The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-11-10


occasions the king some little tribulahon, for |
the young lady, still faithful to her shepherd
swain, rebels against a princely match
arranged for her. But when she dis
covers that the "Prince saphir" and
the shepherd are one and the same,
she is quite paci6ed, and the court puts on its
gayest air, in honor of the approaching mar
riage. The newly-married noblemen of the
realm, among others, are invited, to present
their wives for the latter to kiss the kings hand
"Blue Beardn and "Boulotte" are among the
number. The latter, however, not accustomed
to courtly ways, offers 10 bet twenty sous that
''the fat old woman, with the merry face, is
queen Clementine;" passes by the profered
hand of the king, TO give "Prlnce Saphir" a
rousing kiss; puts the climax on the consterna-
ton OF the court by throwing herself on the
kings neck, with warm salutation on each
cheek; serves all the courtiers in like fashion;
and then rushes forth, followed by the asto-
nished "Bue Beard" and indignant cries from
the courtiers.
The third act dscloses the cave of "Popo-
lani," the alchemist, who, soliloquising, reveals
the fact that, instead of having put an end to
the five previous wives of "Blue Beardn he has
merely stosed them away in recess of the
cavern resembling tomb in outward appear
ances. To the alchemist "Blue Beard" shortly
appears and announces that "Boulotte" must be
summarily disposed OF, in order that he may
wed the princess Hermian before the clock
strikes twelve, the hour appointed for her mar
riage with prince Saphr.n "Boulotte" Is then
brought in sleeping draught is administered
to her by "Popolani" "Blue Beardn departs to
console himself with his seventh wife, "Bou-
lotten is quickly brought around by means of
galvanc shock, the entrance to the apparent
tomb is thrown open, revealing the other five
wives seated at a sumptuous repast and by
them "Boulotte" is welcomed as "the sixth wife
of the man with many amorous fancies." Under
the instructions of "Popolani," the elk wives
thereupon disguise themselves as gypsies and
sally forth to seek the King and lay before him
an account OF the criminal whims Of ''Blue
Beard.n
With the opening of the fourth and lat act,
we are again introduced TO the palace of "Kng
Bobeche," where the nuptials of the Prince and
Princess, about to be celebrated, are interrupted
by the entrance of "Blue Beard,D again
widower, who announces the death of his sixth
wife, and demands of the King the hand of
his daughter. The King demurs to such a
wooing, but only to be threatened with "pul-
verization" by "Blue Beard" who reminds his
liege lord that the royal army is not in q
condition to compete successfully with his
own. prince Saphir" relieves the King of
his dilemma by challenging "Blue Beard" to
mortal combat, the King declaring that to the
best man of the two the hand of his daughter
shall fall. When the duel is well under way
"Bue Beard" raises the cry of "Police,
police ~ The Prince looks around hurriedly
for the myrmidons of the law, and "Blue
Beard takes advantage of his being thus
thrown off his guard to stab him in the back
remarking naively that he Learned that trick
of his fencing master" His rival thus dis
posed of, the nuptals of "Blue Beard"
and the princess Hernia" are about to be con-
summated, when the whole unsatisfactory
arrangement is upset by the entrance of band
of gypsies, which, when unmasked, proves to be
"Popolani,n - with the SIX wives of "Bue Beard,n
and Count Oscar" with five of the victims to
the Kings Jealousy, none of whom had been
put to death as supposed, and prince Saphir,"
who had been resusci tated in time to take part
in the closing tableau. There are seven men
and seven women-a all the latter being wives of
"Blue Beard" He desires to know if he is to
keep them all, and the King is puzzled as to what
disposition he is to make Of the courters.
Count Oscar" suggests that the difficulty be
Setttu ny SSuticHdu IcCelfluS Lne mana OF
one of the ladies, to which the King and "Blue
Beard" cheerfully assent. The latter receives
back "Boulotte,' whose easy virtue is quite as
much as he deserves; the "Prnce Saphir" is
made happy with the princess Hernia, "whom
she had loved when in a 10 WY station; and the
other FIVE couples are as satisfactorily matched.
Satisfactory, indeed, it is; and as the curtain
falls, "Blue Beard" the man OF many fancies,
sings;-
"As for me- am satisfied
That such joy should all betide;
Ne'er was widower 80 gay
AS the knight Blue Beard Hoorayw
Such is the plot of Bdrbe Bleue o racy, romp.
ing sketch of free and easy life in days gone by.
As drama 1t is not without great merit, being
full of striking situations and remarkably free
from monotony. 1t is brisk in action, lively in
sentiment extravagant in all its details 7. 10
not as free from objection; on the score of
morality, as Martha and The Bohemian GirL
two fair specimens Of the grand opera school of
literature, but when we compare it with Don
Giovanni, RigoettO, and La Fduoritd, to
the vile plots of which the grandest
scores of Mozart, Verdi, and Donizetti
are sung without ofense, Barbe Bieue can lay
claim to positive merit. Such a comparison is,
however, entirely unjust, as we have repeatedly
urged heretofore, in discussing the claims and
merits of opera bOu6e in general. The two
schools of lyric art are so widely separated that
they have almost nothing in common in musi-
| -, ond tba naoassitioe ~ tho caea randa.