Soldene English Opera Bouffe: Genevi�ve de Brabant

Names of company members. 

Cast listing. 

“Miss Emily Soldene, making her first appearance in America, came forward, at the Lyceum Theater, last evening, and acted and sung to the hearty and warmly manifested delight of a crowd of spectators that filled the house. Miss Soldene is a handsome woman, in the massive style, and is a sprightly actress. She possesses a clear, rich, and melting voice, and her singing and acting evince the results of careful study and useful experience. A wholesome, womanly, good-humored manner, and a refined and correct taste shine through her artistic manifestations and commend her not less to critical acceptance and respect than to popular sympathy and good-will. She has the mirthful freedom of the French school of comic vocalism, restrained and guided by a native English sense of decorum, courtesy, and self-respect. Her vocalism is of an engaging kind—being silvery, free, cordial, earnest, and alike spirited and correct. She appeared as Drogan, in an English version of ‘Genevieve de Brabant,’ from which certain objectionable French features have been ‘burnt and purged away.’ Miss Soldene was the recipient of sincere applause, especially for her fine execution of a tender song of reverie over sleep and love, in the second act. This was one of the best bits of the evening. The piece was set upon the stage amidst accessories of uncommon beauty, and was spiritedly done, in two acts. The Watteau picture, in act second, was deliciously pretty. The well-worn gens d’armes duet had another welcome. The company is stronger in acting than in vocalism. There is a little too much talk in the text, and the bad local gags are a blemish. Space does not serve us for particular comment on the entertainment thus offered. English Opera Bouffe is a simple and charming kind of amusement; and its establishment at the Lyceum Theater—where it has appeared under cleanly and prosperous auspices—puts an innocent pleasure, amidst artistic and refined conditions, within the reach of our public, such as it will not be slow to discover and improve. Without discussing particulars, we wish to record impressions from this opening performance, such as prompt a word of cordial praise for Miss Soldene and her well balanced company.” Cast listing.

“The Soldene English Opera Bouffe Company last evening effected their début in this country. They appeared at the Lyceum Theatre, in ‘Géneviève de Brabant,’ and were received with every token of favor by an audience which filled the house to repletion. So vivacious, bright, and inoffensive an entertainment is rarely offered. It is opera bouffe capitally sung, briskly acted, and freed from all its coarseness, and to the attractiveness of ordinary representations of this sort it adds, by means of rich scenery and gorgeous dresses, the charm of spectacle. The applause which accompanied yesterday’s recital showed that all these excellences were recognized, and that the new frame for a familiar picture was accepted as a welcome novelty. It will, of course, be inferred that in some respects the revised edition of ‘Géneviève de Brabant,’ by gaining a few advantages loses others. The nastiness of the French dialogue can be easily spared, but, in the suppression of many indelicate incidents and phrases, the ‘point’ of a good many ‘situations’ is blunted, and the adapter has not always succeeded in being as funny as he is inoffensive. It is, however, pleasant to reflect that nobody need abstain from hearing Offenbach’s jolly music on the ground of morality, and to report that, in the matter of singing, scenery, and costume, the work of the Soldene troupe deserves unqualified commendation. Miss Soldene is, naturally enough, the principal artist of her company. Her voice is round and powerful, her execution skilled and tasteful, and she is a handsome woman, and an actress of intelligence and experience. Miss Soldene personated Drogan, and sang not only the music set down to that roguish young gentleman, but a tyrolienne by Holzel, and two or three interpolated numbers. Next in importance to this lady is Miss Agnes Lyndhurst, who portrayed Géneviève nicely, and after this artist are to be mentioned Miss Lizzie Robson, who depicted Brigitte, Mr. Edward Marshall, who was Grabuge, one of the two well-known gendarmes, and Mr. J. P. Rae, who played the Burgomaster. Except Miss Soldene, none of the performers rose much above the plane of clever acting; but the most successful efforts of the evening were to be credited, in our judgment, to those whose names we have supplied. As already implied, the rendering of Géneviève was smooth and exhilarating. The serenade was redemanded, so was a purely operatic quintet added to the forrest scene, and the duet of the men-at-arms was sung six or seven times, while a general recall followed the final fall of the curtain. While the Soldene company has done its share toward providing an agreeable entertainment by gathering about Miss Soldene a score of young and pretty faces, a full chorus, and a large assortment of the gayest and most picturesque dresses ever worn on the stage, the management has caused Mr. H. Calyo to illustrate ‘Géneviève with several sets in which the delicate fancy and refined touch of that gentleman are clearly discernable.”

“Miss Emily Soldene’s English opera bouffe company appeared last evening at the Lyceum Theatre, presenting an English version of Offenbach’s ‘Genevieve de Brabant.’

The company in its general detail is not unlike the English troupes of a similar character that have preceded it, such, for instance, as those that Lydia Thompson has brought to this country.

It is to be said for the present company, however, that it far surpasses the former ones in point of musical accomplishment.

Not only is Miss Soldene herself a very good musician, which Miss Thompson never was, but several of the ladies of her company also sing well.

