French Opera Bouffe: Barbe-bleue

Arrival of Marie Aimée in New York; her triumphs abroad.

“At the grand Opera House last night Offenbach’s ‘Barbe Bleue’ was produced in a fair style. While the cast generally was not as good as on previous productions of the opera—the leading tenor being conspicuously inefficient—there was considerable interest felt in the debut of the new prima donna, Mlle. Aimée. This lady is young, pretty and piquant, scarcely as pronounced in her acting as some of her predecessors on the opera bouffe stage, but superior to most of them as a vocalist. Her Boulotte will hardly make us forget that of Irma; but it is a very clever and pleasing performance.”

“A large audience, kindly disposed toward Mlle. AIMEE by the abundant testimony from Europe and Brazil, as to her excellencies, witnessed the earliest appearance of that lady in this country at the Grand Opera-house last evening. The untoward incidents of a first night—the principal one being the indisposition of M. GAUBINS—and the partial embarrassment of an actress in the presence of foreign language and tastes, suggest the postponement of a lengthened notice of the entertainment, which ended, by the way, at an extremely late hour. But we can record without delay the fact that Mlle. AIMEE’S performance afforded general pleasure. The new artist is young and pretty, is gifted with a light soprano voice, in the use of which she is quite skilled, and is thoroughly versed in the display of those peculiar graces which the representative singer of Parisian opera bouffe seems to have originated without a view of their more or less successful reproduction by emulous minds. The best points of the rendering of ‘Barbe Bleu,’ [sic] which was the opera sung, must await a future reference. They will be increased in number by a few rehearsals, though the finale of the first act, the presentation scene in the second, and other passages yesterday were given with much spirit and finish, and redemanded with enthusiasm.”

“Mlle. Aimée made her first appearance Wednesday evening in ‘Barbe Bleue’ at the Grand Opera House. The reports that preceded this lady had been exceedingly favorable, and her presence confirmed them. Such singers are not to be measured by the same standard that is applied to those who take part in grand opera. If they sang as well as those artists, they would soon be transferred to that stage. It was not to be expected, therefore, that Mlle. Aimée would sing like an artist upon the best Italian stage. Her voice is of medium power and of much sweetness. Her execution is quite sufficient for all the requirements of Offenbach music; her acting droll without extravagance, and humorous without indelicacy. Her by-play is exceedingly significant and suggestive. Mlle. Aimée has a handsome and prepossessing person. There is art in her acting, which is more than can be said for many of her predecessors. It is a relief to find an actress who is content to make her mark by resort to legitimate means. We regard Mlle. Aimée as a decided gain to the Opera Bouffe stage.”

“Mlle. Aimée made her first appearance Wednesday evening as Boulotte, in the ‘Barbe Bleue,’ the most musical of all the works by which Offenbach has lifted opéra bouffe into a legitimate sphere as an attractive feature of the modern French stage. Everybody is familiar with the plot of ‘Barbe Bleue.’ And all that we have to do is heartily to endorse the commendations which Mlle. Aimée, as Boulotte, won at the Varietés in this character after having made her début in 1868, when sixteen years old, at the Concert des Ambassadeurs, in the Champs Elysées, and for four years and a half at Rio Janeiro [sic]. She made still another voyage to Rio, whence she has been the ‘actrice aimée des Varietés. Escaping from Paris by balloon, she has come to New York, where her youth, her beauty, her fresh and clear voice, and the vivacity, and at the same time the good taste of her acting, made last evening a  most favorable first impression. The merry archness with which she sang ‘Y’a des Bergers dans le Village’ introduced her at once to the best good will of those who were most obstinately determined to adhere to their old and well founded prejudices in favor of Mlle. Irma-Marie as their typical Boulotte. And throughout the representation of ‘Barbe Bleue’ Mlle. Aimée sustained with increasing power the earliest favorable impressions which she had made. Three times encored in the favorite song, ‘Ou’il est Charmant, le Freluquel,’ and rapturously applauded in several other morceaux, she was never tempted to go beyond the proprieties—that is, to indulge in the cascades, the ‘gags’ which certain ill-advised friends of the members of opéra bouffe companies have erroneously told then are indispensible with a New York audience. At last we nay hope they have all learned that the contrary is the truth. M. Gaussins, who cannot boast of a voice that, as might be desired, wakes all the echoes of so spacious a hall as that of the Grand Opera, but who is nevertheless a comic actor of fine quality and high degree, almost made the audience forget the magnetic force of M. Aujas in Barbe Bleue. M. Duchesne as the Roi Bobeche, seemed to have recovered entirely the healthful vigor which impresses all the old admirers of General Boum. The other roles were creditably sustained. We need scarcely add that les choeurs were excellent, and that the mise en scène was admirable. ‘Barbe Bleue’ is destined again to be the success of the season.”

“M’lle. Aimee, prima donna, made her American debut at the Grand Opera House, on Wednesday evening, Dec. 21^st, in the role of Boulotte, in Offenbach’s opera bouffe entitled ‘Barbe Bleue.’ This lady came among us with the highest endorsements of her artistic merits from Brazil and France, which she has nobly maintained. She is beyond doubt the best prima donna we ever had here to interpret opera bouffe. She is young, handsome, has a soprano voice of medium power and great purity, which she manages with artistic skill. She possesses what the French term chic, in an eminent degree. Mlle. Irma, who had previously sung this role in this city, and was withal a great favorite, left such a strong impression upon the minds of her auditors that it was feared it would prove inimical to Mlle. Aimee’s performance of that role. But she was equal to the emergency. Before the close of the second act the recollection of Irma’s triumphs paled the absolute success of this young artiste. M. Duchesne was excellent as King Bobeche, and Varlet as Popolani. Hittemans as Count Oscar, Gausins as Blue Beard, are deserving of commendation.”