 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Glasgow Herald, July 28, 1892, p. 7
To-night Mr George Grossmith produced at the Criterion Theatre his new musical version of “The Wedding March,” which is too well known to need recapitulation here. Adapted in 1873 by Mr W. S. Gilbert (who then wrote under the pseudonym of “Mr Latour Tomline”), it had a satisfactory run at the Court Theatre nineteen years ago, and later, in 1878, it was revived by the late Mr Henderson at the Folly with Miss Lydia Thompson’s company, Mr Lionel Brough then taking the part of the bucolic father-in-law, which he again sustained to-night. Mr Gilbert in 1878 avowed the authorship of one of the very few adaptations he has ever attempted — memorial version which bears the title of the “Haste to the Wedding.” He has, however, entirely revised the piece, and has added the necessary lyrics, some of them in his best manner, while in others the humour is to a certain extent forced. One of the funniest verses is the following, in which the bridegroom describes the sort of fashionable hat he requires with so much haste:—
| I want a hat of finest straw | |
| At once—a handsome one, | |
| Trimmed with an armadillo’s claw, | |
| Three truffles and a bun, | |
| Two thingummies of peacock blue, | |
| A what’s his name on each, | |
| A snuff-box and a cockatoo, | |
| Two mackerel and a peach. | |
There is also a capital song sung by the elderly Duke apropos to [sic] the alliance between the aristocracy and the democracy:—
| You men of small dealings, of course you’ve your feelings, | |
| There’s no doubt at all about that! | |
| When a dentist exacting your tooth is extracting, | |
| You howl like an aristocrat; | |
| But an orphan cock sparrow who thrills to the marrow | |
| A duke who is doubly refined | |
| Would never turn paler a petty retailer, | |
| Or stagger a middle-class mind. | |
Apart from the lyrics, the piece stands pretty much the same as it was before, and although in its elaborated state the wildly farcical story is too much spun out, it is nevertheless as amusing as ever, and the famous hat which is the cause of so much trouble is as laugh-provoking in the operetta as in the whimsical eccentricity itself. It need hardly be said that “Haste to the Wedding” is not the first essay of the popular entertainer in writing music for the stage. The music of his entertainments is almost entirely written by him, and in 1882 he wrote the music to a capital little lever de rideau entitled “Uncle Samuel,” which had a long run at the Opera Comique, where it was played before “Patience.” Some time ago he stated he had been studying the mysteries of instrumentation for a Berlioz treatise, but of any complexity the music of “Haste to the Wedding” is commendably free. Mr Grossmith is undoubtedly an amateur, and his music is full of crudities, but it is tuneful and serves its purpose. One genuine old English melody known by the title of “Haste to the Wedding,” is used for each entry and exit of the wedding guests, and permeates the piece throughout.
The interpreter[s] shine more from an acting than a vocal point of view, and more than one of the composer’s songs suffered from the deficiencies of the singers. Mr Wyatt, as the Bridegroom, was the life and soul of the piece, and young Mr David James was excellent as the Duke. Mr Grossmith himself conducted, and was very cordially received.
Page modified 27 December 2020