But French opera bouffe is to English translation as champagne is to British beer. The froth and sparkle are gone, and the respectable but heavy commodity that takes their places is but a poor substitute.

The French are at home in this kind of thing. Aimée and her company sang and acted their operas as though they enjoyed the fun and wickedness of it. However often they had performed in a piece there was always the same appearance of gaiety and the same dash. But the English are not ‘to the manner born.’ With them it seems rather a duty to be gotten through with than a pleasure to be enjoyed, and they fail to enter with any zest into the situation, or to inspire any mirth in their audiences.

‘Genevieve de Brabant’ in its original form was, as all those who had the misfortune to hear the French version must remember, a vile play. What life it had was phosphorescence of decay. It is but just to say that in the present English translation all of this disreputable element has been left out, and the opera is at least a decent one. But it is a question whether all the vitality has not been lost at the same time with the wickedness. As it now stands there is very little meaning, and less fun, in the play.

Such as it is, however, it is excellently put upon the stage, and those who go to hear it will find some very good scenery, bright and varied costumes, pretty women with shapely legs displayed as abundantly as is consistent with the wearing of any costume whatever, a dull dialogue spoken by actors apparently without any comic talent or sense of humor, and some very fair singing. The opera is presented every night for the present.”

“Before a large audience at the Lyceum Theatre, last evening, what is called ‘English opera bouffe’ was presented for the first time in this country. The performers were Miss Emily Soldene, whose coming had been trumpeted for many weeks, and whose portraits had been displayed for some time in the shop windows, and her company; and the piece was a translated and very much altered version of ‘Geneviève de Brabant.’ Offenbach’s score has undergone but slight changes at the hand of the adapter, but many liberties have been taken with the story, which in its present form may be said to be slightly incoherent (if, indeed, it is not so in the original) and rather uninteresting. All that was immoral in the French play has been omitted in the English version; and as the most essential part of ‘Genevieve de Brabant,’ in its original state, was vile, it can readily be seen that the entertainment in which Miss Soldene and her associates last night took part was in itself somewhat insipid. Again, the English players lack the animal spirits of the French people, and they hardly catch the grotesque humor of the burlesque. One of the great attractions of the French opera bouffe is that every performer, down to the least-important chorister, is generally a fair actor. The people who appeared last evening as pages and maids of honor, although they presented a much more comely appearance than the chorus singers of the French troupe, were too restrained and quiet. But it was evident that every member of the company was affected by nervousness.

Miss Soldene, who played Drogan, is, of course, the chief attraction, and the remarks we have made concerning her supporters do not at all apply to her. She possesses all the vim of her Gallic sisters, and unites with it English modesty and grace. Her appearance is pleasing, and her voice is powerful and of excellent quality. She strikes the highest notes of an extended register without apparent effort, and holds them with ease. In the serenade she made the first marked impression of the evening; she obtained an encore for the quintet of the second act, ‘Yes, ‘tis dark!’ and in the plaintive melody ‘Sleep on, my Queen’ she awakened the audience to real enthusiasm. The principal actor in the support is Mr. E. Marshall, who, with Mr. E. D. Beverly, took part in the hackneyed but always well-received duet of the gens d’armes. Mr. J. B. Rae, Mr. H. Lewens, Mr. John Wallace, Miss Lizzie Robson, Miss Agnes Lyndhurst (who, with the exception of some fog-whistle achievements in the second act, did the work allotted to the Duchess Genevieve in a creditable manner), and Miss Laura Carthew, are prominent members of the company. The programme announced that the piece has been rewritten for the American stage. The rewriting consisted in plentifully befouling the text with allusions to local scandals, political and social. A lady of Miss Soldene’s evident good taste should take the earliest opportunity to remove these blemishes from an otherwise clean, bright and merry performance. The scenery was good and the costumes were surpassingly beautiful, the Watteau being a marvel of delicate coloring. Once or twice the chorus and orchestra went astray, but the baton of Mr. George Richardson quickly restored order.”

