DOROTHY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1669, 8 February 1913, Page 6

DOROTHY.

0 BACK TO POWDER AND PATCHES. e "Dorothy," a comic opera in three acts, by Alfred Cellier and B. C. Stephenson. Cast:— Dorothy Bantam Amy Murphy t Lydln, Hawthorne ~ Sybil Arundale . Phyllis Tuppitt Dorothy Brunton Mra. Privett Cella Ghiloni . Lady Betty Molly Bearde ■ Geoffrey Wilder, Eeginald Eobert? • Harry Sherwood Talleur Andrews f Squire Bantam . Victor Pi'inco 1 John Tuppitt Edmund Sherras • Tom Strutt Edward Wynne . Lurcher W. S. Percy "Dorothy," with its pleasant 6mack of i old English rusticity, that fine old air of 'lavender and old lace which perfumes the century-pld dress, manner, and , speech; "Dorothy," with its merry yokels, i apple-cheeked lassies, scarlet-coated lmnts- . men, the powdered hair, beauty spots, and wonderful silks and dimities, and moro particularly "Dorothy," the lucid tuneful opera with-its ringing robust choruses, its enduring melodies, and its entire freedom from those artificial trimmings which pass as modern smartnesses, charmed an audience which filled every seat in the Opera House last evening. There was no mistaking the . warmth of tho welcome given to the. work which E A T °urs so sfrongly of Golds nyth's com™y She Stoops to Conquer." There is small doubt that the librettist based lifci work on the old pray. Is not • Squire Bantam the exact oounterpart of Mr Hardcastle, just as Dorothy Bantam is Miss Hardcastle,. and her friend, Lydia Hawthorne, Miss Neville?:' Young Marlow in the play becomes Geoffrey Wilder in the opera, and Hastings is transformed into Harry Sherwood.. With such a merry plot, pretty pastoral setting, and a score well packed with--numbers of much melodic charm,' one could not imagine tailure, yet "Dorothy" was not a great success when originally produced, and • was altered slightly before it reached the sunshine of success. Tho most effective (lose administered during the "cure," is In j<s? Te }} la interpolation of tho txulud Queen of My Heart," a charming-ly-written number, the popularity of which has not been dimmed by tho passage of years. With a healthy tine, and an entire absence of anything mawkish or drab, tho opera swung along spiritedly, and each succeeding number sweetened up tho memory of music of a class'very difficult to forget. On the whole, the performance, whilst it did not shake the standard of others,:-was' satisfying. It is very difficult to eroso tho memory' of such Dorothya as Miss Ciara Merivale, Miss Nellie Stewart, or Miss Florence Young, or such Lurchers as tho late Wm. lilton or George Lauri, but as far as the principals were concerned there are two wrformances which imyo not been bettered. They the Geoffrey Wilder of Mr. Eeginald Roberts and the Phyllis of Miss Dorothy Brunton. Though not in his best form last evening, the music is nieely within the compass of Mr. Roberts s voice, and his pinging of "Though Born a Man of High Degree" was particuarlv satisfymg, and in -the . fanciful ballad the first act, "With a i- a Da '?. t y Dame" he was almost as effective. His voice was valuable in the many concerted numbers, and his acting was agreeably natural. A distinct hit was made by Miss Dorothy Brunton, who?e .Phyllis was a d&inty, enticing little mnid. Miss Brunton with refreshing charm," and' her pretty little voico, though fino in texture,'is sweetly musical, and'carries well to the back wall of the theatre. Her solo, - The Time Has Come," with tho counter-melody in the refrain sung by tho chorus of old womoii was one of the gems of the evening. It is not hazarding much to predict a bright future for this young and winsome actress. Miss Amy Murphy, who first played Dorothy with the Wellington amateurs, sings the music with tho same spirit, and has ehaken off a good deal of that reserve which made her Dorothy Bantam a somewhat frigid young person. She supplied a v&luable top-note to tho finales, and was generally effective in the 6010 and- concerted music. Miss Sybil Arundalo made Lydia Hawthorne a bolder and more rotniish charmer than is usually the case. Her strong mezzo, was at times rather obtrusive in the concorted ■ numbers. Mr. W. S. Percy fooled very cleverly as Lurcher, and seeing that he had to struggle with a mustv "book" -about a quarter of a century old, extracted a good deal of broadly farcical humour i ;from the role of the "Sheriff's faithful " man." The midnight scene on tho stairs .! 1 with Mrs. Privett (Miss Celia Ghiloni) 1 was played to an accompaniment of shrieks of laughter. Miss Ghiloni was most amus- ! ing as the ' elderly widow .of four. 1 The physical contrast.' between her i and - Mr. Percy made their, comedy 1 scenes doubly entertaining. Mr. W. Tal- 1 leur Andrews, as Harry Sherwood, was i somowhat lacking in the spirit ,of the ; young buck of the period, but' sang the j muaio very well indeed. His reading of ] "Queen of My Hoart," which might bo ; addressed more to tho door of his lady- J love's room TRther than-sung full at the , audience, made amends for his somewhat indifferent acting. Mr. Victor Prince was bland and oourtly as Squire Bantam, a rolo which was most gracefully played'in , former years bv his father, Mr. Howard j Vernon. Mr. Princo capitally suggested ] the geniality of the master of Chnnteclcer Hall, find sani? the toast solo, "Contentment I Give You." in capital style. Mr. 1 -E. Sherrns was John Tuppitt, and Mr. 1 Edward Wynne appeared as Tom Strutt. , The choral balanco wns tho worst feature 1 of tho performance. Whilst the sopranos and contraltos were quite a competent lot of fresh voices, tho tenors and basses were weak, and 6omo nf the choruses suffered on that score. Tho "Tally-ho" chorus was almost anaemic until the. sopranos and contraltos joined in. There was an' c inclination to rush this, and several other £ of the'choral numbers. - There was a miisi- 1 ral comedy touch about the dandified * Louis-heeled "swains" of the first act, I where smock-frocks and hob-nailed boots ' would be more in keeping. "Dorothy" is I capitally mounted, and Mr. Victor Cham- 1 pion keeps his forces, both vocal and in- 0 strnmental. well together. Tho season a will closo this evening. s ~ I