Draper English Opera: La fille du Régiment, Caroline Richings Benefit

Event Information

Venue(s):
French Theatre

Manager / Director:
Henry Draper

Conductor(s):
William G. Dietrich [cond.-pf-dir.]

Price: Balc Boxes, $1.50; Parquette, $1; Dress Circle, front, $1, back .75; Family Circle, .25

Event Type:
Opera

Record Information

Status:
Published

Last Updated:
18 April 2020

Performance Date(s) and Time(s)

22 Jun 1866, Evening

Program Details

Benefit for Richings

Performers and/or Works Performed

1)
aka Daughter of the Regiment, The ; Figlia del reggimento, La; Child of the Regiment, The; Regimentstochter, Die
Composer(s): Donizetti
Text Author: Saint-Georges, Bayard
Participants:  Caroline Richings (role: Marie);  William J. [tenor] Hill (role: Tonio);  Edward S. C. Seguin (role: Cartouche);  Sophie Mozart (role: Countess)

Citations

1)
Announcement: New York Herald, 21 June 1866, 4.

“On Friday Miss Richings will take a benefit, on which occasion The Daughter of the Regiment will be presented.”

2)
Announcement: New York Herald, 22 June 1866, 5.

“Miss Richings takes a benefit to-night at the French theatre.  She will appear in the Daughter of the Regiment.”

3)
Review: New-York Daily Tribune, 25 June 1866, 4.

“The only change of performance at this establishment during the past week was the production of Donizetti’s charming comic opera, ‘The Child of the Regiment,’ for the Benefit of Miss Caroline Richings. The house was quite full, every seat was taken, and the audience was very brilliant. The temperature was about 110 in the shade, and the air inside was hot enough to cook an omelette. Architects seem more than ever ignorant of the science of ventilation. They seem to him to imitate as closely as possible the atmospheric freedom of the black hole at Calcutta, and the resemblance of the French Theater to that agreeable place is very remarkable.

The opera was very fairly performed. Miss Richings as Marie looked well and acted well, and sang the music tastefully and correctly.  She was very cordially received by the public, and their satisfaction with her performance was expressed by frequent encores, very generally demanded. Mrs. Mozart was a very efficient Countess.

Mr. Hill, the Tonio of the evening, has a sweet and excellent tenor voice, and he uses it fairly. He is also a spirited actor, but both his singing and acting betrayed a certain trepidation and haste which permitted of no repose.  He was so anxious to do all he could that he overdid even to exaggeration. Still there is much good stuff in him, which may be molded to a profitable use on the English stage.    Mr. Edward Seguin sang the music of Cartouche in his usual artistic manner, but he needs more dash and swagger to personate the rough old soldier effectively.  The choruses were sung spiritedly and correctly, and the orchestra, under the direction of Mr. Dietrich, was very good indeed.”

4)
Review: New-York Times, 25 June 1866, 4.

“Miss Richings, who took her benefit on Friday, last was greeted by a very fine audience. The opera was the ‘Child of the Regiment,’ which we partly heard. We were not impressed with the performance."

5)
Review: New York Herald, 25 June 1866, 5.

“The French theatre was crowded on Friday evening with a truly select audience of Miss Richings’ admirers, on occasion of her benefit.  Miss Richings is a very estimable artiste, but she made a great mistake in attempting the rôle of Marie, the Child of the Regiment.  Some of the greatest artistes, Italian, French and English, who have appeared within the last ten or fifteen years, made this their favorite rôle, and although it would be unfair to institute comparisons between Miss Richings’ and their rendering of the character, still it is, at the least, injudicious to provoke such comparisons.  There were a few excellent points in her acting and singing that called up reminiscences of Piccolomini and Louisa Pyne, but esprit and élan, those necessary qualities of the vivandière, were sadly lacking throughout. The Rataplan was the best in the entire rôle. Of the rest of the cast there were three who entered into the spirit of the piece and were unexceptionable in every respect, in point of singing and acting. They were Mrs. Mozart and Messrs. Seguin and Ketchum. The opera was very creditably placed on the stage and the performance in general good. There is no doubt that English opera, if continued in the manner that it has been inaugurated at this handsome little theatre, will become a permanent and successful institution in the metropolis. It is more consonant with American tastes and ideas than heavy Italian or German opera, and it should be encouraged by all lovers of music and the drama in New York.”