Mr. Alfred Moul then staged “Victoria and Merrie England,” a “grand
national ballet in eight tableaux,” the scenario being arranged
and the ballet “invented” by Signor Carlo Coppi, the music being
by no less a personage than Sir Arthur Sullivan, M. Jacobi still
conducting, while the scenery was by Mr. T. E. Ryan, the costumes
by M. and Mme. Alias from designs by Mr. Howard Russell, the cast
including Signorina Legnani, Miss Ethel Hawthorne, Miss Julia Seale
and Miss Josephine Casaboni. The ballet was a huge success. It was
certainly one of the finest spectacular and “patriotic” productions
ever seen on the London stage, and it is one of the proudest records
of the Alhambra that the performances were honoured with nearly a
score of Royal visits.
One of the great successes of the spring of 1898 was a grand ballet
on the old theme of “Beauty and the Beast,” invented and produced by
Signor Carlo Coppi, with music by M. Jacobi, the interest being kept
up throughout in a _crescendo_ of pageantry. The sensation of the
production was, perhaps, the second tableau, “The Garden of Roses,”
in which the popular Signorina Cerri, supported by the _corps de
ballet_, appeared in a grand valse representing every known kind of
rose, each dancer being almost hidden by gigantic presentments of
the flowers--red, tea, moss roses and every other type--a luxurious
mass of living blossoms, weaving itself into ever fresh and endless
harmonies of colour and enchantment. Yet another gorgeous effect was
attained by a Butterfly ballet, and the whole thing was one more
triumph for Mr. T. E. Ryan as scenic artist, Mr. Howard Russell and
M. Alias, responsible for the wonderful costumes; a triumph indeed
for all associated with the production.
On the retirement of Mr. Moul, which took place in 1898, Mr. C.
Dundas Slater became General Manager, with Mr. James Howell as
Business Manager, Mr. Charles Wilson as Stage Manager, Mr. H.
Woodford as Secretary and Treasurer; and Mr. G. W. Byng as Musical
Director--the last two named gentlemen holding their appointments for
many years following.
A very popular production of this year was “Jack Ashore,” modestly
described as “an unpretentious Sketchy _Divertissement_ in One
Tableau” which was invented and produced by Mr. Charles Wilson, with
dances arranged by Signor Pratesi, and music by Mr. George Byng. It
had a delightful early nineteenth-century setting for its dramatic
little story and was capitally done by a cast including Miss Julia
Seale, Miss Casaboni, the Misses Grace and Sybil Arundale, Mr. Albert
Le Fre, and the Brothers Almonti.
An attractive production of the following year was “A Day Off,”
which, however, was somewhat outshone by the beauty of “The Red
Shoes,” a fine spectacular ballet based on Hans Andersen’s famous
story, with a good cast including Mlle. Emilienne D’Alençon, Miss
Julia Seale, and Miss J. Casaboni--a very vivacious and attractive
dancer.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account