Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-30
ALL THE THEATERS.
"foor Jonathan the New Comic Opera
"An the Comforts of Home"-"After
Dark',-YarietY In Many Enrms

"An the Comforts of Home"-"After
Dark"-variety in Many Forms
1t was quarter past IL when the squad of
pretty girls in the garb of West Point Cadets,
to the stirring strains of Aronson's new march,
''The National Guard" filed on to the
Grand Opera House stage. They would
have been welcome an hour or two
before. for they Enthusiastically the bright
est and best feature of the performance It
may be as well to say right here that their drill
was as near perfection as could be; they went
through the evolutions without mistake, and
they handled their muskets as if they had been
all their lives on the parade ground. No won-
der the sight of the girls in gray and white set
New York crazy. Pittsburg is good deal fur
ther from West Point, but the audience was
enthusiastic in its applause last night, and
would have had the whole thing repeated if
they could.
The opera "Poor Jonathan" is Carl Mil.
lockers composition, and it does not matter a
row of pins who the libretists were, for the
story is thin and involved one and the
hbretto is of the regulation rubbishy order
which-a translation for the American stage
seems to involve necessarily. The music
and not DrgSt xSRderf1 but it ghs
and there a melody crops out that makes
friends at once. but "Poor Jonathan could
stand more such outcroppings without being
accused of over-melodiousness Some of the
songs are literally ruined for an intelligent
audience by the incoherent gibberish of the
lines; 1t was noticeable that Miss Darville
and others in the cast were. so conscious of this
defect in the book that they sang lines
of their own concoction. The numbers that
will catch the popul ar ear are the song wilt
Thou My True Love Be ?' and Il Am the Un-
fortunate Jonathan" Miss Darville sang sew
eral other songs which won applause, but the
bulk OF the credit is due to her admirable sing
Miss Camille Darville is newcomer. She
halls originally from Amsterdam; sang
with success in London, especially
in "Mareery," and for a year or
management in New York in MADAME An
got' and la Grand Duchesse," in both OF
which she added to her success. She is the one
grand figure in Poor Jonathan in the role of
Still in New York. Her voice is a good deal
above the average of comic opera singers,
and with her stately temperament and magnifi-
cent physical proportions may tempt her to
seek higher sphere in opera She sang
the song "Wilt Thou Ny True Love Be g' and.
in fact, all her songs, with great feeling and
power and compass of her voice-mezzo-so-
prano. with bell-like clearness in the upper
register-enable her to do full justice to Mil
lockers work Her blonde beauty was re-
splendent in the dark dress of the student and
in the regal attire of the prma donna.
Miss Eva Johns played the servant girl who
weds Poor jonathan when he changes places
with the millionaire with great deal of viva
city. In the humorous duet with Jonathan in
the second act, Miss Johns was very sprightly
and amusing Fred Solomon gave all his
powers for fun to the role of Jonathan TTipp
and very comic indeed he made that unfor-
tunate man. MIR. Solomon's songs, mostly of
the. broadly farcical order, including
the catchy II am the Unfortunate Jona-
than," showed that he still possesses very
good voice for a comedian. Mr.. Ryley was
mildly and politely funny as the IlpreSsario-
nearly straight comedy role without terri
BILE amount OF opportunities for downright
lumOrS Drew DOnaldSOn
better than she did in the cadet sergeants
clothes in the last act. and the realistically
smart air of the drill was due not little to the
SergednrS sharp delivery of the orders. Mrs.
George Olmi is lost in small part and for the
rest pretty women filled in the stage
pleasantly Mr.. Hallam, the tenor was
we cannot say much for his singing The cho-
ruses were well sung, but are not remarkable
musicaly. Most of them are enlarged repeti-
tioDs of the leading airs in the opera, especially
the "Poor Jonathan refrain.
The scenery and costumes are wonderfully
fine, and show the excellent taste and liberality
of the Aronson management. The last scene from
the parapet of the North fort at West Point,
with view of the Hudson Crows Nest and the
Newburg Narrows, arranged in panoramic
form, is one of the most beautiful we have ever
seen, as well as truthful picture of that
famous landscape. Taken as whole, the bright
points OF Poor Jonathan" make it well worth
seeing. though why someone does not chop out
about half of the second act the introduction
will puzzle most people who see the piece.
West Point Amazons.
A great many people will wonder how the
fair cadets in "Poor Jonathan" caught the
military precision and correctness which mark
their drill Mr.. Albert Aronson explained it
this way last night: ITO begin with when
Poor Jonathan reached this country the last
act wound up with what the authors thought
was picture of American life. 1t represented
the Battery az New York covered with cotton
bales, on which negroes were reclining and sing
ingin style that suggested Uncle Toms Cabin
if it suggested anything American. Rudolph
AronSon saw that this must be changed and hit
upon the idea of changing the scene to West
Point, with the chorus as cadets. To make the
scenery realistic was easy enough-the pano-
rama of the Hudson and the en- Tirons of West
Point which we use was painted from nature.
The training of the girls was the next thing.
By permission of the commanding officer OF the
that crack national guard organization, took the
fair cadets in hand. For six weeks he drilled
them in evolutions and the manual of arms,
and how well he succeeded may be judged
from the remark of Gen. Sherman, that the
girls beat the boys of West Point in their drill.
Mr.. Conried helped in perfecting the drill for
stage purposes. The uniforms are made upon
the Government pattern by the firm that sup-
plies West Point, and the guns the girls carry
are the same lightweight weapons the cadets
use. The white helmets which the cadets wear
Every detail has been as faithfully copied as
possible even to the crease IN the white
trousers which the cadets affect.