AMATEUR-OPERA.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1918, 28 November 1913, Page 9

AMATEUR-OPERA.

TIKNAISSAXCE IN 'WELLINOTOMi-- 1 [BV SYLVIUS.] Twelve years have elapsed since any. ' "thing'iii the'form of legitimate ettm'id opera has been performed in. Wellington •b.v.. amateurs. That, •/ perhaps,.,, ,is .. regrettable, . as." -apart' from, any invidious . comparison* that may he made with professional performances, ainatcul' theatricals, ,ind m particular amateur -opera, is rare of tho most delightful recreation's to those, who. participate therein, md, 'ftU'tber, tho existence of a wc!!-»ita.iKigod society which adapts a policy of giving' publicperformances is an. excellent -"medium for the discovery trf. la-loni- which may lie dormant merely through, lack of. the means to express itself. In jho old days Wellington feasted ri sotfety, the do* icasft of which must bo regretted by many of the. -more maittrdl play-Mcns, who are. able to recall the many Interesting performance;; it gave from timo to. time. For many yeiirs it specialised in the performa.neo.pi''fiiib'ej.'ji van operas, producing svcls Works as "The .Mikado," "lolantho" "The Yeoman of the '-Guard," "The Grand Duke," "Huddigore." "The lira ins of iVun siancc," and "Tho Gondoliers." (hitside of the ('*. and S. repertoire ii was successful in two distinct .productions of I'laiKjiiette's "Hip Van Winkle," two of Collier and Stephenson's opera, "Dorothy," and on one occasion 1 essayed an original opera cntit.l scl "Tin? Monarch of Utopia," tlm .music of which was written bv Sir. F. Wynn -loncs, to tho libretto of Mr, H 15. Uridjio (at present a resident.of Oriental Bay). In tho perfoniianee. of those opera® talent of. a very high order was disclosed on iiuuiy occasions. We have had few better exponents of the subtle art of the lain Sir W. S. Gilbert than tho late Mr. \Y. 1). Lyon, who wc.s'a born comedian, and one- withal who never descended to anything approaching buffoonery to gain his ptmi'fs. Another notably yoou pes-former was Sir. MorrisFox (at present actnary-to the (lovornmont Life Insurance Department), who was seen to. excellent advantage as .lack Point.! in "Tho Yeoman," ami as Nick Yedder in "Dip Van \Vinkio." Mr. H. .15. Nis-holls (secretary to tlm Wellington Harbour Hoard), still a devotee of tho drama, was always effective in- amateur op:-ra.'His Derrick Van Slnns in "Hip"' is well remembered as a, cajjilai piece ofdramatic acting. ■■-Imter- wo had,, the talcnbed- .memuers of the. Xcvttm family, Mrs. H. J. Miller, a very fine soprano and good actress, M.iss -Jennie Sheen, a'OrcezyDorr.iTi'y; Sir. T. M. W?l----ford, who appeared to great iuSva-nlagi! as ilm 'Lorn Ohauedlor in-'-'i-okHitho" and Don Allminhra ■ in '-'The..-Gondo-liers"; Miss Nellie l'-nrkes, ft- .charming singer., aijd actress; Miss Sniftue) (the lain- (iret'ebeu in "Hip Van Winkle ); Mis. Carte. Miss Amy Murphy, tho late Mr Alfred Levi, Mr. E. -.1. Hill, and Miss Ett-ic Magimvity (who is coining to Xe-w Zcnhiul-fetor-on-os contralto lead wills Williamson's Gilbert ,awl &u.UiVim Opera.Company).' , " "" AH these nanies, and perhaps others' will be reiiKmibrt'csl 'Willi retrospeelivfl pleasliro by those who iiiivc followed tho history of the amateur opera stag" '."■ Weiliiigtoti, and will serve to whet their .appetito.fnr. more,,-of the same (lass of performers, ,more especially as thestandard (if jiroFessintjal comic operacompanies has',Keen st'iadily ratrogradinji for years 'past. 'This is not idly stated, when one-•remembers the Howard Vermins, Nellie Stewarts, WallaW Urnwnlows, and Charles KeimiMgtranis n!' Iwentv veors ago, in■ .comparison with the artists who now figure in the Wading roles of the light 'ojicra i-oiiipaiiies whieli visit New Zealand."

Amateur opsin' iirAVollibglßii" is to lii> siveli anotlivr clia«c<N -A now*- society lias boon formed,' will] ii leaven of t!u» old in association with, a., tet of bright young la.kjlt. that js, nqjiitu'ely yearning to show .its paces, behind tho footlighTs. The iie'w society is to iuM<o it-.i debut at the Opera Jlolrtso ii'pict week in 'that sparkling light oiWa' "Tho Geisha," which'has riot been• scon in Wellington- ior some years. To mako assurance doubly sill's the .eoijViiijttco lias called in the assistance of Mr. .Tom Pollard, erstwhile of tin; Po'llard Opera, Co.. to give the performance its (inisb•iug touches, and when that is done. .I.llft result should be a show well worth wiln.cssmg. Miss Helen UanlMT, of Dimccliii, will play ;t tea-rung; part, mid other responsible roles have been oiitnisteu to Miss Eileen Driscoll, Miss Is'siacs, Miss Cara Detih.iml, Mosses. A. W. Newton, V. 11. Meredith, \Y. Morrison, Dr. Norman Hales, and Dr. Isaacs, In selecting il Tlie Oislva" as tho first production the .new society is l»ath wise and daring. Wisp because it is one of the most suefpssfiil Pontic operas since tin? Gilbert ami iStillivan -regih'-t-, and lina isever boon played without scoring a financial- and daring bo(Wlse tboi'p are parts in plenty ilio I'ovpiso of simple, and (hrotigiioMt tho two lons aets the pitch has hiU-o main-, tainpd, otherwise i.-lio interest, slackens at once. ISo popular was "The, (ieisba" in England that (ho sale.of vocal scores exceeded a. million copies—a record. Thoimit Mr. Kidney .lows lias scored inanv bi'f successes, n-i)',rtbly "Tim (.iiiietv CirC' ''My Lady Molly,"'; iind '"Jim Greek Slave,'' tlioy wore all eclipsed by the phenomenal, success, pf -""i'lio..