Opera Scotland

Daughter of the Regiment 1891Carl Rosa Opera Company

Read more about the opera Fille du Régiment

Donizetti's charming comedy was still enjoying enormous popularity at this time. Marie was one of Zélie de Lussan's most celebrated roles, which is reflected in the fact that the following year it was the work chosen for a Command Performance at Balmoral before Queen Victoria.

The English translation dated from 1847. Its author, Edward Fitzball, author of Maritana, had written a play on a similar subject four years earlier, performed at Drury Lane, and seems to have incorporated characters from that work which had no place in the original text set by Donizetti. Equally, some of the most colourful characters from the authentic opera - the Marquise de Birkenfeld and her servant Hortensius, for instance, only appear in much altered form. And none of the critics ever mention a tenor solo containing nine high Cs - either this feat was then commonplace, or, perhaps more likely, it was another highlight of the work which had, for a while at any rate, fallen into neglect.

The reviewer in the Glasgow Herald (14 November) wrote "The largest audience of the week was attracted to the Theatre-Royal last evening by Daughter of the Regiment.  The house had been crowded before; last night it seemed in some parts to be overcrowded.  Donizetti's work was given by the Carl Rosa Company for the first time in Glasgow a year since. It has the triple recommendation of interesting story, smart dialogue in the English form, and brightly-coloured music.  The three leading characters were sustained, as on the former visit, by Mdlle de Lussan as Marie,  Mr John Child as Tonio, and Mr Aynsley Cook as Seargeant Sulpice.  Mdlle. de Lussan's comedy has the great charm of freshness and spontaneity, and as the daughter of the regiment she last night acted with abundant vivacity.  The scene with Sergeant Sulpice in the first act was carried through by both artistes with exquisite drollery, Mdlle. de Lussan enlivening the character of Marie with touches of French lightness.  The song of the regiment was given with infinite spirit, while the closing melody of the of the first act, ''Tis Time to Part', she sang with great tenderness and feeling.  The singing lesson of the second act was a bit of exquisite comedy, and at its close Mdlle. de Lussan had a special recall.  Mr Aynsley Cook fairly revelled in the bustering and hectoring of the Sergeant, and Mr John Chld, singing his music in excellent style, also caught something of the mirth of the daughter with eight hundred fathers.  Miss Annie Cook as the Countess, Miss Ormerod as Babette, amd Mr Lempriere Pringle as Bruno got through their work satisfactorily enough, if not with especial distinction.  The choruses went well, and the whole performance was highly enjoyable."