To give more credit to one actor than to the rest of them would be unjust but the audience must have felt that, apart from the individual qualities of each member of the big cast, most of which are children, the production could not have been made the success which "it doubtlessly is, unless efficiently produced and directed and it is only just that Mrs. Margret Rowoldt is to be highly congratulated.
Outstanding in the cast, although it must again be repeated that all did exceedingly well, was Mr. G. Kullmann in the role of the recruit who has acting abilities which would doubtlessly carry him well beyond the amateur stage. Miss Elvi Koenig as Goldmarie, displays a rare gift for the stage and promises to become an asset to the German AD.C", whilst Dr, Fr. Windisch as the corporal, plays his part in his usual inimitable manner.
Miss Marlene Gerdau, as the old Frau Hollo, does very well indeed and whilst the fairy story is obviously meant to appeal to the children which are to see it at the repeat performance this afternoon, seemingly endless applause proved to the actors, that grown-ups too, are appreciative of a fairy tale now and then.
The only thing to which some improvement could have been brought, was the scenery which was not at all times what one would expect in a fable, Particular mention should also be made of the ice bear and his dance.
(Dr, Breitkreuz) and of the rickshaw which suitably done up with white, served as a means of conveyance to the ice-king (Mr. O. Soensken). There is every reason for children to be sent to this exceedingly good performance this afternoon and even though they may not understand the lange uage, they will certainly remember the fable and besides, a very detailed synopsis is available at the door.—a.t "The Mascot" Rokko Pipo Betina, Duke Loran XVIII Fiametta Prince Fritelini Sergeant Mateo Paola Francheska Tomsky Koudinoif v8, Redgi V. Valin 'T. Nevskaya A. Slobodskoy ~V. Fedin Bodrostin N. Jilina Makarova One of the major reasons for the success of many of the Russian Light Opera Company's productions is the and in "The Mascot," a light ope: in three acts, these principals agai demonstrate that they have no equal in their own spheres in Shanghai. Comedy, which prevails in the majority of the company's productions, plays a major role in "The Mascot" and, judging by the reactions of the first-night audience at the Lyceum Theatre on Thursday evening, it was this feature of the light opera which appealed to the patrons most of all, Honours, once more, must be awarded to Mr. V. Valin for his portrayal "of Duke Loran XVIII, a role which offered him much scope to reveal his unlimited resources for bringing an audience to the verge of convulsion: He made the most of his part and the plaudits he received at the end of the show were well-deserved. Mr, G. Kudinoff in the role of Pipo, a shepherd, too, was outstanding in a cast which had been chosen with care, and his light-hearted son; were delivered in a natural style well-suited to such a production as "The Mascot," which deals with the trials and tribulations of a "hard-up" farmer whose luck changes with the arrival of a lady fowl-keeper (plus magic gift). As the farmer, Mr. S. Tomsky infused into his role a real "fed-up" expression, specially during the first act when even his tailor refuses him credit. His joy later on when his luck has changed, bringing with it a position in the Duke's household, was very amusing, although his riches were not long lived. In the role of Betina, the cow-keeper, Miss S. Redgi was the typical hefty, strong-armeð country girl, and her performance was well-received, Others in the cast ably supported the principals and the result was a pleasant and amusing production which never flagged for one instant. There are two beautiful ballet scenes in "The Mascot" produced by Mr. B. Seroff in which he and Miss O. Manjelei, supported by the ballet ensemble, appear, The light opera.was produced by Mr. V. Valin, and will be repeated tonight and tomorrow night.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.