Juignet and Drivet’s French Opera Company

Includes a detailed plot of both works. “Last evening the Theatre Francais was filled by the lovers of the Opéra Comique. The evening’s entertainment consisted of Le Chalet, and Les Noces de Jeannette, two single set operas highly illustrative of European country character…

The Noces de Jeannette was performed by special request, and the request will undoubtedly be renewed more than once, judging from the applause of last evening.

The plot of this charming little opera is very simple…

The entire performance of this piece reflects the highest credit on the whole cast.  Mlle. Naddie’s rendering of Jeannette called forth repeated applause, while M. Wilhem [sic] kept the house in the utmost hilarity by his acting of the backward, but self-willed Jean. The soprano solos Cours mon aiguille dant la laine and Au bord du chemin, by Mlle. Naddie were most enthusiastically applauded.”

Worthy works never grow old. One such is the Chalet which, aged thirty-three or thirty-four years, is as young as on the first day. The music of Adolphe Adam is always graceful, lively, touching: in the Chalet, there are pieces of great music, the air of Max, for example, and the passage Dans ce bois de sapins, etc. The public, which was numerous the day before yesterday, was also charmed to hear these ravishing melodies again, and bore witness to its satisfaction through its warm applause. The very poem causes an extreme pleasure in its simplicity.

The roles of the Chalet were played by Mlle Laurentis, MM. Vert and Surmont. One doesn’t need to mention that the first was charming. The song Dans ce modeste et simple asile, the duet with Daniel, the trio that follows, all of that was sung with an unequalled vivacity and a perfect sense of the composer’s intentions and of the situation. As an actress, Mlle Laurentis is surely the most affable and most bewitching Bettly that one could dream of, and one isn’t surprised that Daniel prefers to die rather than to live far away from her.

M. Surmont (Daniel) showed himself to be a conscientious singer and actor. They applauded him strongly in the duet Je me battrai.

The show ended with the Noces de Jeannette, one of the pearls of the repertoire by Victor Massé. We’ve already heard and appreciated Mlle Naddie in this opera, which she sang at the Academy last season. We will state our judgment in two words: it’s perfect. We have seen the Noces with Mlle Miolan, who created it, and with other famous singers in Paris: Mlle Cordier and Mlle Kellogg have attempted the role in New York, and nobody has surpassed Mlle Naddie, who is superior to most.

For a singer like M. Wilhem [sic], the role of Jean shouldn’t be very desirable. The singing part is almost nil. In return, the actor’s skills should be given scope, and M. Wilhem acted with a spirit that put the audience in good humor and that won him numerous bravos.