"THE GONDOLIERS"

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 34, 4 November 1918, Page 3

"THE GONDOLIERS"

A SUCCESSFUL FIRST NIGHT

"The Gondoliers," a comic opera in .two acts, by the late Sir W. S. Gilbert and tan- Arrnnr Sullivan. Cast:— Duko of I'laza-Toro Mr. Zante Wood L U i z Mr. Ohas. W. Mooro Don Alhanibra Del Boloro ... Mr. Trevor Forrest Marco Palmieri Mr. Herbert F. Wood Giuseppe Palmieri Mr. Frederick'G. lwiss Antonio Mr G. Olapham Gioriti Mr. H. T. Barnes Francesco Mr. Charles Heed Duchess of Plaza-Toro. lT ,'n n „ Mrs. D. Stuart-Dallaa Casilda' ....; . ... Miss Dorothy Oanieron Gianetta". '. Miss G Helen Gardner Miss Bathie Howie-Stuart Fiamotta Miss Marjone Skill Ottilia MiBB-Kenme MLellan Vittoria Miss Eileen Graves r nez Miss Ruby Scott

As a rule the life of a comic opera is not a very lone one. ]f. was a very happy choice of the Wellington Amateur Operatic Society to select "The Gondoliers" tor penorinance this year. It is essentially an opera ot youth anil gladness, and itchur.es cheerily with the great war nows that is tumbling iii upon us. It is nearly twenty-nine years since "The Gondoliers" was first produced'at the Savoy Theatre, London, but all the water which has flowed under the bridges since then hat- not been able to expunge the indelible impression the opera made, and somewhere or other throughout the Empire tins radiant work, which so luminously burlesques old ideas on Socialism, is always being plajed. Its melodious score is perhaps as well known as any comic oDera in existence, and some of the witticisms in the scintillating dialogue have become classics. On Saturday evening the amateurs gave a performance that would favourably compare with many .past performances and with the society "The Gondoliers will take rank as the very" best first night performance in the history oi tho v body, and that is saying-a good deal. It was all the 'mors worthy, becduse there are subtle difficulties in Gilbert and Sullivan than do not crop up m other operas. There must bo appreciation of trie value of"every word spoken or sung, and when a wrong word occur? it at once strikes upon the ear as an incongruity. So the society has leapt a higher hurdle tnanit perhaps imagined it was doing in giving so sound and bright a performance as was the case on Saturday evening. J here were, hero and there, first night roughnesses in the orchestra, notably m some of the moro delicate accompaniments to solos, but these-were blemishes that will pass away with familiarity with the singers' tempos and treatment. The Irentliani Camp Orchestra possesses line strings, and a very solid brass section, and the ensemble playing in the overture and finales was splendid. • A brief summary ot the plot of the opora has already been given in these columns. The fitness of the cast is quite remarkable: Marco (Mr. Herbert I'. Wood), (.tuiseppu (Mr. Fred. TViss), Giahetta (Miss Helen Gard'ner), and Tessa (Miss Batliie .Howie-Stewart), form a quartet apart from the rest all ot a height, and the verve and brightness of their work in combination is one of the features of the performance The society is indeed fortunate in securing the services of two such clever and gifted I singers and actresses as Misses Gardner and Stuart (a newcomor, also from Dunedin). Miss Gurd'ner, who was in her best form, sang "Kind Sir, You Cannot Have tho Heart," with fine artistry, getting every ounco out of the pretty song musically and otherwise. Miss Stuart has a glowing temperamont and skill in acting that compensates for a sweet mezzo voice of limited power. Her Tessa was quite a captivating performancewarm, genial, and always vital. Her' chief successes were in "When a Merry Maiden Marrios" and "Whenever She Condescends to Walk," in which her acting was delicious!y humorous. Mr. Twisa made Guistppe u bright, manly fellow of a likeable sort, and sang' the music with the air of a veteran (though it is his first essay in opera). Both ho and Mr. Wood wero quite at homo in the ' concerted movements, and their voices i blended admirably;.: Mr. Twiss made all i the traditional points in his solo, ".Rising I Early," and Mr. Wood roused tho audiI ence to enthusiasm by his singing of | "Take a Pair of Sparkling Etyes." Mr. | Trevor Forrest, as the Grand Inquisitor, ihas a rich fund of humour at his comj mand, and infused