Mrs. James A. Oates’s Comic Opera: Little Faust

Event Information

Venue(s):
Olympic Theatre

Conductor(s):
F. [conductor] Strebinger

Event Type:
Opera

Record Information

Status:
Published

Last Updated:
13 July 2022

Performance Date(s) and Time(s)

22 Aug 1870, Evening
23 Aug 1870, Evening
24 Aug 1870, Evening
25 Aug 1870, Evening
26 Aug 1870, Evening
27 Aug 1870, Evening

Program Details

Re-opening of the theatre for the new season. “First time in America;” English language version of Herve’s operetta, as adapted by Frank Musgrave from Henry Brougham Farnie’s adaptation.

Performers and/or Works Performed

1)
Composer(s): Musgrave
Participants:  Mrs. James A. Oates’s Comic Opera Company;  Mrs. James A. Oates (role: Mephisto, Arab);  H. T. [tenor] Allen (role: Faust);  William [basso] Crane (role: Valentine);  Charles [baritone] Drew (role: Siebel);  Lula [singer] Prior (role: Karl);  James W. [singer] Thorp (role: Cabman);  George Washington Lafayette Fox (role: Martha);  Marion Taylor (role: Marguerite)

Citations

1)
Announcement: New York Herald, 08 August 1870, 8.
2)
Announcement: New York Herald, 15 August 1870, 7.
3)
Announcement: New-York Times, 21 August 1870, 4.
4)
Announcement: New York Post, 22 August 1870, 2.
5)
Advertisement: New-York Times, 22 August 1870, 7.
6)
Announcement: New-York Daily Tribune, 22 August 1870, 4.

Cleaned and newly-painted theatre.

7)
Review: New York Herald, 23 August 1870, 10.

“This pretty little theatre opened last night for the fall season before a crowded house with an English adaptation of Hervé’s opera bouffe, ‘Le Petit Faust.’ It was mounted in the best style, Mr. Hayes having provided it with some of his choicest scenery. The cast was as follows: [see above]. In regard to the performance, the hoarseness of Mrs. Oates, on whom the weight of the singing fell, acted as a damper, which not even the wit and humor of Fox could remove. The arrangement of the music was also faulty, some of the choicest gems of the original being cut out and many pieces introduced which would have driven Hervé crazy. It would be impossible to criticise the performance of the music, as hoarseness seemed to have taken possession of the entire company. Mr. Allen was an exception to the general rule, as his voice was clear enough, but he succeeded in drowning that of every one else. Perhaps the performance may improve on repetition but last night it was anything but a success. Mr. Strelinger should moderate his orchestra and not swamp the chorus so as to make it inaudible.”

8)
Review: New York Post, 23 August 1870, 2.

“The newly organized Oates Comic Opera Company opened the Olympic theatre last night with the Farnie version of Hervé’s ‘Petit Faust.’ It is a rather clumsy adaptation. The jokes and puns are in many instances localized to suit London rather than New York, although a few of them, such as the allusions of a cowardly soldier to his ‘baptism by fire,’ seemed to greatly delight the audience. The scenery was fairly good, and the music, which will sound to better advantage after further practice, was more elaborate than is usually heard on the burlesque stage. The piece is indeed a burlesque rather than a comic opera in the true sense of the word.

Several of the members of the company have abilities beyond what they were permitted to show last night. Mr. Allen is a robust tenor whose voice is true and telling, and Mr. Crane has a rich baritone voice, in addition to decided skill as an actor. Mrs. Oates sings sweetly, but weakly. Miss Marion Taylor received an encore in her principal song.

Of course, G. L Fox was the prime attraction of the piece, taking with true humor the part of Martha, a spinster of uncertain age, whose mission on earth is union to a man. Her efforts to secure an eligible matrimonial alliance are always amusing, especially when represented by as droll a creature as Fox, whose ‘make up’ includes a startling specimen of the Tyrolese hat so much in vogue. Whenever Fox was on the stage mirth, gaiety and laughter followed in his train.”  

9)
Review: New York Sun, 23 August 1870, 2.

“This theatre has been refreshed with paint and gilding, and came out last evening as good as new with a musical novelty called ‘Le Petit Faust.’ As the name suggests, it is a travesty of Goethe’s ‘Faust,’ with an occasional mimicry of Gounod’s music. In the original French it is said to have convulsed Paris, but as translated and ‘adapted’ with local hits, at one time aimed at London and at another at New York, it seems to want the unity in its folly that has made the fortune of such works as ‘Barbe Bleu,’ and of ‘La Fleur de Thé.’ The company at the Olympic, which to describe in detail, includes the prime favorites Mrs. Oates and Mr. Fox respectively as Mephisto and Martha. Mrs. Marion Taylor, a good burlesque actress with a flexible soprano and a good musician besides, carried off most of the honors as Marguerite. Mr. H. T. Allen, as Faust, promises a [robustious?] tenor, and is a [illegible], without being a [illegible] actor. Mr. Crane, as Valentine, proves to be a valuable addition. He sings well, and has considerable comic power. Mr. Charles Drew is a baritone, with some experience as singer and actor.  Mr. Thorp, in a very small part—that of a hansom cab man--made one of the hits of the evening.

