Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-11-04
MISTRESS MARY"
ACT /

IL i.
Time-Afternoon of the day before
the Blue County Sheep Show. Place
Meadow adjoining the homestead of
the Happy Valley Farm.
Happy Valley Farm is owned by
Madam Blue Miss Helen Alexander),
and managed by her son, Boy Blue
(Mr Reynold McGrew), who is pro-
gressive rancher more or less envied
for bis great success in sheep raising.
He Is in love with Mistress Mary (Mrs.
Riley III. Allen, his head shepherdess,
who is also his adopted sister, having
been found by Nine. Blue when
baby, apparently nameless waif.
The curtain rises on a group of
shepherds who are refreshing them
selves at a spring near the homestead.
The opening chorus, Were Awfully
Hygienic," is we'll balanced and full
toned The music is irresistible and
the gay red and white costumes of
the lads and lasses with their silver
cups make an altogether attractive
picture. Suddenly the postman (Mr.
Alapaki Smith, arrives and in lively
and amusing song tells them why ut
takes a man of Grains to be a post
man. HeI exchanges gossip with
them, distributes the mail. and Boy
Blue disperses them to the various du-
ties of preparing for the Blue County
Sheep Show, which is to be held at
the farm the next day. Left alone he
sOliioduizes about Mary, and his hopes
and fears take tuneful utterance in
the gem of the orera, "Ah, love. if
only knew M. Reynold McGrew
makes an ideal Boy Blue, and the rare
quality of his fine baritone voice and
his perfect intonation gives pleasure
to every lover of music His dramatic
talents also are not lacking in any
degree ef.excellence. a...:
Mrs. Riley Allen, as Mistress Mary,
is the ver.table incarnation of dain-
ty Vatican shepherdess.s Her voice
has developed wonderfully during the
past year which she has spent study
ing in the East and it's true. sweet
quality is eminently suited to the title
role which she takes with sprightly
vivacity and assurance. Immediately
following her entrance she joins Boy
Blue in charming little duet and
dance, after which he gives her her
letter. She finds, upon reading it,
that 1T tells her of her parentage and
inheritance of u large fortune, and
leases Boy Blue and will not let him
see it. She declares she will go away
and take little Willie, her pet lamb.
TO school with her. The shepherd
maids. however, point out to her the
impossibility of such a step in their
chorus, MARY. Had a Little Lamb"
Their soft, sweet singing forms a dis
tince contrast to the hearty exurbence
Of the shepherds chorus, and their
quaint panniered costumes of flower
er muslin lend to them an old-world
air which is truly delightful Little
Willie master Ivan Johnson). who is.
of course, Mary's pet lamb, dances
while the shepherd maids sing with
remarkable grace for such wee lamb
kin, and his attractive little bleat, to
quote popular opinion, is ''as cute as
1t can be-"
The entrance of Madame Blue land
her daughter, Betty Mrs. G.. NJ
Robertson), and her friend, Merrie
bell MRS. F. P. Reynolds), affords |
opportunity for the sextette a dance
which is given by the three girls and
the three rivals Of Boy Blue, Tom,
the black sheep" GMr. L. Young Cor
Tethers). owner of Black Sheep Ranch. :
and a jealous rival of Boy Blue in ;
the sheep industry, who, with Dick and :
Harry (Mr. John F. stone and Mr. Al
bert Hornerl, managers of Primrose
Farm, call to enter their sheep for
the county show. Boy Blue calls a .
final rehearsal of his trained lambs. |
whose performances are the wonder
of the country. Here a word must be !
said about the clever acting of the
lambs. They never forget for a mo-
ment the responsibility that rests up
on them for, of course, from beginning
to end they are the heroes of the opera