Critical and Audience Reception
At the opening night performance, the majority of the audience showed their disappointment. During the second act, Barrie and Doyle left their private box. Ford was applauded for his music, but the audience did not call for the authors. "Towards the end it became more and more apparent that the audience were getting rather bored, and the final verdict... was far from enthusiastic."
The critics generally condemned the opera, calling the authors to task for a boring story and criticising Ford for his highly derivative score. The Stage wrote that, "Dramatically, Jane Annie is simply a sketch of schoolgirl caprice and persistent waywardness". The paper lamented that the opera was funnier to read than to see on stage. The Times had a more favourable view of the piece. The cast and crew were praised by some critics for their efforts at working such unworthy parts. "However hard worked, she remained thoroughly embarrassed by the whole thing. As curtain-calls were being taken, she refused to come out of her dressing-room, though pit and gallery shouted for her for five minutes; and when at length the piece was taken on tour, she absolutely refused to go with it."
Read more about this topic: Jane Annie
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