Short Notices

“The Stage.” The Academy vol. 42, no. 1657, Aug. 6, 1892, p. 118

Pending the production of a more serious piece—which may be expected, we presume, when people are coming back to town in the late autumn—there has been produced, at the Criterion, a free adaptation from the French, the libretto by Mr. Gilbert and the music by Mr. Grossmith, who has many reminiscences of Sullivan. It is gay, and not particularly cynical; and though it may not be reckoned among the most important of his productions, it affords abundant evidence of Mr. Gilbert’s familiar talent for dealing in entertaining fashion with the most commonplace of characters and the most ordinary of events. It narrates, for example, in that ordinary talk of the period, which so few dramatists have at their command, how a modern lover of careful tendencies escorted a fair one to the Horticultural Exhibition, where the rain poured down on her brand new hat.

And he kept her waiting, it would appear, to that exposed situation while he hied him to borrow, on her behalf, “a friend’s umbrella.” The younger Mr. Grossmith, Mr. Lionel Brough, Mr. Frank Wyatt, Miss Ellis Jeffreys, Miss Sybil Carlisle, and Miss Day Ford are among the players engaged in interpreting the latest, and one of the lightest, of Mr. Gilbert’s productions.

Illustrated London News, Aug. 6, 1892, p. 166

That “Haste to the Wedding,” in spite of its feeble music, possesses all the elements for creating a hearty laugh may go without saying. It is capitally performed by the company that Mr. Wyndham has collected for his summer season at the Criterion, and from first to last the rendering of the piece is marked by abundant spirit and “go.” Mr. Frank Wyatt is delightfully droll as the much-worried Woodpecker, and his dance with the milliner (Miss Sybil Carlisle) ought not to be missed. An extremely clever character sketch is furnished by Mr. D. S. James (a son of the favourite comedian, Mr. David James) in the part of the Duke of Turniptopshire, who finds an admirable foil in the impulsive, “lion”-hunting Marchioness of Miss Ellis Jeffreys. The Maguire of Mr. Lionel Brough, the Uncle Bopaddy of Mr. Blakeley, and the Major-General Bunthunder of Mr. Sidney Valentine are all more or less diverting impersonations; and, indeed, it may fairly be said that there is not a single “square peg in a round hole” in the entire cast.

“Moonshine.” Aug. 6, 1892, p. 71.

Messrs W.S. Gilbert and George Grossmith have tried their hands at making a comic opera—or rather vaudeville—out of the lively farce, The Wedding March, which made us laugh years ago. Somebody said the music of Mr. Grossmith was not original. That is a Goss-myth. If not entirely original, it is original enough, and what is remarkable enough, in these days of Wagnerian opera, it is tuneful. We do Wag-near-an attractive melody occasionally in this piece which is called, Haste to the Wedding, and introduces a capital company.

Sunday Times, Aug. 7, 1892, p. 6.

We understand that “Haste to the Wedding” at the Criterion has scarcely been as successful as many other comedy-operas associated with the name of Mr. W. S. Gilbert. At present it does not seem likely to rival in the length of its run either “H.M.S. Pinafore” or “The Mikado.” This possibly may be attributable to the dead season of the year—the date of its production. It is said that the propriety of making it a part of the Sullivan-Gilbert series was at one time under consideration. According to many of the critics the music seems to have impeded the action of the piece—would it be possible to revive “The Wedding March,” which has always been a favourite with the public? Mr. George Grossmith is an excellent musician, but perhaps the work he has chosen for his début as an opera composer may be unsuitable to an adequate display of the ability he undoubtedly possesses.

“Haste to the Wedding.” The Theatre, Sep. 1, 1892, p. 132.

This is a new version of “Le Chapeau de Paille d’Italie.” The story became familiar nearly twenty years ago, under the title of the “Wedding March,” at the Court Theatre, and it was afterwards played with success by Miss Lydia Thompson’s Company at the Folly. Mr. Gilbert has now refurbished the piece, and invested it with humour of the approved Savoyard type, while Mr. Grossmith has supplied it with music of a kind which is already associated in our minds with Mr. Gilbert’s whimsical lyrics. It is impossible to criticise Mr. Grossmith as a musician. We owe him too great a debt of gratitude as an entertainer to allow of the expression of an unbiassed [sic] opinion when he appears in a new capacity. Therefore let it suffice that, in his own words, “his music steers a middle course, between the inspirations of a Wagner and the strains of a barrel-organ,” and that his audiences thoroughly appreciate his attempt to supply the place of Sir Arthur Sullivan. The cast is not very strong from a vocal point of view, but the little piece goes well enough to keep a holiday audience in good humour from beginning to end, thanks to a very spirited interpretation of all the leading parts.

Transcribed by Arthur Robinson

Page modified 27 December 2020