The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-04-02

musical direction of Professor Moses
Stein
The Mikado of Japan. Charles Harris
Nanki Poo. his son. Ralph Ludwig
Pish Tush, a noble lord Norman Call
Ko 10, lord high eXecutioner,
Otis Alfriend
Pooh Bah, lord high everything else,
Herbert Featherstone
Prince Nagasaki, Mlkado's attendant,
Peter Miller
Katisha, an elderly princess in love
with Nankl-Pooh Goodwin Boykfn
Yum Yum. ward of 10 10 and also in
love with Nanki-Pooh.
Mrs. Norman Call
Pitt Sing and Peep-Bo. sisters of Yum
Yum. Miss Emily Wade and Miss
Mary Covington Evans
Act Courtyard of Ko Kos Off
ciai residence
Act I.-Ko Kos garden.
Girls Chorus-Miss Elizabeth Cooke,
Miss Martha Robinson, Miss Emma
Gray White. Miss Charlotte Jones.
Miss Helen Rose Miss Jeliis Scott,
Miss Eliza Leake, Miss Rosalie Har-
wood, Miss Elizabeth Jones Miss Elise
Smith. Miss Kate Munford. Miss Eliza
Christian, Miss Hannah Victor. Miss
Katherine Prentice Miss Eliza Mont
gomery, Miss Virginia Mason, Miss
AatHeTlHe chapman.
Mems Chorus-James Augustine,
Clarence c. Smith, Harold Hoeber,
Clifford Morse, A G. Lambert, James
Wheat, Edward Harrison, EIlett
Ready ]. II. Wall William Lefew,
James Gwatkin, James Hutchinson,
Catesby Jones, Holt Page. Fenton ia,
cobs, Childrey Scott. Columbus Ca
nepa.
The very modest, though rather
pretentiously printed program, did not
state that the famous operetta by
Gilbert and Sullivan was given by our
leading society amateurs There was
no need. The names sufficed. Be
sides, a production for the benefit Of
the Belle Bryan Day Nursery is an
annual event Of such importance that
there is little need of referring to the
promoters and the supporters. All
that is necessary is to repri1 Who's
Who. To be sure the house might
have been larger; a few rows in the
rear were not filled but no doubt the
rest were waiting for the verdict Of
the first nighters.
The verdict was unanimous THE
Aikado' is by far the best thing done
by the Belle Bryan Day Nursery anna
tours within the memory of everyone
who walked the lobby Of the Academy
between the acts last night. From
the opening chorus to the fnaI scene
when katisha asks for mercy for the
trio Of comspirators and Ko-Ko gives
his naive explanation why Nanki-Poo
was not beheaded, the action was
brisk, lively, spirited. despite the rag
time song interpoiated by Mr.. Boykin
as katisha, in the second act. Rag
time has about as much place in The
Mikado' as "gink" and guy In
terpolations and additions are akin to
painting the lily.
Mr.. Alfriend's Success.
Local illusions. however, are ex-
cusable and those by Mr.. Alfriend last
night, while about as pointed and as
delicate as his eXeCutioner's sword.
created hearty laughter. Mr. Boy
t kin's kattsha was a scream, in every
sense of the word. The tears that he
shed and squeezed out Of his hand
kerchief in the Tit Willow song
would have amused a crouch,
even if the latter had the tooth-ache
and boil on his neck. Mr.. Boykin
hurleSqued the part with broad.
enormously wide. humor that would
have done credit to George Fortescue.
OF coure. he could not sing the real
! ly fine music written for Ratisiaa, but
that is not to be wondered at The
part of katisha was written for con-
traito. Mr. Boykin is no contralto no
matter how well versed ne may be in
falsetto tones
Mr. Alfriend's Ko-Ko was quite in
keeping with the katisha of Mr. Boy
kin. II is no easy role and the fact
that Mr.. Alfriend was able to stir his
audience to real spontaneous laughter
is something of which he may well be
proud
Mr. Call As pish-Tush.
The artistic performance IF the
evening must he credited to Norman
Gail in the rather retiring part ef
| Pish-Tush. Any professional cast
blessed with I'ish-Tush OF the ability
Of Mr.. Cali would he worthy of be-
ing billed as an all-star aggregation.
Mr. Call was in magnificent voice and
he sang 'Our Great Mikado" with
such splendid enunciation and under
standing that it was a treat, something
TO be remembered. Histrionically he
gave a notable performance and more
than deserved the ovation given him
at the end of his notable solo.
Herbert Featherstone was an unc-
tuous Poo Bah, and he, too, sang the
music allotted him in grand style.
while the Mikado of Charles Harris
was Of sufficient burIesque dignity TO
cause more than one ripple. OF laugh
ter. In shis young Miller, as the Mix
ADDS attendant. had a large share
That young man is natural
comedian and the studied uncon-
seriousness with which he ever got in
the way OF the ruler of Japan had
the audience verging on Mysteries,
Nanki-poo Sings Well.
Ralph Ludwig was the Nankf-Poo.
displaying a smooth tenor voice that
he used with great effect. 1t would
be very easy to dwell upon the merits
of his performance. For an amateur
il was exceedingly well done.
Mrs. Norman Call was the YUM
Yum, and even IL she was little back
ward in carrying out the stage bust
ness demanded in the This or This"
duet with Nanki-Poo, she made
up for II by the way she sang 1.-THE
Sun Who's Rays in the second act
Miss Emily Wade as PittiSing, was
quite that and little more. She
sang For He's Going to Marry Yum
Yum" delightfully."- and made much Of
her portion of The Criminal Cried"
Speaking of which song it would APP
pear as if the orchestra had a new
Arrangement of the score. for much
of Suilivans ornamentation was
missing. Miss Mary Covington Evans
did all that was required of her as
Peep 30 charmingly. and in the open
ing chorus of the second act sang
her music with excellent effect.
Production Well Mounted.