Thirty Years of Musical Life in London, 1870-1900

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337-8

text excerpt

For no fewer than one hundred and  sixty consecutive representations did “Ivanhoe"  draw large and enthusiastic audiences — far and  away the longest unbroken run ever accomplished  by a serious opera. Then, at the end of July, it  was withdrawn, and the house closed until November, when an English version of Andre Messager's successful comic opera “La Basoche''  was brought out. This did fairly well, but it is  noteworthy to-day only from the fact that it enabled Mr. David Bispham, by his clever singing  and acting, to make a deep impression at his first  appearance upon the London stage. D'Oyly  Carte now doubtless imagined that he possessed  the foundation of a repertory, and he revived  “Ivanhoe'' to run alternately with “La Basoche"— Barton McGuckin filling the title-role,  while Medora Henson was the Rowena, But the  public quickly undeceived the too sanguine manager. It stayed severely away. The drawing power  of Sullivan's beautiful opera had been exhausted;  and on January 16, just a fortnight short of  twelve months after its auspicious opening, the  “Royal English Opera'' was finally closed — the  strangest commingling of success and failure ever  chronicled in the history of British lyric enterprise!

excerpt from 'Thirty Years of Musical Life in London, 1870-1900' pp. 337-8 (200 words)

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