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'Mr. Frank C. Burnand is unrivalled in the class of parody of which this little play is an excellent representative specimen. With singular facility he sees the ludicrous points of every serious performance, and boils down the most tremendously tragic play into a concentrated essence of fun. Fédora, like all feverish and high-strung pieces, lends itself to this process of cachinnatory castigation, and there is no use in talking of the unrighteousness or irreverence of the proceeding, when there is a public ready to laugh and applaud a caricature merely of the humours of a first night's representation. Mr. [C.F.] Coghlan's "reserved force," Mr. [Squire] Bancroft's supercilious sedateness, and Mrs. Bernard-Beere's passionate fervour, are the strings which Mr. Burnand pulls with such mischievous humour, and, as luck will have it, he is almost as well served by the performers at Mr. Tool's theatre as he was when he parodied Diplomacy at the Strand [i.e. Dora and Diplunacy; or, A Woman of Uncommon Scents, 14 February 1878]. To see Mr. Tool himself [as Loris Ipanoff Atiloff], with a wonderful wig and moustache, a pair of artificial shoulders, and a gloomy Manfredean presence, imitating Mr. Coghlan, is worth all the money of the entertainment. He has worked it up into an excellent bit of fooling; and, what with the actor's overflow of good spirits, his power of mimicry, and his singing, Mr. Toole, as usual, keeps the house in a roar of laughter whenever he is on the stage. But what is a Loris Ipanoff without a Fédora? A most admirable and effective Princess [Fédora Mamazoff] has been discovered in Miss Marie Linden, a young actress of keen sensibility and promise, whose success was foretold in these pages many months ago, when she was playing melodrama and burlesque up at the Philharmonic Theatre in Islington. If one may judge from her intense acting as the coming Fédora, Miss Linden is destined one day to do the stage some service. She is young, intelligent, of a nervous, sensitive disposition, and has evidently a considerable command of power. Since this play was produced, every one is talking of Miss Linden; but, if the truth must be told, she has been seen to advantage in everything that she has as yet attempted, particularly in [the burlesque by F.C. Burnand] Artful Cards, recently revived at this theatre. But perhaps the most exact parody of all is Mr. E.D. Ward's clever imitation of Mr. Bancroft – the best thing of the kind ever seen. It is not a very lofty form of art, this parroting of peculiarities, but I defy any one to take Mr. Bancroft off better than this promising young actor.'
(The Theatre, London, 2 July 1883, pp.46 and 47)
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Katie Seymour, London, 1887
'When I see Miss Katie Seymour on the stage, I always wonder how it is that such a dainty little lady has never been snapped up by that theatrical prowler who is always at our music-halls seeking whom he may devour. Well, all I can say is, if I had a theatre, that expressive face, that musical little voice, and that witching power of dance would not be lost upon me. I will not say any more, or I may be suspected of trying to get Miss Katie away from the music-hall, whereas, goodness only knows, that this is furthest from my wishes.'
(The Entr'acte, London, Saturday, 9 April 1887, pp.5b and 6a)
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La Belle Amoros at the Royal Trocadero music hall, London, 1891
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