Page:The Annual Register 1899.djvu/545

 1899.] ART, DRAMA AND MUSIC. 121

entitled " With Flying Colours," at the Adelphi. Mr. Wyndham opened his new theatre with a revival of " David Garrick " ; and " Sweet Lavender " also saw the light again. We must not forget to mention another highly successful melodrama on a great scale at Drury Lane, where Miss Violet Vanbrugh and Mr. Lionel Brough appeared in a startling play called " Hearts are Trumps."

It would take long to chronicle all the dramatic experiments of the year. Some, like "In Days of Old," at the St. James's, or like "A Court Scandal" or "A Royal Family" at the Court, might claim perhaps to rank as comedies. Others, like " My Daughter-in-Law," kept alive at the Criterion by the vigour of Mr. Hicks, of Mr. Little and of Miss Fanny Brough, belonged more frankly to the realm of farce. So did pieces like "On and Off," "The Wild Rabbit," "The Elixir of Youth," and three plays bearing the appalling titles of "What Happened to Jones," " Why Smith Left Home," and " The Wrong Mr. Wright." " A Message from Mars" was a curious medley of sentiment and farce and Christmas carols, which, however, as acted by Mr. Charles Haw- trey and his company, many people seemed to like. But it would seem that even farces must now yield for popularity to the musical medleys which enjoy such long runs on the stage. A version of " L' Amour Mouille " deserved perhaps the praises that it gained, but it could not compare in popularity with " The Belle of New York," nor with comic operas like " San Toy " and " The Greek Slave," and " Floro- dora," nor even with the whimsical medley of "El Capitan," in which Mr. De Wolf Hopper, the remarkable American comedian, appeared. Better earned was the success of " The Rose of Persia," which, with the help of Sir Arthur Sullivan's music, revived the old triumphs of the Savoy. One could wish that the successes of modern comic operas were often as legitimately won.

Of personal triumphs in the art of acting the year had no very remarkable instances to show, unless we except Miss Irene Vanbrugh's impersonation of the puzzling heroine in Mr. Pinero's play, and, it might be added, Mr. Hare's impersonation of the hero, if it were necessary in these days to give fresh testimonials to Mr. Hare. One or two famous players passed away, among others Mrs. Keeley, who belonged to a bygone generation, and Miss Rose Leclercq and Mr. Nutcombe Gould, who will be remembered as belonging to a later time. When the war broke out many leading actors expressed their willingness to help in raising funds for the troubles which the war might cause, and the sum raised by Mr. Wyndham for this purpose in the opening performance of his new theatre showed how generous the public and the public favourites could be.

III. MUSIC.

Prominent among the musical features of the year was the complete failure of Dom Lorenzo Perosi's sacred compositions when performed in this country at Mr. Newman's Festival in May. The love of oratorio music in this country combined with the young Italian priest's foreign reputation had raised expectation to a very high pitch. The reaction which followed the performance was, therefore, correspondingly ex*