Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 102, May 28, 1892Various
General
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 102, May 28, 1892
Various
English wit and humor -- Periodicals
But--stop--the tremendous row (a quarrel quite representative of
Whitechapel in Italy, and suggesting to some of us what Signor
Coster CHEVALIER might do if this Opera were Londonised) between
_Turiddu-de-Lucia_ and _Santuzza-Calvé_ is over, the latter has
denounced her former lover, there is thunder in the air--the
atmosphere is heavy with fate--and the stage is clear. Then comes
the _intermezzo_, foreboding ill, presaging tragedy,--magnificent!
And as MANCINELLI bows from his seat, acknowledges the thunder of
applause--this was the thunder in the atmosphere--and pulls his forces
together again to repeat and emphasize the triumph--DRURIOLANUS shuts
up his lorgnette, beams on the world around, and murmurs to himself,
"Waterloo is won!" Decides thereupon to give the same performance on
Thursday, and does so, with repetition of triumph.
Now one word as to a picturesque detail. The action takes place on
Easter Sunday, not on Palm Sunday; but Archbishop DRURIOLANUS has
issued a pastoral melody dispensing his flock from the usual custom,
and allowing them to have the palms distributed on Easter Sunday, for
the sake of the show. "_Palmam qui meruit ferat_,"--and well does each
one of the Chorus deserve his or her palm. And do not those in front
who are nervous as to splitting their glove-seams, also bare their
palms to applaud this Opera? Why certainly. Truly, Sir DRURIOLANUS
ARCHIEPISCOPUS DISPENSATOR, well hast thou inaugurated the palmy days
of this Opera Season.
_Friday_.--_Faust_ selected because alliteration in _Faust_ and
Friday. A trifle, but as DRURIOLANUS says, "The world is governed
by trifles." Wise saw this, with practical modern instance. VAN
DYCK looking like a Rembrandt, a Faust-rate _Faust_, and Miss EMMA
EAMES a charming _Marguerite_, Mons. PLANÇON's _Mephistopheles à la
Française_. Mons. CESTE good as _Valentine_. _À propos_ of _Valentine
_ and his soldiers, why do the army and their friends who come
to welcome them, invariably _turn their backs_ on the triumphal
procession, taking no sort of interest in it whatever? Also, why is
that banner persistently and purposelessly waved during the whole
of the great Soldiers' Chorus? Is this _the_ reason why nowadays the
ever-popular Soldiers' Chorus is seldom encored? As this monotonous
action on the part of the Bannerman (not CAMPBELL of that ilk, but the
ensign-bearing supernumerary) suggests "flagging interest," hadn't it
better be abolished altogether?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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