Regarding the music there seemed to be no difference of opinion. About three of the pieces or numbers—technically so called—received decided applause. All the rest were listened to with emphatic silence. The soldiers’ chorus—the waltz beginning the third act and Siebel’s first song by Mr. Drew suited the audience and may in that find their way through the usual channels of street bands and hand-organs to the public. Mephistopheles has a [illegible] opening song, but it was lost by reason of a sore throat, which Mrs. Oates could not conceal. Mr. Fox, in the speaking part of Martha, gave occasional tastes of his fun. His mad scene at the close was a travesty of Ophelia, very [illegible] to behold. The orchestra, chorus, and dresses were all the handbills promised, and if the music pleases—about which there is now some doubt—the burlesque will be numbered among the most successful ones of the day.”  

10)
Review: New-York Times, 23 August 1870, 5.

“Last evening the Olympic reopened for the Fall and Winter season, with an adaptation of Herve’s comic opera, ‘Le Petit Faust,’ in which Mrs. James A. Oates and her troupe appeared. Since last season the troupe has been greatly strengthened by the addition of Miss Marion Taylor, Miss Lula Prior, Mr. H. T. Allen, Mr. Wm. Crane and Mr. Charles Drew. Of the beauty, grace, and untiring vivacity of Mrs. Oates, we have so often spoken, that it would be superfluous to make more than a mere reference to the fact now. Last evening, as Mephisto, though evidently not in her usual voice, she played with a charming grace, archness and spirit that carried her audience with her to the very end of the opera. As Martha, a spinster who never says die, and who presides over a ‘finishing school for young ladies,’ Mr. Fox was excruciatingly funny, playing the character with a grave, quiet humor, that kept his audience in roars of laughter. Miss Taylor, as Marguerite, sang very sweetly, and fairly divided the honors of the evening with Mrs. Oates. Mr. H. T. Allen’s Faust was very fairly given, and the same may be said of Mr. Charles Drew’s Siebel. The little part of Valentine, ‘commander of the horse marines,’ was made the most of by Mr. Crane; and Miss Lula Prior appeared to advantage as Karl. The setting of the piece was all that could be desired, the second and third scenes being particularly good, and fully appreciated by the large audience present. The dresses are all new and of the most gorgeous description, particularly those of the ‘horse marines,’ which must be seen to be believed in. The piece was altogether a decided success, and will doubtless run for weeks to come.” 

11)
Review: New-York Daily Tribune, 23 August 1870, 5.

“There was a crowd at the Olympic Theatre last night—as might have been expected. All parts of the house were full. It is one of the pleasantest of our theatres. An air of cheerfulness always pervades it. Whosoever goes there expects to be amused and finds his expectations fulfilled. Such, at least, has been the rule hitherto, and the custom of the past, we do not doubt, will be the custom of the future. Last night’s performance gave a guarantee of this. It lagged a little, here and there, and had its little defects; but it was bright and cheerful, and it was received with sympathy and applause. The piece—‘Little Faust’—turns out to be a musical burlesque of the old story of ‘Faust,’ based on Hervé’s opera bouffe, much of the music of which it preserves. It is in three acts. Its current follows, with remote accuracy, the current of the original narrative—one of the grandest and most significant stories that were ever told. It is needless to say that there is nothing comic in the original situations. Those of the burlesque are somewhat lacking in the humorous element. The dialogue lacks it too,--but that is natural, for it was written by Mr. H. B. Farnie, a remarkable genius for the commonplace. Mr. Fox was in the cast, though, and Mr. Fox supplied the comic spirit. He played Martha (and not Marguerite), and his performance was a study. Nothing could be neater than his method, and the mood that underlies his method is that of keenest sympathy with comic situations and amplest knowledge of human nature. The quite drollery of his face and voice, and his sense of what is comic in the antiquated female who affects juvenility, were excellent. He was the [illegible] of the piece last night. Marguerite was personified by Miss Marian Taylor, and her performance typified thoroughly well the unpleasant women of the period who, not content with unsexing themselves, are striving to destroy all in woman that is delightful and celestial to man. Of the music we do not speak. The vocalists were not in voice or confidence, last night—with due exception. Mr. Drew, who played Siebel, was justly applauded for his song, ‘Where shall I take my bride.’ Mrs. Oates, who was received with cordial enthusiasm, was suffering from a very severe cold, notwithstanding which she played Mephistopheles and the Arab, with much vivacity, and contributed a great deal to the mirth of the occasion. The costumes were handsome. The scenery was tasteful. Future performances of ‘Little Faust’ will, of course, be cheerier. The Olympic has opened in a merry way, and has a pleasant prospect before it.” [Cast list appended]

12)
Announcement: New York Clipper, 27 August 1870, 166.
13)
Review: New-York Times, 28 August 1870, 5.

