The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-07
NINE. ANG0T RENTERS.

I ONDON has just enjoyed revival
of. Lecocq's Mime. Angot's
49, Daughter" which has not been
heard here in years in English. The
work was beautifully sung here in
French during the first season of the
New Theatre. Edmond Clement sang
Ange, Frances Aida was Clairette, and
the rest Of the company was recruited
from the large forces of the Metro
politan Opera House at that time.
There was really beautiful scenery
from Milan. But the public was in
different TO this performance, by long
odds the finest here since Maurice
Grau united the talents of Victor
Capoul, Paola Marie and Angelo in
the French performances he used to
give the New York public when this
particular opera bouffe was in it's first
youth.
A London writer gossips in this
agreeable fashion about the famous
LA File de Nine. Angot":
We are to hear again, after the
lapse Of many years-the last London
revfval,sI fancy. was in the early '90s
La File de Nine. Angot," one Of the
most successful works ever brought to
the stage of opera bouffe. 1t was only
few months ago that its composer,
Charles Lecocq died at the advanced
age of Sc, after fairly prolific career
In which, however, he never succeeded
In repeating the triumph of "Angot."
Individually his masterpiece. That
work. which dates from 1872, when its
production in Brussels preceded by
few months its appearance at the
Folies-Dramatiques in Paris, set him
up at one bound as a formidable COM
petitor Of Offenbach, for Mime. Angot"
travelled round the world just as
swiftly as did her Grace Of Gerolstein.
and, like her. made everywhere and
in all languages a fresh host of friends.
To London she made her way quite
early in her giddy career, finding a
congenial home at the Philharmonic
away up in Islington where for more
than twelve months before her an
other fascinating heroine of opera
bouffe, "Genevieve de Brabant" had
reigned triumphantly. But not long
afterward Hollingshead and Morton
transferred Madame Angot," bag and
baggage, 40 the Gaiety November,
1879, with Emily Soldene in the role
of Mile. Lange, originally created in
the English version by Julia Mathews.
The Clairette was Annie Sinclair;
Dick" Temple, j. G. Taylor and Clara
Vesey were also in the cast, while one
of the 'conspirators" of the immortal
chorus was James Ludwig, a very pop
ular member in later years of the Carl
Rosa Company. So signal was the
success of Lecocq's opera at the
Gaiety that the same managers after
ward took the Opera Comique and con-
tinued the run there for very long
period. For Sir Thomas Beechams
revival. by the way. Dion Clayton
Calthrop has written a new libretto
while Donald Calthrop is acting as
producer, with Hugo Rumbold as
artistic director. Very interesting II
will be to see Miss Desiree Ellinger-
the Susanna in Sir Thomas Beech
ANS Figaro" revival-as Clairette.
and Miss Gladys Ancrum as Mile.
LANCE, while a special interest at
taches to the appearance of Stroesco,
well known as a concert singer, in the
role of Ange Pitou.
Paris went simply mad over the
melodies and the mirth of Mime.
Angot." and a whole volume could be
filled with a record of the various in
cidents that marked the works phe-
nomenal career of prosperity on the
French stage. Oddly enough. there
came into my possession quite recently
little book. "Foyers et Coulisses, I"
published In 1878 and forming one of
a series giving an anecdotai history
OF all the Paris theatres. Therein I
discovered all manner OF odd and en-
tertaining scraps of information re-
latin to the run of Mime. Angot"
at the s-Dramatiques, and. as I
doubt whether another copy of this
curiosity of theatrical literature could
be found in London, one may fairly
claim for 1t a rare interest,
Even the course OF true prosperity