Aim�e Opera Bouffe: Le Petit Faust

“’Le Petit Faust’ was given at the Lyceum Theatre last evening, and may be witnessed there to-night. We cannot say that we like the opera as well as the more familiar elements of the répertoire, but it is nevertheless supplied with no little tuneful music, and there are some bits of imitation of Gounod which are marvelously clever. The present performance, however, is of particular interest, because Mlle. Aimée, who, in past seasons, has been the Mephisto, is now the Marguerite. We have never had amid us an artist equal to Mlle. Aimée in resource and vivacity, nor one who strove so hard to entertain her audiences. Possibly she sometimes sins through what Talleyrand reproved, that is to say, through excès de zèle, but merry and insatiable listeners are quite as much to blame for the excess as Mlle. Aimée herself. In ‘Le Petit Faust’ Marguerite, who has hitherto been a pretty dull personage, takes on, thanks to her, a new charm, and effaces the influence of Mephisto from first to last. Mlle. Stani did nicely in that role, but Mlle. Aimée, as the least naïve of Gretchens, carried everything brfore her, and was compelled to sing no less than four times the Franco-German duet in the second act, with Faust. A recall at the close of the same scene, which was carried on with a verve that would have delighted Voltaire, after his famed axiom concerning the requisites of an actress, followed the demands to repeat the duo. M. Juteau, in spite of a rather too-pronounced tendency to irrelevant byplay, afforded much amusement as Faust, M. Lécuyer gave decided individuality to Valentin, and the minor parts were all filled by proficient performers.”

Hervé, the composer of this admirable travestie on Goethe and Gounod, is not always as happy in opera as he is in this work. Unhappily for his chances of success, he indulges in the temerity of writing his own librettos, and in the cases of ‘L’Oeil Crevé’ and ‘Chilpéric,’ the beautiful music with which both these operas abound is crushed beneath the imbecility of plot and dialogue. ‘Le Petit Faust’ is something better in this respect, and has many happy musical thoughts, Mlle. Aimée and Stani as Marguerite and Mephisto and MM. Juteau, Duplan and Lecuyer in their respective rôles, bringing out to the fullest extent the humorous spirit of the music. The ‘Valse des Nations’ is worthy of opera comique, and the German trio ‘Tyrolenne’ is irresistibly funny.”