“The reopening of the Olympic Theatre for the season was the only incident of the week just closed. ‘Le Petit Faust’—that is to say, an English version of Herve’s very successful work—was the play produced, and was received with favor. But it is not likely to enjoy a very protracted popularity, and indeed it is not intended to. Mr. G. L Fox’s new pantomime will be in readiness in a month, and with its first performance an era of uninterrupted prosperity will be entered upon. ‘Le Petit Faust,’ which is to be acted meantime, will be improved, it should be said, at once. Indisposition has hitherto prevented Mrs. Oates from rendering the music allotted to her, and the representation has suffered from this cause. The chorus, at the outset not too thoroughly acquainted with its duties, will be henceforward unanimous enough to give its share of the score with all the brio Herve’s sparkling compositions exact. The plot, unhappily, will not be made worth following, and the dialogue will never rise above the level of the prose for which the English adapter at an earlier day had the courage to claim credit; but rapid acting, good singing, bright scenery and dresses, and the spontaneous fun of Mr. G. L. Fox, will do a great deal toward atoning for a story of incomparable trashiness, upon which (as the musician has done before) Herve has threaded several tunes of the most graceful form, and choruses which could only have been written by a composer of rare originality and experience.”  

14)
Review: New York Clipper, 03 September 1870, 174.

“At the Olympic Theatre on Monday evening, Aug. 22nd, ‘Little Faust’ was produced with the following cast [see above].

The piece, as presented, is an adaptation of an adaptation of Herve’s ‘La Petite Faust,’ a characteristic satire of the Italian opera of ‘Faust.’ The first adaptation was made by Mr. Henry B. Farnie, whose efforts at burlesque many of our readers are familiar with through the media of several played throughout the country by the Lydia Thompson Troupe. Whatever slight merit that production may have originally had we cannot say, because that was re-arranged by Mr. Frank Musgrave, and on its first presentation here there was an attempt to localize the piece; not, we should opine, by any single pen, but by each artist on his own account; in consequence whereof we were presented with a hodge podge, which savored of London and New York flash expressions so mixed in single sentences that many of them must have been utterly unintelligible to the audience, save those few familiar with London life. The music, which was so highly praised by the London press upon the production of an adaptation of the same opera in that city, has evidently been so mutilated, re-arranged and tampered with, and the piquant satire of the original French dialogue so utterly lost, that the piece might as well have been presented under any other title. The idea attempted in the present version is a burlesque of the entire incidents, action, music and story of the opera of ‘Faust,’ and to satisfactorily present such, either to a mixed or a musical audience, would require artists who would be capable, if need be, of satisfactorily rendering the original. Therefore we characterize the present attempt as a mistake. Mrs. Oates, in the dual character of Mephisto and Arab, was not particularly happy; the former she acted charmingly, with a deal of dash, spirit and ease; and it may be pronounced the best piece of acting she has favored us with; But of the latter she entirely misconceived the author’s idea. The waifs of London are, from their nomadic habits, popularly termed Arabs, and the author’s intent was to introduce the representation of a real, youthful Arab, costumed in the characteristic dress of that race, which dramatic license would have permitted to have been of silk or satin—hence the burlesque; but Mrs. Oates costumed and acted the character like a New York newsboy, and indulged in considerable inelegant language, undoubtedly in common use by that class, but transferred to the stage with questionable taste. The part was considerably mutilated, all that referred to the first act being cut out to enable the lady to play both parts. As Mrs. Oates was suffering under a severe cold, it would be unjust to criticise the musical portion of her performance. Miss Marian Taylor costumed with richness and taste the character of Marguerite, and acted it with spirit, displaying much ability for burlesque. She sang the music effectively and was deservedly encored for the charming manner in which she sang the introduced music from the ‘Grand Duchess.’ This lady is a valuable acquisition to this troupe. Mr. George L. Fox presented an artistically drawn picture of an ancient spinster who apes the manners of a sweet sixteen, and to him may be awarded the credit of originating the only mirth of the evening, his gags possessed real wit and were opportunely introduced. Mr. H. T. Allen played Faust artistically, and deserves high commendation, both for his acting and singing. Mr. Charles Drew made a favorable impression in the character of Siebel, and was encored for singing ‘Where shall I take my Bride?’ which, in conjunction with the encore above referred to, were the only ones of the evening. Mr. Crane acted Valentine with judgment. The chorus was effective, both with regard to numbers and singing. Very little was done for the piece in the way of scenery, although there was ample scope for display in that direction, as models of the scenery used in London had been brought hither. The play was announced on the bills as ‘produced under the direction of Mr. John E. MacDonough,’ but in justice to that gentleman we would say that although he brought the piece, description of the costumes, and models of the scenery from London, he disposed of all his interest in its production here on Tuesday of the week previous, and consequently no responsibility can, in any way, attach to him for any of its defects; nor would we, by any means, impute to the management any intent to mislead the public, as the bills were issued many days prior to the commencement of the season. The entrance of the theatre has been tastefully re-decorated, and the auditorium thoroughly cleansed; new carpets have been laid, and many minor improvements tending toward the comfort of the audience have been effected.”

15)
Article: New York Herald, 22 September 1870, 10.

Assault by James Oates on New York Clipper critic in the barroom of the Metropolitan Hotel over criticism of his wife [NYC review 09/03/70, p. 174?].