The morning times., 1896-12-08
COMIC OPERAS AND COMEDY
Laughs Musical and Otherwise
in This Weeks Playbills.
FOR THE MOST PART GOOD
Stuart Robson Returned in a New
Comedy, the Columbia Gave a De-
kOven Opera and Wilson Was Seen
in '.Ha1f King"-At the Other
Theaters.

goers, at least such as have In mind to
visit the National, will do well to bear in
mind tins week. IL Is this, mat tine cur
tain rises promptly each evening at 8
O'clock
Last night there was a good scattering
III the mousse as the wonderful lady VINO
dresses In vapor and swings a lamp dis
appeared above the arch, but a spirited
chorus and two or three good songs were
lost to the audience before every one was
IN his seat. However wnen the last man
had dragged himself across the laps that
interviewed between himself and the aisle
and knew exactly whether all his fore
worry, as to whether he should be able to
see what he paid for, was diSsipated by
VISION OF divine hack hair unbonneted he
found the theaIer DacSel In every Dart. 1t
was whole WELDON, to Half a King"
The occasion was me return of nimblc
little MIR. wilson or, a he is better known
Francis Wilson He appeared in his new
opera, Half King made over from the
French by Harry Il. Snten anu strung on
Jingies by Ludwig Highlander.
Last year the Jolly comedian gave his
public a sample OF the genteel, Just to
show that lie could keep his tongue i'll his
mouth II he chose TO. that his legs can be
constrained to moments OF quietude and
that verbose slang is only an accident of
tie libratto andn his own vernlcular lie
has now cut loose from the sentcel and
once more he is permitted to convulSe his
audience with that lengthy and versatile
Tongue, his expressive legs, and MS PIC
tGresque slang. The FEELING or constraint
en@endere1 blythe Chieftain" has thawed
away before the warm uncOnYeiit1onaiity or
HALF Il King
Al the risk or being branded as uDoriginal.
let it be recorded that Hall King" rs
Whole success. There is scarcely critic
who hasn't fallen into the trap or thlS
verDlaEe, so the sin Is committed In good
company. Inc new opera Is almost every
thing that II should be. IL is fair in piJt,
not sufficiently involved to estabilsh new
precedent In comic opera inanity, the
music MS the words, and the words are
good. This opinion Is arrived al, not by
anything that issued out OF the mouth OF
the chorus. but by careful reading or the
book OF the piece But those who heard
the enhancing music VIII bear out the
optimistic OPINION.
If the English melodrama had not been
written first the Smith Letorrier-Va Moo
England piece might have been called
tn Fata lCard," but, that title pre- empted.
Half King Is the next thing. Hair q
playing card is the one point IF similarity
in the two pieces. and the only one. The
king of diamonds has been torn a half.
one half Is found in a basket, together with
baby, Pierette, left at Tireschappe's
door by an unknown. The secret or the
childs birth is known only to the holder
OF the other half Of the king, and when The
halves are finally united Piereute turns
out to he lady OF high degree.
Francis Wilson played Iireschappe, a
;nountebank with a band OF vaGab bon is in
Paris in the eighteenth century This state
Of affairs only lasted during one act how
ever. II will be remembered he only UT
vived the social degradation OF Ca'ldy for
one act. In the second, as in Erminic, he
became a nobleman and in the thir'l king
a whole king, not half, but only king OF
his yaga bonds He invests the new part
with n splendid quality OF humor, broader
that his last years effort, but proppr1on-
atey more amusing. Not since the Merry
Monarch has any of his Product )nS
euualIed the present one in Ella bOrate htnnOr-
Gus opportunity. and in none has las in
ventiyeness come so opportun@fy To the
mark He sang, danced and acted to the
arousement OF everyune'S bump encore.
TIE audience last night were IN search or
their moneys worth. They demanded heap
ing measure.
Lulu Chaser was the founding The
a king would have reconsidered If they
had had the slightest intimation OF the
lovely maiden they were casting off. Miss
CHASER has the part or her life in this
piece and SciZeS it with both her little
hands. She has developed a prinIa donna
voice that diSci0sfs admirable qualities.
Others in the cast who forced themselves
INTO the lime light Of the audiences adj
miratIon were gncs Paul as Simplice,
Christie Mac Donald as Lucinde, Mr.. Miron
as MargauX Ed Temple as Benoit. Peter
Ling as MiStigris and the scenery and the
costumes by each other, respectively. The
calcium man had a busy evening of it.
and the lIbretto purveyor reported good
business.
The scenery is the best Mr. Wilson has
brought in several years. Those who have
read Hugo's ''Notre Dame" found especial
pleasure IN the reproduction Of the Court
or Miracles in the thir d act Not ONLY is
portion OF the opera taken from the chap
Ter OF this name In Hugo : story