Punch (74.1878)

June 15, 1878.]

PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.

273

S"

OUR REPRESENTATIVE MAN.

(At Covent Garden, for the first representation of " Paul and

Virginia")

I ir,—Paul and
Virginia.' Ah,
Sir, it is a mas-
terpiece ! I allude,
not to the music,
but to the English
libretto by Josiah
Pittman! The
immortal Josiah
Pittman! What
a Pittman ! — a
Pittman who works
in a perfect gold-
mine of English,
where the poetic
vein offers wealth
inexhaustible!
Josiah begins with
the " Argument,"
from which I must
extract a few gems

Madame de
■Juatour," writes
Josiah, '' a French
lady of noble birth,
and Marguerite, a
French woman of

humble origin, reduced to the same condition by some early indiscre-
tion and consequent misfortune, have repaired to the Isle of France,"
where they have become mothers respectively of Paul and Virginia.

Then he goes on to tell how Paul and Virginia love one another ;
how Monsieur Sainte-Croix, " a rich but cruel planter," is struck by
Virginia's beauty, and " conceives an ignoble desire for her; " how
Madame de Latour's rich aunt sends for Virginia; how Virginia
goes to Paris; and how Paul, "forlorn and broken-hearted, wanders
in distraction over the solitary cliffs "—by the way, if he had wan-
dered in distraction over even one solitary cliff of any height there
wouldn't have been much of him left to go on with—but no matter,
—on goes Paul, "calling on his beloved Virginia''''—who was in
Paris at the time—" and in visions beholds her in gilded halls "
—Josiah doesn't forget Balfe and Btjnn's Bohemian • Girl who
" dreamt that she dwelt," fee., &c. And then he continues the
story, finishing with how " the wrecked ship, conveying Virginia,
is seen sinking not far from the coast during the infuriated
tempest," and'how " the desolate Paul and his family receive from
the waves the lifeless body of Virginia cast ashore."

The "Argument" concluded, M. Victor Masse's Overture com-
mences. It is evidently intended to illustrate the "Argument"
musically. "The early indiscretion " of the Ladies is plaintively
alluded to on the flute, and " the consequent misfortune " comes out
strongly on the cymbals. The stringed instruments forcibly depict
"the ignoble desire " of Monsieur Sainte-Croix. The " visions of
gilded halls" are indicated by all the power of brass in the
orchestra, and, of course, wind is strongly employed in the storm.

The curtain rises, and reveals to us the two victims of early indis-
cretion and consequent misfortune, sitting together in " A Hut of
Bamboos, with Landscape at back." The two indiscreet Ladies—I
beg Josiah's pardon, I mean the indiscreet lady " and the indis-
creet "woman of humble origin "—recount to one another the
respective merits of their children, Virginia and Paul. To quote
the Poet Pittman—

!" I love to speak of their tender years,
Yes, of heav'nly light they 're both the reflection,
la their mutual love forget we our cares,
And we tend them both, with equal affection."

So these two elderly indiscreet ones sing, in the hut of bamboos
(they should have been called the two bamboozled ones), with the
landscape at their back. Bat I am afraid that their morality is still
a trifle lax, as the last verse of their duett expresses a doubtful
sentiment:—

"Flow'ret wild in freedom growing
As in freedom both were born,
Like the dawn that, rosy glowing,
They portend a sunny morn."

Then in comes Domingo (a mulatto slave) played by M. Matjrel.
The above description of Domingo as a " mulatto slave," may have
suggested to M. Matjrel the highly artistic idea of having his arms,
hands, legs, and the upper part of his chest jet black, while his face
was a dirty whitey-brown. This is, perhaps, M. Matjrel's idea of
| a " mulatto." Perhaps he has seen a mulatto just like this. But
has anybody else ?

The action, such as it is, proceeds. A ship, from France, arrives,
and the following Pittmanic dialogue, to music, occurs :—

" Paul's Mother (aside). Some new mischance does me forbode.
Domingo. I'll you escort.

Madame de Latour. No ; stay, and mind the children.
Paul's Mother (aside). I fear."

The "children" are Paul (M. Capoul) and Virginia (Mdlle.
Albani), two little tiddy wee mites, who, of course, require a good
deal of looking after. Domingo, left alone, gives his opinion (or
Josiah Pittman's opinion) of the weather : —

" See, the sky darkens, fierce lightnings flash,
Eain is showers pouring, loud thunders crash!
Amidst the fury of this great shower
I trust the mothers have found some bower."

" Some bower," indeed ! An omnibus, a public-house, a cabmen's-
shelter, a Burlington Arcade, or a colonnade at least. However,
being under cover himself, he ends by exclaiming,
" Which way shall I go ? Oh, poor me !"

and taking a large red umbrella (like those spread out over the
drivers of some of our larger three-horsed omnibuses), he dashes
out by a side-door, carefully avoiding Paul and Virginia, who enter,
from this fearful storm, dry as chips, protecting themselves by
playfully holding over their heads a " big banana leaf." They run
forward, strike an attitude, and smile at the audience. From this
moment until the end, except when they are in the deepest despair,
they are always, the pair of them, posing and smiling at one another
and the audience; M. Capotjx, as "little Paul," occasionally vary-
ing the monotony by grinning fearfully, opening his eyes, and
coming out as a facial contortionist of great power. No doubt he
has taken his idea from the boyish side of the character, that
boys will be boys, and will make faces even at their little sisters.
Then they duett together, and then Virginia sings to him on her
own aecount—and Pittman's —

" Thou know'st our two mothers are sharing
My equal affection : wherefore
The more, dear, for thee they are caring,
So gratefully love I them more.
For them every day I am praying,
Imploring kind Heaven above,
But when for thee pray'rs I'm saying,
More ardent my fervour I prove."

Then, after Virginia has sung.one line,

" Wouldst thou ask me, dear Paul, what is true love's perfection ? "

they both sing together the reply—

': See the sweet birds in their snug nest
Eow they content will love and rest.
Nature's gift is their love, the same is our affection."

To the loving couple, enter Meala, "a female Mulatto slave"
(whitey brown face and chocolate-coloured silk "fleshings" on her
arms—quite the female Mulatto, of course, Madame Scalchi), who
is in the neatest, brightest, spick and spannest costume, showing
no kind of evidence of her having been, up to the very moment
of her entrance, pursued by dogs; or, as she, inspired by Professor
Pittman, expresses it,

" My life weary I drag ; fierce hounds close me follow."

Only if the aforesaid "fierce hounds" do "close her follow,"
where are they ?

Then she implores protection, and Paul and Virginia give it by
taking her back to M. Sainte-Croix, whom we meet in "Tableau
Second " armed with a neat hunting-crop, and cracking it on every
possible occasion. Sainte-Croix, despite his name, is a dreadful
person, and addicted, on Professor Potman's evidence, to strong
language. For instance he addresses Meala thus—

" Whence com'st thou ? Say, by the devil,
Dost thou pity now implore ? "

Well, that is strong, isn't it ? Then Virginia sings, in order to
soften the obdurate planter,

" Crossing forests wild and dreary
'Neath a fierce and burning sun,
Here behold me faint and weary.
Oh pardon grant! "

Then the chorus of blacks (real blacks most of these are, pro-
perly got up, faces, arms, and legs all one colour) sing

" The Master's relenting,
To joy he's consenting.
Form the ring—
Let's dance and sing."

And then they execute a wild Christy-Minstrel-out-of-St.-James's-
Hall sort of dance, with "cocoa-nut accompaniment "—(the slaves
having, of course, previously accounted for the milk in the cocoa-
nut)-called the t Bambula! "