Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1909-02-23
OPERA ERMINlE.
Given at the Opera House Last Even
ing by Home Talent.

ing by Home Talent.
A large and responsive audience
greeted the Choral socieJy's presenta-
ton of the opera, '.Erminie," at the
opera house last evening. Mr.. Edwin
Howard and the organization of which
ne is the director nave spent several
months of painstaking effort in prepar-
ing for this event, and they produced a
work of such artistic merit that it did
the society and its director high credit
and afforded to the audience a delight
full evening.
The setting of the opera is in France
in the 18th century. 1t opens with a
scene at village fair. A gay party OF
folk in picturesque rustic garb are
dancing and merry making, when
Gavotte, the buxom maid at the neigh
boring chateau of the Marquis de Pou-
vert, comes into their midst and tells of
an approaching gathering at the
chateau. Later the stern aho soldierly
Marquis himself appears and invites
the throng to the fete which he has
| planned in honor of the betrothal of his
| daughter Erminie to Ernest Viscount
de Brissac. Ernest is the son of an old
friend of the Marquis, but Erminie has
never seen him. She is in love with
| Eugene, her fathers secretary. This
| attachment has developed almost under
the eyes of the Marquis, but so quietly
that the undiscerning Marquis knows
nothing of it. Ernest himself is in
love with Cerise, the friend of Erminie
and the sister of Eugene.
just on the eve of the fete, Ravennes
and Cadeau, wandering vagabonds and
| escaped convicts, appear at the village
N ltorh a
give out that on their Journey they
have been set upon by thieves, stripped
| of their personal belongings and that
they finally escaped in the discarded
| garments of the highwaymen. Soon
after company of soldiers, command
| ed by the young, dashing, gallant and
redoubtable Captain de Launay, enter
| the village in search of the escaped con-
victs, Ravennes and Cadeau.
That evening at the chateau a gay
and stately throng gather in the fete.
Here are personages of all ranks
lords, ladies, rustic folk, soldiers-and
all awaiting the coming of Ernest. But
Ernest had fallen victim to Ravennes
and Cadeau and had been tied to tree
in the forest. His papers and creden-
tails had been stolen by the. two vaga-
bonds and the cool, collected, sagacious
and resourceful Kavennes presents the
stolen documents to the Marquis and
announces himself as Ernest, the Wis
count. With him he brings Cadeau,
whom he introduces as his friend,
Baron Bonny. The Marquis has not
seen Ernest since his childhood and he
fails to detect the deception.
The scene at the fete is easily the
ri chest and brightest of the whole
opera, for here are seen the characters
in their happiest moods. Here Mrs. K.
L.. Boehm plays the title role OF the
beautiful Elminie; j A. Rowley, the
resolute Marquis; mrs. Geo. Hart, the
sweet and winsome maiden, Marie, in
magnificent manner; Mrs. Clara Hunt
Howard, the ardent Captain de Launay
who falls in love with Marie; A. V.
Gearhart, the shallow, stiff, stilted,
provincial and grotesque chavalier, the
friend of the Marquis; Miss Hermione
Silverthorn, the character of the lively
Gavotte; and DIR. j. L. Matthews, the
petty but self assuming, jealous and
simpleminded Simon, the waiter at the
village inn; MIR. Arthur Speer has the
part of thea Sergeant of the soldiers of
the Royal Guard; j. ID. Taylor, Jr., in
the Fart of Ravennes, impersonating
Ernest, carries out his role of deception
in a truly mastery manner; but G. IL.
Ingraham, in most happy manner, as
his companion, Cadeau, masquerading
as the Baron Barany, accustomed only
to the companionship OF vagabonds,
cuts a superlatively absurd figure in
polite society, where he showers bis
particular attention upon the ridiculous
Princess of Grampaneau, a part well
H. Barden plays the part of the pretty
Cerise, and Will LaCerte of the love
distraught Eugene. While at the fete
the soldiers appear with highwayman
as their prisoner. He wears the garb
which Revenues had placed upon
him. He protests that he is not high
wayman but that he is Ernest; but all
are ignorant of his identity and his pro-
testationS of innocence are of no avail,
for the proper credentials are held by
Ravennes showing that he is the Wis
count.
To further relate the story of the play
would prolOng this account to too great
length. Suffice it TO say that the whole
performance was full of delightful cpl
sode, and that the designs and machina-
tons of the crafty Ravennes and the
blunderings of the clumsy Cadeau
caused the situation to work out happily
for all the lovers, but disastrously for
Ravennes and Cadeau, companions in
deception and crime.
The work of the pretty chorus was
charming, and of the soloists admirable
throughout. Mr. and Mrs. Howard and
the Choral society are to be congratu-
lated upon the high order of the success
of the perfcr nance. A large house is
sure to meet with the same delight this
evening.
The full cast of characters is as fol-
lows;