Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-11-02
ADJUSTMENTS.

are recognized as the best English opera
company in this country. and their annual
visit to this city Is hailed with the greatest
pleasure. Although 1t was a miserable
night out Of doors, inside the National
Theater there was a large audience that
gave every manifestation Of delight as the
beauties Of Victor Herbert's score and the
brightness of Harry Smiths book were I'M
folded In the presentation of the Boston
ians' latest success, 1.-The Serenade." The
melody begins with the rise of the curtain,
and the noble bass of Eugene Cowles is
heard to excellent advantage. Mr.. COwles
voice is so rich, so full, musical and so
satisfying that 1t pains one to see that he
is getting into bad habits in his enuncia-
ton. 1t was noticeable last night that at
the end Of every line he gave an additional
syllable. Thus. he said pride-ah .died-ah,
just as II his wind had suddenly given out,
and the aspiration was like the puff of a
locomotive. Barnabee is as funny as ever
and he has a splendid opportunity for his
talents as comedian in the part of the
Duke of Santa Cruz. He has not been for
gotten in the lyrics. and his songs are all
waltz refrain, eliciting a double encore
which was fully deserved. Macdonald looks
like an elongated Tom Keene with his
muStache shaved off but he acts as grace
fully ever. He and Jessie Bartlett Da-
Wis do the burden of the love making and
their long companionship In the company
enables ther to give all the scenes with
telling effect. Their duet in the last act
is happy conceit on the part of the COM
poser and is excellently sung. Mrs Davis
song OF The Angelus'' is one of the gems
Of the opera and is given in an admirable
manner. the Serenade' from which the
opera takes its name. is pleasing melody,
which will soon be whistled by hundreds
tnough 1t Is most effective when harmon
lied and sung by the monks in the second
act. That number demonstrated the ex-
oeiience of the male chorus and had to be
repeated again and. again. Miss Giusti
who was substituted for Miss Nelson who
and considerable flexibility, but its volume
is hardly sufficient for the powerful or
gans OF her associates. George Frothing-
ham. as tailor with unfulflled vocal am
bition. makes no end Of fun, and Harry
Brown as a broken-down operatic tenor
does some very goood work Mr. Philip
the tenor. was suffering from a cold and
hardly did himself justice. The orchestra
tion is the best work Mr.. Herbert has done
30 far, although i'll 1t there are constant
traces Of the band master. and Conductor
Studley brings out all its beauties and
Yields the baton with the same grace and
ability that has characterized his leader
ship of this organization ever since it was
first formed. The opera may be pronounc-
ed distinct success. Whether 1t will prove
as big money maker as Robin Hood"
remains to be seen. From a musical point
Of view 1t is a worthy successor to that
most popular work.
LAFAYETTE SQUARE OPERA HOUSE
There Is much conscientious effort plain
ly visible in THE Coat of Many Colors"
Madeleine Lucette Ryley's new play now
being presented at the Lafayette Square
Opera House. The title is reminder that
too much cleverness Is almost as danger
Gus thing as little knowledge. Despite
the fact that Mr.. Herbert Kelcey's part is
that OF a woman hater, whose reprehensi-
BILE father. impersonated by w. ]. Lee
moyne, has derfsively nicknamed Joseph"
the connection between title and theme is
distant Miss Ryley has used liberal SUBJ
stratum OF old material in constructing
the play: yet SO many new and interesting
complications are introduced that when the
acquaintance of the principal characters
Is fairly made the action moves along with
DrlSkness and novelty. There is no ques-
ton of Miss Ryley's consummate skill in
weaving plots. Her characters however
are drawn with finely feminine strokes,
their artificiality in this case being a for
tunate relief, for If they were to be accent
ed as types of actual humanity some of
them would be Objectionable. To marry
SO nonensive and well-behaved gentle
man as Joseph into a whole family of
pastS is serious enterprise in nowise
Justified on retributive grounds If the
piece kept steadily to the farcical kew the
sympathy for this young man would not
De strong; but the temptation to have a
bout or two with the most serious of social
problems was too great to be resisted and
the play appeals to the understanding and
vVo
that prevents its acceptance as a wholly
frivolous. product. The conversation has
now and then perfunctory pungency, &C.
easlonahy approaching the. attitudes of
genuine epigram, and relapsing once or
twice into slight inelegancies of English
calculated to thoroughly humanize the
work without seriously affronting good
taste. IT is an interesting specimen of
MISS Ryleys superior gifts as a writer of
plays, and one which demonstrates anew
her skill in evolving the main essentials
OF an interesting dramatic performance
Ihere is no straining after climaxes. The
now OF incident Is so easy and natural that
II Is not until after the curtain has de-
scended that the auditor realizes how i'm
probable are the premises upon which Mrs
Ryley has established her dazzling concIu-
sions. Miss Fife Shannon plays with GEN
tie naturalness the part of Esther Gum
ming, who. after frightening Joseph with
the suspicion that she is strong-minded
brings him to her feet an ardent lover
One of the best performances in the play
Is that of E. d. Lyons as an old and irasci-
Bile Scotchman. The entertainment is an
lI ti; succession of moods. now SUM-
shiny, now dewy. with indications Of a So
cial cyclone in the distance
COLUMBIA THEATER.-Auguste Van
Biene. who is heralded as the worlds great
est actor-muscian. appeared at the Column
bia last night for weeks engagement in
the comedy-drama. written for him by
Frank Harvey. 1t is entitled "A Musicians
Romance, and may be said to be a fairly
strong play. The situations in it are at
times interesting. IL overGrawn to a slight
degree. and the action, with the possible
exception of two or perhaps three instances
holds constant attention. 1t is drawn on
the line of the old-time melodrama with
a dash of comedy thrown in and with the
characteSs posed in rather a stilted, heroic
style. Van Biene's playing is all that has
been said OF 1t. His work Is not only fault
less in technique, expression tone and all
that goes to make up the maser of the in
strument, but it Is marvellous. The play
gives him two chances to exhibit his skill
one in the first act. where he plays an ex-
tremely pretty ballad. and again in the
second act. where he is supposed to play at
a musicale at a great mans house. In this
scene he has a repertoire of some fifteen
pieces. and he was forced to play five of
them before his audience would be satisfied
last night. Van Biene is also a creditable
actor. and but for his accent would be most
acceptable in dramatic role. Miss Lena
Burnleigh sustains the role of the wife, and
does it well, at times verging on much
higher plane than that on which the play
rests. Miss Annie Mack Beriein did a SPLEEN
did bit of character work in the part of Mrs
Willet. while Miss Olive Porter as her sister
and Miss Julia Harchett as her mother
were very acceptable. Miss Constance
Thill made pretty Lady Lennox while
little Helene Thill made winsome boy the
son of Morel, the musician. Wright Kra-