New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-02-27
MUSIC.

scAspARONEv IN GERMAN AND ENGLISH.
How differently two managers view the sane
.teraI we are having exhibited to III the simuita-
neous representations of M,llockers Gasparone III
German and English. At the Ihlia Theatre Mr' AM
berg ia performing the operetta in Its original 'ons
and shape Mt the Standard Mi. Dun Is giving |" IA
ersop which is supposed have suited it to the tastes
of an American or at least New-forK puono' Inv
frat representations fell together on last oa'"y
night Mr.. Amberg had been hampered anu u''S
nv the illness of Frauein Raberg or he would nave nav
il ont earlier Frauein Bertha hirchnei' WIN 'o Wv
Mace of Frauein Raberg, was obliged TO iearh '' P
&c - Carotta IN a short time and so 1t was not un'ii
;, before last that all the music was gwen out se
has urped out to be good substitute and ina opere
Is running In spirited and extremely dvertihs n"
ner. n,
A comparson of the two versions is interesting Inc
entertainment which Mr.. Duh improperly calls opera
comioue and Mr.. Amberg correctly terms opereta
has he come very popular This is shown by the lac
that three establishments in this city are gwen mp 10
and it will not be long before there VIII 3e loun'n
Besides there is nothing IN the iihe Oh PupIo o,r;n
lpents to secure which there is greater scampels
among managers. Nevertheless there seems 10 eAs.
most vague impression, even among ,ho IL, 30 s 80
touching question OF what an operetta ought " YUM
When the pieces of Oaenbach first came to us they
won their popularity unluestionably by their spa, T
music and the vivacity and daring OF the French
actresses who appeared 10 them 1t is doubtful whether
the majority who pa'd ther money nd Orpbee
aux Enters ever realized how much admirable salre
they contained the state OF French society uhncr
n nstt nS'' pneipoities of Germany in La Grande
Duchesse" 1t perfectly natural that the atIemPes
to reproduce these operettas IN me NeLnoSu The
majority of the adaptations OF the works oil Lecoc te
most gifted of bis itators, could not hold their own
on the American or English stage Even III frchen
and in France they were in their nature ephemera ad
the chef regret of those Germans who were noera
enough in their artistic creed to recognize the iS
and Gimrale talent of the King OF the BoufiesPars
lens was that he had not devoted 1t TO hlgher ana
more enduring of comedy Since the decay oil the
French school we have depended on the Nennese ana
the English schools The former has had two repre-,
sentatiyes of real vigorous merit, Won .appe anu
Strauss and two clever imtators 6ehee anu H;,T,
the latter has depended entirely Messrs Gilbert
and Sullivan. That the English school acheVed tie
most decided influence on the American puohc WIN
Piuafore,' :" The Pirates" and PATIENCE Is
fact which no one need regret In these Op"rettas,
especially in the last mentioned, the highest purposes
of the art form met Here was social satire as Keen as
the keenest of Ofienbachs coupled with music which
never caused musicians to be ashamed OF menoer "a
their profession and lines which never gave offence TO
coaboTators showed themselves out of worthy sub
ect and la Princess Ida Mr.. Gilbert at least w1oie
above the intelligence and tastes OF me masses "ho'
unfortunately. determine success and failure.
Since then we have been thrown back on the adap'a-
tons of foreign works, and these have met various
fates The transators have either adhered 10 the text
and given the body without the spirit, or tney
have cut loose from the original text and following
only the outline of the story have supplied new ana
logne generally so insipd and iladapted to the music
that all ruined. tendency like 10 that when mas
been threatening the spoken drama with ruin OF late
years, has made opeiettas TO depend upon
SINGLE male comedy part As IN the of :" Apaune'
recently revived at the Casino alter failure three
years ago, find the original spirit OF the piece s3c
iced to the comedian. Other Circumstance wnlc"
have put opereita in present singular and depTa-
BILE condition, are the public admiration for shapely
chorus girls, not averse to exhibiting their charms OF
person. and the scarcity of clever actors ana actresses
Gasparone nas brought out at the ITALIA is plainly
the original comedy with only slight modlhcatloDs
The version at the Standard has been made with the
things in view which have just discussed MI
Mansfield lifts the character OF the Podesta lar
above the other characters of the play yet in fairness
IL deserves not to be made prominent Inc opefeta
is almost unique in respect while 1t has niue ac-
ton its numerous characters are 80 admirably Drawn
that The hands of capable actors they all seem nay
entertaining The German representation wants the
brilliant stage decorations of the English and might
also acquire with advantage some OF tbe aIler eIa
fulness In parts bat the whole 1t CONVEYS oeuef
idea of the comedy ii formed itself in the MINDS OF
the lbretists Its action. especially IN the second ACT
is much more sprghty and has more ,aiGu anu
has the best understanding of what the play ought 70
be- but his German methods which would be extremely
amusing at the 1haa unnatural ana out OF pace
at the standard The humor Of the part AS filtered
through Mr.. Sidney Rosenfed. il so clumsy 'ndt
Messrs Ze and Genee ought TO be entitled 10 afestr
ing order; in the original il is unoblectionaOe ii not
brilliant The representatives Herr Schultz at the
Thaia and Mr. Klein at the Standard, are both excel
ent singers the best in their respective companies
The impersOnators OF the women characters are UNI
formy more versatile in action well as III music az
the modest downtown house than they are AT tne
Standard and help TO bring out the romantic element III
the comedy which tinctures it 50 srongy Miss St
John at the upper house sings the music OF Sofa
well but does nothing else With the part at the haa
NJ Lubcs methods hardly refined enough to entite
him to be called satisfactory the g Pode,ta but
Abe tina Habrch as Zenobia so ecllpses her iNa
that there is no ground left for comparison.