The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1919-05-08
COMEDY, GOOD
VOICES MARK
YIN. |. OPERA
Principals in St. Andrew S
Presentation Well Received
by Delighted Audience.
BY EMMA !. EETA

BY EMMA I. FETTA
Voices of brilliance and warmth
greeted an appreciative audience in
ST., Andrews church auditorium last
evening with the opening night of
melodious comic opera, Captain Cross
bones, or the Pirates Bride" in which
a many star cast appeared, and which
will be given again tonight. The play
was presented under the auspices of
the Y. NJ. I.
Nothing Is more appreciated by an
understanding audience than a good
amateur performance, and this was
given last evening. Actors unskilled
for stage appearance did themselves
well, and sang with gusto, color and
sweetness. Especially superior to the
work done by many a male chorus in
a road company was the chorus of
men last evening. They handled with
ability their choral parts, and sang
with interesting harmony.
Principals Have Good Voices.
Miss Leona Buening, in the part Of
Theresa, daughter of old Havana,
and the heroine, and Gregory Roell. as
Richard Stoneybroke, an American
planter, and hero, proved themselves
confident stage performers, and own
ers of charming voices. Miss Buen-
ing has a soprano voice very adaptable
to the vivacious part Of the gay maid
en- she portrayed, while Mr.. Roell has
an apparently innate ability for acting,
and a good voice.
Stoneybroke, head of a gang of
pseudo pirates. kidnaps Theresa, with
her permission, in order that they may
hn fofh nd
grandee, has aspirations of giving his
daughter in marriage to a Spanish
nobleman TO be chosen by himself, but
thus thwarted, he is willing to give
large ransom and even present the
hand of his daughter to the American
Stoneybroke if he will save his daugh-
ter from the Isle of Pines where she
has been taken. This Stoneybroke.
also leader of the pirates" agrees to
do, and in the final act he returns
Theresa to her parents and announces
that the pirates" have all been killed.
Players Well Received.
Ray Geier. taking the part of Don
Cubeb de Cigaro, father of Theresa.
and Donna Isbella, his wife, Theresa's
mother, appeared in excellent charac
ter parts and did them we'll. Both
have voices of texture, and both were
received with delight by the audience.
Eleanor. an American heiress. play
ed by Miss Matilda Feldman, and Cap
tain Bombastio, captain of the island
police, played a duet part of interest.
Miss Feldman, who possesses person
ality and a sweet voice, was recalled
by an enthusiastic audience. Captain
Bombastio. played by Joseph Vessel,
was excellent as an enamored arm Of
the law held back by maiden who
despised him in the first act and told
him she would marry him in the last.
Mr.. Vessel has good voice and his
makeup was splendid.
Play With Ease
Another pair, Miss Pelling, a firm
female tutor, with ideas of her own
about love-" played by Miss Mary Tor
beck, and Urban Gausepohl. in the
star comedian part of Bill Pilgrim,
retired pugilist. who is dying the
death of a dog" and who wanted ex-
citement" were accepted at once as
a success. Miss Torbeck played with
ease, and Mr.. Gausepohl played a diff
ficult part with superb comedian abil-
ity, being one of the biggest hits of
the opera He has a voice of depth
and volume.
>
the legal adviser, correctly advised
everyone as to the lawfulness of acts
and thoughts, and was a decided sue
cess in his solo work, his voice being
good and his enunciation plain.
An appearance of interest was that
of Anna Ortman, as Kitty, the postmis-
tress. Miss Ortman. possessor OF a
sweet contralto voice, played well.
Music Is Attractive,
The music of the opera was very
attractive, and with clever settings,
the performance was a decided sue
cess.
Chorus members did good work and
sang with unquestionable volume and
gusto. They included the following
Pirates, Sweethearts and Wives; Mar
garet Kutter, Genevieye Jelly, Josepha
Bankowsk, Flora Torbeck, Mary Hei
delman. Kathleen Hayes, Pauline Wes
sci, Mary Pfieffer, Loretta Zyen, Hell
en- Geers, Helen Vosmeier, Rosella
Vosmeier, Marcella Issen, Mary Huber
Anna Ortman. Rudolph Gausepohl
Salvatore Mercurio. Herman Koorsen
Carl Geier. Ben Michael, Carl Kutter
William kahle, Robert korves, R. L
Zeyen. George Zwissler, Frank Kahle
Andrew Mag, John Heidelman, Louis
Ripberger and Harry Brokamp.
Miss Hilda Wynne of the British
Red Cross won eight different medals
during the war.