The evening world., 1893-11-22
THE PRINCESS NICOTINE"


bond-torn, mortgage-squeezed, quarrel
peppered Casino open to the public. 1t
still has Its Moorish appearance, and its
air OF undlluted opulence, probably COW
ering an aching heart. Yet II Is open
again, and It has Miss Lillian Russell at
the head OF it's forces. The cares that
have wrinkled the beautiful Moorish
playhouse have not oppressed Miss Rus
sell. While receivers, %lessees. stock
holders, and all the rest of the strange
paraphernalia we're wearing themselves
thin with worry, Miss Russell, placidly,
amiably and simmeringly, has grown fat.
There Is no use pretending that she Is
merely plump. She Is absolutely fat, yet
lovely. Not a day. apparently, has been
added to her age. nor an emphasis to
the chubby c~omplacency that she calls
dramatic fervor. Miss Russell Is her old
self. but there Is more of her. Every
body will be pleased to hear that. for she
Is charming.
THE Princess Nicotine is the new
opera. 1t must at once be said that 1t
Is a worth! effort, d legitimate attempt
to give comic opera as 1t used to be
given-as 1t Is still given abroad-without
horseplay, vulgarity or concert hall
features. The line distinguishing the
vaudeville programme and the comic
opera was gradually becoming obliter-
ated, and there were many who mourned.
The authors Of the present work are
Messrs. Byrne. Harrison and Furst, the
last named carrying away the honors
with the music, which Is surprisingly
tuneful. Nj. Furst, in all verify, has
never really been heard before. He has
been hiding his light under a bushel, and
permitting Mr.. De Koven to rule the
musical roast. The music Of THE
Princess Nicotine Is so airy and fasci-
mating that you long for the score to try
over on the family tea kettle. There is
a good night song hat is a gem; a
semi-topical song that Is exceedingly
pretty, and a number of brightly, win
some airs. The choruses are all well
written. and the only fault to be found
is with one or two of the Spanish num-
bers that seem to have been culled from
other sources In perhaps unconscious
assimilation Just as the digestion of
food Is an involuntary process. so 1t is
with the digestion of music. Com
posers, like cows, chew the cud.
the book of THE Princess Nico-
tine is the charming story by the
Spanish novelist. Pedro A. de Alarcon,
called THE Cooked Hat" When you
read this novel-if you did-you must
have seen in It a comic opera. You
could hear the choruses, picture the
groupings, imagine the scenes. 1t seemed
burning to lend itself to comic opera
treatment. Messrs. Byrne and Harrison
have made an ingenious adaptation, but
they have forgotten that a comic opera
audience wants to laugh, n there Is
scarcely a smile In The Princess Nico-
tine" Their Don P~edro-the C%orregidor
of the novel-might have been made
amusing, the sort OF rule that Gros-
smith used to play at the Savoy Theatre,
London Yet he Is a flabby sort OF per
SON., who seldom evokes a smile. and
he goes seriously through the opera.
There was a chance to make the
Duchess entertaining, but she Is also
dull and heavy. In return for the
wholesale piracy OF the plot, the libret-
lists might have made an effort at
originality as far as the humor went.
Yet, THE Princess Nicotine is inf,
nitely better as It Is. than as 1t would
be riddled with gag and horseplay. II
Is so encouraging to hear a comic opera
that Is not a burlesque that criticism is
really almost disarmed.
Miss Russell sings very well indeed.
No r%oulades, II you please. Her former
Alpine vocal efforts. undertaken with
out a guide n leading her to disaster,
are omitted. A good deal of her tire.
molo has one. In fact, Miss Russell Is
in better voice than she ever has beer
yet. There Is a'mellow autumn in her
notes, a gratifying tonal warmth. Ora.
ms tic power rs OF course absent, but heI
walk Is a good one, and she promenadet
gracefully through her role. Digby Bel
Is not very happy in his part. Thu
lbrettists have sat upon him, 30 &c
speak. and you feel inclined to thank
the librettists, for Bell Is very annoying
when unthwarted. Perry Averill Ia 6
tame sort OF lover. but he Is better
Vocnlly than dramatically. Miss Marie
Dressler Is very good, and would no
abuse her opportunities, II she had any
There are. however, few chances fol
anybody but Miss Russell. She is In un
disputed possession OF the field. 18th,
Princess Nicotine" Is artistically anc
beautifully staged. ALAN DALE.
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