“The famous English Opéra Bouffe Company, which achieved so much popularity in England, under the direction of Miss Emily Soldene, opened at the Lyceum last night. There was a large and select audience gathered to witness the first performance, as the company was said to rival the French bouffe companies in sparkle and solid merit. Offenbach’s ‘Geneviève de Brabant,’ duly cut down and adapted to the correct cut of Anglo-Saxon prudishness, was the work selected for this momentous experiment before an audience familiar with Aimée and her brilliant but by no means prudish artists. Fortunately, the piece lends itself readily to a perfectly correct but somewhat tame adaptation, against which no possible objection can be urged, so that the class of people who want to see opéra bouffe with all the flavor and spice which sin gives left out, may enjoy themselves hugely during the present engagement. They will, of course, miss the intense fun which gives opéra bouffe its chief attraction for the ungodly, but no company can be expected to have all the virtues. The music of ‘Genevieve’ is too well known to need comment, and it suffices to say that it was given in a way that proved very acceptable to an audience inclined to be critical, as first night audiences generally are. Nothing approaching to the completeness of the mise en scène has been witnessed in this class of entertainment on our stage. Some of the dresses are wonderfully rich and picturesque. There is a richness and finish in the tableaux to which we are not accustomed. If we omit Miss Emily Soldene we cannot pronounce the company a strong one. It is well organized and works well together, but it lacks the animal spirit and fun which characterizes the native opéra bouffe. If our new visitors could throw off some of their insular phlegm and enter heartily into the spirit of the scenes they would become immensely popular. The MAIDS OF HONOR, ladies of the company, have the advantage of freshness and good looks in their favor, and with a little more dash, they might well become irresistible. Of Miss Soldene herself we have nothing to say but what is complimentary. She in a remarkable manner possesses the qualities we would desire to see more generally shared by her attendant blondes. In her style she has combined the chic and dash of the French stage with the reserve and propriety of the English. She impressed the audience with the feeling that she is not merely on the stage for their amusement but for her own. So heartily does she enter into the spirit of her rôle that she appears to enjoy the fun of it as much, if not more, than the audience. This state of feeling is contagious, and constitutes what we are accustomed to call magnetism. It places the artiste and her audience in the best possible rapport, so that even the most frigid are thawed and forced to be interested in what is passing on the stage. In person Miss Soldene is handsome and prepossessing. Her voice is sweet, well cultivated, and of good compass in the higher notes, though not of remarkable power. She touches with equal skill on the humorous and the sentimental chords of human feeling. She at once established herself in public favor and during the evening received the honor of several recalls. By a strange contradiction, the gentlemen are by far the weaker part of the company. With the exception of Messrs. Marshall and Beverley none of them made any marked impression on the audience. Mr. Wallace, who sustained the rôle of Cocorico, received a recall for his song ‘The Cup of Tea;’ but his general performance was not such as to create any very marked enthusiasm. The cast was as follows [lists cast].

For a first night the performance ran very smoothly, and we have no doubt that as soon as Miss Soldene’s artists become better acquainted with the audience and the theatre there will result a noticeable improvement, even on last night’s performance. If we insist on absolute correctness we must not expect the lightness and brilliance of the unadulterated opéra bouffe. What Miss Soldene gives us is rather a compromise between the burlesque of the ‘Strand’ and the jolly absurdities of the ‘Bouffe’ with something of the relish of both but without the flavor of either. English opéra bouffe is like wine without a bouquet.”

Matinee performance. 

“Emily Soldene and her opera-bouffe company made their first public appearance in this country on the night of Nov. 2 at the Lyceum Theatre, on which occasion she was greeted by a crowded house, largely composed of our English residents, the audience, besides, being one of those critical gatherings of the dramatic literati which always marks the nights of first appearances of noted artists. The opera of the evening was an English version of Offenbach’s ‘Genevieve de Brabant,’ which was given with the following cast [lists cast].

The opening scene presented a picture which fully carried out the promise of excellence in mise en scene and costume, and it was once made evident that the new troupe were well up in stage business; besides which, the physique of the company in perfection of form and beauty of countenances was equal to the anticipations of the audience, the company in this respect being decidedly English. When Miss Soldene appeared, she was welcomed with that cordial applause which a stranger ever meets from an American audience; but she had sung but a few notes and spoken but a word or two, before a feeling of disappointment spread, as her voice was almost inaudible both in song and speech. As she warmed up to her work, however, she improved considerably; and the fact was soon realized that the new star of the burlesque hemisphere was not only a refined and cultivated artist in acting, and one very graceful in action, but also that she possessed a voice of marked sweetness and purity of tone, though not ordinarily of much power. That she well knew how to use it, was shown in her excellent rendering of ‘The Serenade,’ which elicited an enthusiastic recall. The vocal hit of the evening was her finished and expressive singing of the reverie song in the second act, which elicited very hearty applause. In fact, before the close of the performance Miss Soldene had fully established herself in the good graces of her audience, even if she did not create anything of the furor anticipated by her English admirers. In person she is tall, and inclined to embonpoint. There is an absence of the vulgar, flashy style in her acting, which will commend her to the best patrons of the English burlesque stage, while withal she imparts all the vivacity of the French school to her personations. She is decidedly above those who surround her, vocally and dramatically, the troupe not being up to her standard by any means, though the company as a whole is not unevenly balanced. Miss Lyndhurst is not au fait in opera-bouffe, though possessing a fair voice and person, while the others of the cast do not shine to any special advantage. A drawback to the success of the night’s performances was the fact that the version of the opera does not follow the original text, either as regards the music or the libretto, stale jokes intended to be telling local hits falling flat upon the audience, while the vocal interpolations did not equal the original songs. The best hit, outside of Miss Soldene’s interpretation of Drogan, was the duet by the gendarmes. Mr. Rae also introduced an amusing blowing of his own trumpet in the part of the Burgomaster. The scenery, costumes and stage appointments were very attractive, especially the Watteau picture of the French Court. As a whole, the performances were very acceptable, and a decided improvement over the blonde burlesque efforts of previous English companies.”