From The Bristol Mercury and Daily Post, Monday, November 22, 1880.

NEW THEATRE ROYAL. – Tonight the Children's Pinafore Company, who performed with so much éclat at the Opera Comique, London, and who have since been carrying Messrs. Gilbert and Sullivan's popular comic opera with triumph through the provinces, will commence a week's engagement at this house. The piece, which will be produced under Mr. R, Barker's experienced direction, will be produced in the same perfect manner as regards scenery, costumes, and properties as marked its season at the metropolitan establishment; and as the youthful performers will be unchanged, and every attention will be given to the choruses and orchestration, the effect will be much as if the Opera Comique was transferred for the nonce to Bristol.

he Dublin journalists wrote exuberantly of their recent performances in that city, and the Guardian, in noticing their engagement last week at Manchester, said –"It might very well be maintained that the opera is essentially better suited for children than for adults, and that Messrs. Gilbert and Sullivan should have perceived this from the beginning. However this may be to an audience hardened to the charms of the original 'Pinafore,' the present performance comes as a delightful surprise. It is porcelain compared with common earthenware, a dainty and airy entertainment which will, we think, not fail of due appreciation."

From what we can hear there is a prospect of good attendances, and we feel that we may venture to promise intending visitors a very agreeable and mirthful entertainment.

From The Bristol Mercury and Daily Post, Tuesday, November 23, 1880.

THE CHILDREN'S PINAFORE COMPANY
AT THE NEW THEATRE ROYAL.

Last evening, the company formed by Mr. D'Oyly Carte for a children's representation at the Opera Comique of Messrs. Gilbert and Sullivan's unprecedentedly successful comic opera, "H.M.S. Pinafore," and who may be said by the success they have everywhere met with to have solved the problem whether it was possible for any artistes below the standard of adolescence to give a satisfying representation of that piece, commenced a week's engagement at this house.

Of the opera itself, nothing, we are sure, need be said – Bristol playgoers have had many opportunities afforded them of hearing its tuneful music, laughing at its absurdities, and relishing the keenness of its well-shaped satire. The novelty of the performance now to be witnessed, of course, lies in the fact of the characters which we have been in the habit of seeing reposed in the hands of adult performers being transferred to those of children of variable ages, and the question which the majority of our readers will probably put to us is what do you think of the change? If the opera had been a serious one, with a story falling within the lines of probability, we should, of course, have considered that men ought to be men, and women women, and we should have thrown up our cap in favour of the adult company. We confess indeed, that we went to the theatre last evening with some amount of prejudice in favour of that view. We came away, however, with the conviction that we had witnessed a very clever, novel, and enjoyable performance.

Of course there is something very absurd in seeing and hearing boys and girls give themselves the airs and utter the sentiments of grown people, but then the entire thing is an absurdity, and the novelty serves to intensify the fun. The company, which numbers close upon 50 youngsters, is a clever one throughout. Not only do they sing the entire music of the opera as it is now given by the adult company, and sing it, too, with great accuracy and effect, but they act with an amount of intelligence and spirit which is not always encountered in artistes of more mature age and experience.

Mr. D'Oyly Carte has been exceedingly fortunate in procuring such a clever exponent of the by no means easy part of the bumboat woman "Buttercup " as he has found in Miss Effie Mason, The chubby little creature acts with the dash and humour of a practised actress, whilst for a child her voice is marvellous for its contralto quality. Miss Emilie Grattan, who fills the rôle of Josephine, the Captain's daughter, is also a graceful young actress, and sings with an amount of skill and finish rarely met with in one so young. Her impersonation possessed the great merit of being thoroughly natural, and we have as yet met with no Josephine who had a more intelligent conception of the part, or who did more justice to it.

Master Harry Eversfield, who filled the part of Ralph Rackstraw, has one of the sweetest treble voices we remember having met with. His speaking voice was perhaps a little over-girlish for the character, but he sang the music with great tenderness and rarely encountered purity of tone. Those who know the opera will probably be surprised to learn that any child could give an at all satisfactory rendering of the very exacting part of Dick Deadeye. Master Willie Phillips, however, mastered its difficulties and sang its music in a manner which appeared to surprise the audience. Master Harry Grattan did much boyish justice to the character and music of Captain Corcoran, and so did Master J. E. Pickering to the character of the First Lord of the Admiralty, Sir Joseph Porter, K.C.B. Master Edward Walsh was very effective as Bob Bobstay, and won a vociferous re-demand for the song of "He's an Englishman;" and the other parts, not forgetting Master Augustus Fitzclarence's Midshipman Tom Tucker – a really clever example of precocious acting – were well filled.

The piece, which was produced under Mr. R. Barker's personal direction, was admirably staged, and the concerted and choral music, in which the fresh voices of the children were most agreeably heard, went with an amount of precision which said much for the musical training of the company, It only remains to be added that there was a very numerous audience, and that almost every leading member was encored.

From The Bristol Mercury and Daily Post, Saturday, November 27, 1880.

NEW THEATRE ROYAL. — Mr. D'Oyly Carte's Children's Pinafore Company have occupied the stage of this house during the week, and have achieved an even greater success than that attained in Messrs. Gilbert and Sullivan's tuneful and amusing opera by their adult predecessors. The piece which has been produced under the direction of Mr. R. Barker, of the Opera Comique, is dressed and mounted in the same perfect manner as that which characterised the previous performances; there is a capital orchestra and efficient chorus, and the youngsters act the characters and sing the music in a manner that is at once gratifying and surprising.

Little Miss Effie Mason (the descendant of a Bristol line and grand-neice of the late Mr. Charles Mathews) gives quite a remarkable performance of Little Buttercup, the bumboat woman, and so does Master Willie Phillips (a very tiny urchin) of the difficult part of Dick Deadeye. Master H. Eversfield, who possesses a treble voice of rare quality, warbles sweetly as Ralph Rackstraw, and Masters J. E. Pickering, H. Grattan, and E. Walsh prove clever exponents of the characters of Sir Joseph Porter, K.C.B., Captain Corcoran, and Bob Bobstay and win nightly encores for their principal songs. Nor must we omit to mention amongst the male characters that of the Middy, in which a little mite, who rejoices in the patronymic of Fitzclarence, succeeds without having a word to utter in provoking hearty laughter and gaining reiterated plaudits. Miss Emilie Grattan acts naively and sings very pleasingly as Josephine, and the numerous minor characters are all cleverly filled.

The audiences have been both large and enthusiastic, and the day performance this afternoon promises to attract one of the largest and most fashionable houses of the season, The Pinafore Company will close this evening, and on Monday a company, which have been winning fame wherever they have appeared will commence a week with “Les Cloches de Corneville.

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