Arizona republican., 1914-04-28
|S
 BEST SHIP YET
 NOW AT ANCHOR
Large Audience at Empress Last Night Received Pro duction of Boston Ideals With Tumultuous Enthu- siasm: Here All Week

re no nlN l-dtS- W itH d clc't1 SKY and a favorins breeze the good ship "Pinaiore' sailed up the Salt River last evening, dropped her mud-hook Tn Phoenix harbor and now lies off the i Empress docks ready for the host of visitors that will climb aboard her once they know she is here
 There never was day when the "Pinafore' was not the best ship that sailed the seas and she is as good to- day as she ever WaS,-and better. She is staunch old craft and the long years that have passed since her ! launching have only served to sweten her timbers. not ap lank is sprung nor does a seam caulking. She comes to port with q gallant crew who handle her in smart fashion and she lies ready for your inspection with no apologies. In other words the Boston Ideal 1 Opera company gave an excellent per i formance of one of the most delightful light operas that was ever written. It was the best work that they have done 1 in Phoenix and they were greeted by i the largest audience that has yet
 
 i compares "Pinafore" with the trash ! that is handed over the footlights in l the guise of musical entertainment to- day, it merely drives home the fact i that things were done i'll the days gone 1 by that We cannot approach today. ] There never has been and there prob ably never will be q combination like ! Gilbert and Sullivan, and -Pinafore' shows them at their very best. It is
 q delight from the opening chorus until | the curtain falls on the last act It i teens with real humor, genuine fun, l that is clean and wholesome and bears
 repetition again and again. As for the
 music; show us any opera in the last l twenty five years that can compare 1 with it? The solos are all lovely anu
 the concerted numbers are not only 1 wonderfully constructed and arranged
 but they go with d swing and dash
 that sets ones blood tinglinG
 No matter how good an opera may
 be it is an easy matter for poor com pany to kill it. and heaven knows we 1 get that sort often enough here. The l company at the Empress are entitled to the highest praise for the way they | have given this opera. They sing it splendidly. The chorus work was ex- ceptionally good, the comedy was well handled and the various roles capably | played, some of them were played very
 well indeed The orchestra was es- pecially good and showed the results Of
 the competent work of MT Hazelrigg
 He is a splendid conductor and a very
 large part of the credit for the fine performance given last night belongs to him.
 1 This is the last week that this com pany is to be in Phoenix. They have
 done consistently good work from their
 opening here and are closing in blaze
 of glory They are leaving because the
 public does not give sufficient support
 to warrant their staying here longer.
 It is a strange thing that q city of the size and pretentions of Phoenix can not or will not. support a company of i this type. A very large part of the public complains more or less con- stantly that we only get low grade en- 1 tertainments here and that they have no opportunity to hear anything worth , while. Without reflecting on the other companies. we do not hesitate to say that there has not been a stock com pany here since We have been in Phoe- nix that could compare with this one.
 and Phoenix shows it's appreciation of their good work by carefully remaining
 away from the theater at every pos l sihln opportunity.
 If Phoenix appreciates something
 good at tho same rate as trash it will pack the Empress all this week. and
 it will get double it's moneys worth. Tho audience !aet night loved it. Tn
 the verraCular they ate # up'. and
 they had a reason to They heard the fin" old choruses well sung Little
 pitterrrp''. "T Am The Monarch of the
 Sea" A Maiden Fair to See "T Am | An Englishmar" Never Mind the Why ar Whereforn'' "The Merry Maiden anG tho Tar "Fa~nveil Nv Own" thn,-
 wore all there just ae fresh and lo9'clv
 a" th" fi~et time we heard them. and
 aN tho better because they are old
 friends
 Go to thc Empress this week and do , yourself a favOr
 MAITLAND DAVIES. l