Vaughan Road Academy - Acta Studentium Yearbook (Toronto, Ontario Canada)

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Q24 AVTA STVDICNTI 'Ulf u A. CAST OF PRINCESS BULBULH

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A t' T A S 'l' I' ll li N T I I' M Page 23 lIlDllfi.f7lIllllWll1a6llflll1l3S Princess Bulbulv has come and gone, leaving in her train many happy memorf ies to both audience and performer. For three evenings, the Vaughan Road Collegiate Institute endeavoured to prove that the time sacrificed to the dramatic art had not been wasted, and the enthusiastic plaudits of a packed house showed that the audience was quite convinced that the Qresult was worth the effort and time involved. Last years performance of the well' known H.M.S. Pinaforeu set a standard of perfection that it would seem almost imposible to equal, and while the music of Princess Bulbull' cannot be comf pared to the world famous strains of Sullivan, nor the libretto to the wit of Gilbert, we can claim a production of charm land entertainment, excellently performed, and more than adequately staged. The music, while light, was tuneful, and gave the aspirants to fame a splendid opportunity to display the promising talent of which the school can most certainly boast, and while the libretto was not outstanding in originf ality, it was a charming little lovefstory with the happy 'ending necessary to general enjoyment. Princess Bulbul is a very melancholy princess as the story opens. Her father, King Iamit, has betrothed her for polif tical reasons, to a neighbouring prince, a man she has never even seen, and whom, she is sure, it will be impossible to like. So her face and her life are shrouded in gloom, and so, therefore, must be the faces of the eight charming maidsfoffhonour who are her special attendants. These maids-offhonour, how' ever, are young enough, and imprudent enough, to allow a band of wandering pedlars to penetrate into the private gardens of the place, and the chief pedlar even succeeds in getting a private interview with the princess. He declares his love to the charming maiden, and she, though horrified at the idea of a princess being interested in a common pedlar, relents enough to promise him a farewell interview at the ball that evening, where she is to be formally betrothed to Prince Caspian, her fathers choice. Meanwhile, King Iamit is so delighted at having brought his diplomacy to a successful issue, that he has rashly promised to any lady who a husband would taken that if she asked him politely, as though in a jest he, the king, would make the man involved say yes. The princess, having fallen in love with the pedlar decides to take advantage of her fathers imprudence, and leading the stranger forward in front of the whole court prof claims that this is the man she intends to marry, and demands fulfilment of the promise. The king is only too def lighted to grant her request, as the sof called pedlar is in reality Prince Caspian who, like the princess, had not wished to marry without first seeing his chosen bride. He had conceived the idea of the pedlar masquerade in order to make the acquaintance of the princess. So all ends happily for this pair, but not so well for poor King lamit, for another lady, the Lady Ide, takes advantage of the situ' ation, and as he cannot say no, he is forced to marry her, though much against his will. Princess Bulbulu has one noticeable advantage over 'H.M.S. Pinaforeug it gives opportunity in minor roles, for at showing of what really can be done in amateur theatricals, Most operettas are written in a stereotyped style with arias for the principles, and choruses for the chorus. This is all very well in its place, but one always comes away with the feeling that there was much talent that