distinctive character into the make-up of this "incomprehensible old gentleman." The deliberation, repose, and culture of Don Alhambra are something apart from the gondolieri rabble, and Mr. Forrest marked that difference very cleverly without losing any of the unctuous humour which underlies most of his lines. His songs, "No Possible Doubt • Whatever" and ' "There Lived a King," were well received. One of the outstanding successes was • the Cnsilda of Miss) Dorothy Cameron, *the possessor of a full, tree soprano, which she knows how to use.' Tliere was ripe experience manifested in her acting and the intelligence thatmarked her share in the dialogue. Her ohief numbers are "0, Rapture," and "There Was a Time," two duets with Luiz, admirably sung in both instances, hut token a little too slowly on Saturday evening to get tho very best effect. Miss Cameron looked very well as the young senorita in the first act, and was . beautifully tracked in the second court scene.' Mr. Charles Moore gang the music of the duets quite well, hut could , have made more of the romantic interchanges with Casihla. There was no sounder performance in the opera than tho Duke of Mr. Zante Wood, whose fit- ; ting stature was swept into the backi ground by his dignity and the raro in- : telligence with which ho spoke his lines. 1 Mr. Wood played, the role in a serious Yein, and, on those lines, was absolutely convincing. His songs, "In Enterprise - of Martial Kind," "I Am a Courtier," and the duet "Small Titles and Or- • ders" (with the Duchess) were all well > delivered, and in the gavotte was tho 1 neatest and most dapper Duke wo have • seen. Mrs. Stuart-Dalhs, tall and comI manding in figure and reposeful in manner, is a natural Duchess. She looked exceedingly handsome, and gave every note of her music—and she has a lovely contralto organ—its full value. Were she to speak her dialogue a little quicker an improvement would be made in her performance. Mrs. Dallas is cortainly an acquisition to" the society, and to Wellington. She was encored for her one solo, "On tho Day That I Was Wedded." Miss Ruby Scott chanted the lines of Inez with marked clarity. Mr. ' George Clapham was Antonio, scoring 0 the first encore with "The Merriest Folf lows' Are Wo." The email part soloe iets among the ladies were scarcely aud- '■ ible. The oxcoption was Miss Ronnie M'Lollan, who has a rich mezzo voice, y Miss Marjnrio Skill was Fiametta, and jt Miss Eileen Graves Vittoria. h "The Gondoliers" is essentially a dirnc- '■ ing opera, and the lilt of tho music right II through is positively infectious. A viva'o eious cachucn, danced to the jingle of »f bells and the rythmical clatter of tho io castanets, caught the fancy of tho big :t audience, and had to bo twico repeated. Tho'gracoful gavotto of tho second act n was charmingly arranged and elegantly » danced, and had to be repeated. The Is opera is lavishly mounted nnd costumV. ed. Tho first act represents tho Piazza r. at Venico, with tho Grand 'Canal in the r- background, and the second scene is an id exotie court interior at Baratana, highIs- ly coloured and Eastern in character, r. A word of praise for tho chorus singing, ce Necessarily preponderating in female '" strength, it was nevertheless of sustained in excellence. The fresh young voices, carei.r fully trained, inado tho concerted miniio bers quite a feature of tho performance, a- The chief credit for tho production (1 Tests with Mr. Tom Pollnrd, who never disappoints the public. The phrase, "it's id only an amateur'jhow," can never apply to one directed by Mr., Pollard, who has if. a happy way of giving finish to any I's opera ho produces. He was the subject !ip of many comrnitiilntions on Saturday i, O night. Mr. Frank Thomas was the he musical director, and it is to his credit « nnd that of those under him that the •el performance generally was si> very suep]i cossful. Tho handsome nnd picturesque 1 costumes were designed by Mrs. James Hannah, and Mr. W. G. Beck had much to do with the painting of the scenery, "The Gondoliers" will bo played to throughout this week. Saturday's audiR- enco included His Excellency the Govml ernor-General and the Countess ol VII Liverpool, Major-General Sir Alfred Robin, C.M.G., and Surgeon-General Honderson. At its conclusion most oi tho principals received very handsome ' floral tributes,