From The Era, Sunday, October 17, 1880.

PROVINCIAL THEATRICALS

BRISTOL

NEW THEATRE ROYAL. – Managers, Messrs. George and Jas. Macready Chute. – Brilliantly mounted, and before a large audience, Messrs. Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera The Pirates of Penzance was on Monday last presented at this Theatre for the first time before a provincial audience. The company is generally an efficient one. Miss Laura Clement, the representative of Mabel, has a voice of peculiar sweetness. She very soon secured the good will of her audience obtaining for her first song, “Poor wandering one,” an undeniable encore. Miss Roche both sang and acted admirably as Ruth. Mr. David Fisher acts amusingly and sings sufficiently well as the Major-General. Probably the best suited of the gentlemen is Mr. Marler, who, as the Sergeant of Police, took care that the audience should hear every syllable of the intensely amusing songs with which he is intrusted. The policeman’s chorus was warmly redemanded, and narrowly escaped a second encore. Mr. Gerard [Coventry] sings the love music of the part of Frederic very sweetly. Mr. Marnock is fairly efficient as the Pirate King. The chorus is both strong and of good quality, and the characters are picturesquely costumed. During the week Mr. Stanislaus has had the advantage of presiding over Mr. George Chapman’s excellent band, and, under his very able direction the instrumentation has from the first gone with much smoothness. The two scenes have been specially painted by Mr. Barraud, and of these the second is well deserving special mention.

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