The evening world., 1888-05-08
THE LADY OR THE TIcER2

am AFRAID said a critical being who stood
In the lobby at WallacEs last night and talked to
everybody he could buttonhole about 1.-THE Lady
or the Tigerf" Sydney Rosenfeld's new comic
opera. which was 10 process OF development there:
" lam afraid that ordinary New York audiences
don't understand all this clever satire upon Spartan
cruelty and Athenlsn refinement"
"Sir!" I said, with bitter Indignation. "You
are cynical and in error. A New York audience Is
as familiar with Sparta and Athens as with Ho-
boken and Jersey City. We are an extremely
cultured set. Even though we do applaud horse
play occasionally we like to see q piece which
sends US to our classical dictionaries when we get
home"
You see, I waa determined to stand up for New
York audiences, even though l felt that my criti-
cal friend was not far wrong. have no doubt
that every person at wslacks last night, at one
period Of his life, knew al that was worth knowing
about Athens and Sparta, but HAD forgotten nearly
all about 1t. That won't offend anybody
There Is Q great deal in The Lady or the
Tiger ?" that 10 rather too laboriously good to be
genuinely funny. Sydney Resented has written q
thoroughly clever ~libretto, but 1t needs q little bit
OF explanation occasionally. You feel like saying
from TIME to time: "Just tell me the exact point
OF that, like q good fellow. I'm dying to laugh,
but l can't consistently do 80 until / know what
| I'm TO laugh at"
Mr.. Resented has solved the problem presented
In MI. Siockton's book, but don't imagine that /
am going to tell you how he did II. You will have
to 60 TO waliack's and md out. The only trouble
about MIR. Rosenfeld's solution 10 that 1t In known
to the audience before Lamsrchus has to make his
all-important choice. How exciting the arena
scene would have been had the audience been
ignorant of the contents Of the tigers cage.
"Tne Lady or the Tiger" Is delightfully."- din ers
ant finn Tho mn ~ np,I anaraa IA NUalf
Hopper in q tunic, the i've Ephori or Chief Magis-
trates in their quaint attire Historically correct, OF
course), Irene in her severely Spartan simplicity
ana the Athenian Prices in cofee-colored tight
constituted q complete change for the accustomed
comic-opera audience.
sydney Rosenfeld has utterly discarded the use
OF puns, which In comic opera nowadays seem TO
be as essential az the music. His lines are never
dull. Some Of mis- situations were extremely
amusing and we're greatly appreciated by the
audience. The strike OF Menander, tue prophet,
Tor higher wages, and the entreaties of Polyxena
to be the lady In the cage were highly entertain
Ing. You see" said Polyxena, with q coy look
aud an elderly shipper, "he may not choose tpe
tiger. lie may choose the lady, and marry her."
The music OF " The Lady or the Tiger?' by j.
j. Lyons and Adolph Nowak, is not at all original,
but some Of the numbers were 30 admirably sung
that their lack OF originality was forgotten. The
quartet by Polyxena, Irene, Pausanias and the
Prophet, and the trio by nilaria, the Prophet and
Theotychides, were charminRly vivacious. Then
there was Pausanias's song, of which this was the
1rst verse:
All. when you've decided on all that's correct,
And when you've done all you've a right TO ex-
pect,
And got, as they say, every end to connect.
You're on very good terms with yourself
When you've brought all the list of your woes to
BY stamping with vim on the toes of your foes,
You've acquired that something the world calls re.
And you're on very good terms with yourself.
Pausanias could have gone on singing additiona
verses all evening and the audience would mo-
have interfered.
De Wolf Hopper was, OF course, Pausanias, at
never has he done better work. He was undoubt
eddy the most successful feature of the evening.
Mime. Marhilde Cottrelly, as Polyxena, who devotei
her life TO instructing Pausanias in refinement, wal
very amusing. Mime. Cot,relly Ii such q thorough
artist that anything she attempts is pretty sure u
be good. Her Polyxena. q character not at al
unlike Katlsna, seemed to Mt her like q glove.
Eugene Oudin was Lamarchus. Sir. Oudin'
voice has greatly improved. HIS song in the nrs
act was excellent. Miss Caterina Marco. as Irene
was extremely impressive except when she sang
She INDUCES all the time in q tremolo. which end
by becoming exasperating. Jefferson de Angel
was the prophet and Francis Gaillard, Theoty
chides.
"The Lady, or the Tiger ?" was very %efectivel.
staged. The arena scene was beautifully costumed
Tho costumes were rch and appropriate.
ALAN DALE.