The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-14
OENTTCT DIR. A. E. BUCHANAN
DuNA4O1 1888 When Building.
ADJUSTMENTS.
English,s-"The Bride-Erect.v


sousa is without doubt the greatest mu-
steal joke writer this generation has seen.
lie is as much a magician with his musical
clap-trap as was Hermann when that fin
ished prestidigitateur was finding baby
clothes in bachelors high hats or pulling
live guinea pigs from women's topknots.
The Bride-elect," which began it's brief en-
gagement at Englshs last night, is only an
early effort of Sousa along the line of mu-
steal Fepasts which this conjurer in or
chestration has set out to furnish the public.
The day may come when every score writer
In the land will be cudgeling his wits to de-.
wise musical tricks in imitation of the Marcn
Kings methods. The Sousa motif reeks
with novelties. lie believes the public is
hungry for novelty He has taken the tenn
perature of Americans, diagnosed the fever
for entertainment that is rampant in the
body polite of the Nation and is prescribing
the most palatabe of all the treble-clef
nostrums extant. Nothing so diverting as
the Sousa marches has been turned out by
any Of his competitors. The growing mar
tial spirit of the age is being augmented by
his two-step movements His genius for
clap-trap ran wild in 1.-The Trooping of the
Golofs, and the same sentiment in lei
captain mad a wonderful success. In ''The
Bride-elect there is any amount of EVIL
dence OF his ability TO Juggle with MOTIF
The opera is one big effort to give musical
expression to melOdrama and vaudeville
1t begins with Albert Harris Donkey song
crops out in Christie MacDonald's burlesque
nlshWayman act. again in Hida Clark 5
Hfst number, laughing song, and is laugh
ably grotesQue in Harris hotel song The
watchman's chorus that intercepts the kid
napihg Oh Popagallo is distinctly Sousa,
both in its taking melody and its comic
opera seriousness. 1t is n yielding TO the
same sentiment that caused Sousa to intro
the hpantifnl Bal xrs' co..
Miss Macdonald in the second act, and
again the sentiment is rampant in the "Un-
chain the Dogs of War march, letting Ma
bella Baker enter in military costume at
the close of the second act. Two notable
aousa exhibitions come in the last act In
The lceman Works" song the comedians
come out and saw wood to music. The song
about the goat that swallowed the phono-
graph cylinder is a masterpiece of clap-trap.
the most SoLsaesque coneoation that has yet
been given. After the goat has downed the
phonograph It IS easy enough to introduce
the many choruses, from cake-walk melo-
dies to Annie Laurie" An opera company
singing everything from ''Du Lieber Hal
sted Street to "A Hot Time is a novelty
that none except Sousa would have attempt
ed. As was said before. some day Sousa
will get this musical clap-trap business down
% science and he will give an opera for
future writers TO pattern after.
"I'he Bride-elect' is a big show combin-
ing both extravaganza and light opera. The
scenery IS finely effective, the costumes
costly and gorgeous and the constantly
changing stage pictures, i'm which the num-
erous choruses are full of action, all go to
make very filling entertainment. The
opera captured the audience with the readi-
ness of an imported vaudeville show There
We're encores for both chorus and principals
and the second act finale was followed with
a demonstration of approval that has been
accorded no other composer here. After
two curtain calls the entire company re-
peated the 'Unchain the Dogs of War"
march. The great life of the production is
largely due to Albert Hart who is built on
the De Wolf Hopper plan OF architecture
His work might be taken for that of a
younger brother of the popular operate
comedian. Many considered it better than
the original. The plot of the opera is
enough to define the characters and the
personality of the members of the company