The San Francisco call., 1899-06-25

non LeSCdOt.
Il YES"
~ "Do you remember the story o.
mo, tbs a long time since
have read it,
II will remind you. She loved man,
who loved her as his wife, but who was
too poor to crafty the wishes her taste
and style demanded. A wealthy friend
gave her all she asked and while she ac-
cepted his wealth she smiled upon the
other, upon whom she bestowed it. Ca
mile, you are too truthful to be that wo-
man; l am too honorable to be that man."
This is the story in brief. The Able Pre-
Vost paints her woman Of easy virtue
whose intrigues are fearfully plural and
plurally fearful; the Chevalier des Grieux
as man of infinite faith in the assurances
Of the woman he loves. Giacomo Pucclni
with composers divine right. takes
what liberties he pleases with the text
chooses such episodes as best lend them
selves to stage pictures, selects and trans
fers bits OF action from others, and sings
her life, tunefully. beautifully, pathet-
lcaIly, in four acts and an intermezzo.
Since. librettos We're not to be got, and
frugal management limited its programme
to title, and the names of five charac-
ters, not too punculiously spelled, we bor-
rowed a score, and with the aid of our
limited knowledge of Italian, located the
scenes at Amlens, where ManOn meets
and loves the student Chevalier des
Grieux; at Paris. in the house Of Geronte,
one Of Manon's lovers; at Havre de Grace,
whence they set sail for America, whittier
Manon, for her misdeeds. is to be trans
ported, thus escaping the alternative OF
imprisonment for life, on an undulating
sandy plain, with vast hopeless horizon
in the enVirOnS Of New Orleans. whittier
Manon and Des GrieuX have fled to escape
the wrath OF the Governor of the colony,
DeS GrieuX having slain in sword combat
man upon whom the Governor meant to
bestOw ManOn.
its first presentation in 1893, in atmos-
phere suggests little La Boheme" and
Il Pagliacci," and is one succession Of
beautiful solos and duets, sustained and
lending to but never dominating the en-
semble. SignOr BadaraCCO sings the tenor
role Of Des GrfeuX with dramatic
strength and security that fills US with
confidence. Whatever heights he may
reach. we are sure he will get down again
without accident. He has a well-trained
chinery never apparent. His beautiful
solo in the first act won braves of Ell
thusiasm. Let US applaud the good taste
of this company in responding to encores
the Manon of the cast, a lyric soprano of
rare quality, runs the gamut of coquetry,
audacity, anger, terror and pathOS with
perfect intelligence and lack of effort. We
have been told these people could not act.
If this be true, then inspiration must have
become suddenly tractable, for If ever
man or woman forgot themselves and re-
membered only the love that filled their
lives. that was their soul. she was that
woman, he that man. The duet in the
second act perhaps the gem Of the opera,
where love reneWs its faith, reaches
climax of JOY and subsidies in quiet in
tensity, leaves US conscious of a sob in
cur throats that holds US silent and
makes applause seem out of tune.
The last act is one of hopeless sorrow,
quite in harmony with the endless, ray
less perspective of the scene, but why III
this city of outlying sand dunes must Ma
non die on wooden fioor, close to an un-
mstakable property couch, Impossible to
Contemplate without a shudder? These
touches of the stage manager are uneX-
.plainable and eXasperating. The curtain
Should fall upon Des GrieuX digging Ma
mons grave in the hot yellow sand, that
She might not become. a, prey to wild
beasts. The artist soul is dead within the
man who without conscience and for
very sloth, cuts such a climax When
there is so much to be said of the sing
ing. perhaps these are trifles not worthy
IF contemplation; nevertheless, the eye
dwells tearfully upon that wooden impos-
sibiIity, and will not be comtorted;
S4h-'N' CHART JOTrTEI THOMPSON