Opera Scotland

Patience 1903D'Oyly Carte Principal Repertoire Company

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One Dundee Review

Dundee Courier & Argus: Friday, September 11 1903

Her Majesty’s Theatre - Patience

'Although the aesthetic craze died years ago, and there is now no occult significance in “a poppy or a lily,” still Patience retains its hold on popular favour, and this is one of the strongest proofs of the enduring merit of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas.

'Last night’s performance was a huge success, and it would be easier to name the numbers that were not encored than those that were, a fact which emphasises the great delight of the audience.  The droll duet between Bunthorne and Lady Jane, “Then go to him,” was redemanded four or five times, and the comical trio for the Colonel, the Major, and the Duke was so briskly sung and so humorously danced that it, too, was encored several times.  The lovely sextette and chorus in the first act - one of the sweetest numbers in the whole range of operas - and the delightful quintette in the second act were also specially worthy of mention.

'Patience is essentially a work for the representation of the parts of the two rival poets, Bunthorne and Grosvenor, and in the hands of Mr Workman and Mr Billington the very most was made of these parts.  Not only in style, but in appearance, these artistes are happily contrasted, and nothing could have been more comical than their rivalry.  Mr Bunthorne’s appearance as the “fleshly poet” was only less funny than that as “the everyday young man,” and Mr Workman’s clever attitudinising and soulful utterances were intensely effective.  Miss Maguire was again in brilliant form as Patience and sang the tuneful “Love is a plaintive song,” with great vigour and sympathy.  Miss Rassam was specially excellent as Lady Jane.  In the duet with Bunthorne, to which we have referred, and in “Silvered is the raven hair,” she sang and acted delightfully, and throughout she added much to the vim of the performance.

'Misses Lulu Evans, Jessie Vince, and Jessie Rose, as three of the rapturous maidens, sang charmingly.  Mr Frank Wilson, as the Colonel, sang his two fine songs with great dash and vigour.  Mr Scott Russell was vocally effective, and acted with his wonted humour as the Duke, and Mr G Villiers Arnold was specially comical as the Major, his grotesque dancing and posing being very telling.  The chorus sang well, and while the staging and grouping are always excellent, last night they seemed even more picturesque and perfect in balance than usual.

'To-night The Yeomen of the Guard, the greatest of all the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, will be performed, when we hope that the house will be again full.

'With reference to our remark in the notice of The Pirates yesterday to the effect that we scarcely thought Mr Billington was the “original” Sergeant of Police, and that Mr Rutland Barrington certainly created the part in London, we find that prior to the production in London The Pirates was played for copyright purposes at the Bijou Theatre, Paignton, on 30th December 1879, and that Mr Billington then created the part.'