale, Minnie Leitsinger,
orence Harrington, Hope Howard, Alice
,oll, Florence .Goodale, Maude Leitsinger,
lvena Walker, Annie Kirwan, Clara Rob
son, Lillian Johnston, Blanche Kimball,
race Sanderson, Anna johnson, Emily
icson, Helen Weatherhead, Ethel Bart
It, Mildred Nichols, Rita Eckles, Athena
4