Opera Books
THE OPERA
EDITED BY
ALBERT HILLERY BERGH
VOLUME IV.
1909
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Jones.
Sidney Jones was born
at Leeds, England, in 1869. Hestudied music with his father, who was a
musical director, and with Sir Robert Stewart. He became the conductor
of a traveling company in 1881, and has been connected with the Gaiety
Company, the Prince of Wales Theatre, and the Shafteshury Theatre,
London.
The first important success of Sidney Jones was the opera, A
Gaiety Girl, produced in 1893. This was followed by An Artist’s
Model, The Greek Slave, The Geisha (1896), an exceedingly popular
work, and San Toy, which was almost as popular, and both of which
have been successfully produced in America.
Opera in two acts by
Jones. Libretto by Owen Hall.
Characters: The Marquis Imari; Lieutenant Katasia; Police. Sergeant
Takemini; Wun-Hi; O-Mimosa-San; Juliette; Lieutenant Reginald Fairfax;
Hon. Reginald St. Pancras; Dick Cunningham; Arthur Cuddy; George
Grinston; Tommy Stanley; Lady Constantine Wynue; Miss Marie Worthington;
Miss Ethel Hurst; Dorothy Sweet; Mabel Evant; Miss Molly Sea-more; a
buyer; geishas, officers and men.
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Place, Japan. Time, the Nineteenth Century. First produced in
London at Daly’s Theatre in 1896. First produced in New York at Daly’s
Theatre in the same year.
O-Mimosa-San is an accomplished dancer and singer, who is loved by
Lieut. Katasia, of the Governor’s Guard. Reginald Fairfax, of H. M. S. “Turtle,”
having flirted “just a little” with Mimosa, the jealousy of his
sweetheart, Molly Seamore, is wildly excited. While this is going on
Marquis Imari, the Chief of Police and Governor of the Province, sees
Mimosa and is deeply smitten with her charms. He resolves to obtain her,
and in order to do so he cancels the license of the proprietor of the
tea house in which she is dancing, and, according to custom, Mimosa and
all the other pretty little geishas are put up at auction.
The sale takes place, but the wicked Marquis is out-bidden by Lady
Constantine Wynne, who is traveling in Japan. Molly, whose jealousy of
Fairfax has induced her to disguise herself and enter the tea house in
order to ascertain if her lover does not amuse himself just a little, is
put up for auction in spite of her protestations, and is calmly bought
by the Marquis, who carries her off to his palace. Juliette, a French
tea house interpreter, has been scheming very hard to marry the Marquis
herself, and she with Mimosa join with Fairfax in the endeavor to get
Molly out of the palace before she is married to the Marquis. They
succeed. Juliette deludes the Marquis and marries’ him herself. Mimosa
finally marries Lieutenant Katasia, and Fairfax is restored to Molly.
Last updated April 19, 2007