Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-04-03
AMI SEMENTS.

NEW NATIONAL THEATER.-The Bos-
tonians have devoted themselves long and
persistently to the task of popularizing
good music. 1t would be strange indeed #
In so extensive career they did not occa-
sionally apply their energies to music which
IS too good TO be popuarized. If THE
Eiceroy'' had been produced by any other
company than the Bostonians or with the
name of any other composer than Victor
Herbert attached 10 it its reception would
have been less enthusiastic. AS it was. the
very liberal applause was mainly bestowed
on those numbers in which Mr. Herbert
confined himself to the simple conventions
al forms. such as the waltz, with tricky
pause here and there or the march with
the crash of brass and cymbals Mr.. Her
bert IS a man OF great musical resource
and is in 4 position to apply technical knowl-
edge in way that might make up for a
tagging inspiration. The scholarship he
shows in the treatment of concerted num-
bers and In orchestration must awaken sin
cere musicianly appreciation. But except
In some instances which were brilliantly
contradictory of the general spirit of the
work. the popular ear will find the opera
deficient in melodic appeal The clientele
for whom Mr.. Barnabees comedy, and that
OF his lusty assistants, is designed might
easily fail to appreciate the solid quality OF
the music. In the matter of costumes the
company capitulates completely to the
vogue In such matters, and there is an array
OF revealed shapeliness which some years
ago II would have been Sacrilege to sug-
gest in the same sentence with The Bos-
tonians." In point of personal charms Miss
Helen Bertram was plainly the Alpha OF
the constellation She sang sweetly, posed
gracefully and acted dashingly. Marcia
Van Dresser and Grace Cameron are Young
women of decided attractions and superior
abilities. Frank Rushworth won high favor
by his tenor voice. which impresses by its
lyric sweetness rather than by It's power
George b. rockingham and W. ii. Fitz-
gerald are comedians who halt not at toll
and whose industry secured many laughs
but not enough to overshadow the fact that
Mr. Barnabee Is by right, courtesy and ira
dition The comedian of the company. He
romped and rollicked through grotesque
verbiage and displayed choice vocabulary
of slang which sometimes drifted rcminis-
Gently through the decades. He also said
cuss word twice; which did nightly
amuse the ladies and gentlemen. Mr. Nc
Donald had part IN which his good stage
presence was a valuable adjunct and in
which he was heard to advantage, mus1-
cally.
1t is a privilege and a delight at all times
to hear music interpreted with the even
correctness which always distinguishes a
performance by this fine organization of
musicians. Several numbers were demand
ed over and over again. One of the most
appreciated was march with words set to
It, 1t started in glibly enough with so
ciety' and ''propriety." but the supply of
rhymes seemed to give out before the con-
clusion. in manner very annoying to people
who pay any attention to such things Mr.
Harry b. Smiths libretto has a consistently
comic story with good lyrics The work
however, is not grand enough for grand
opera nor comic enough for comic opera
In spite of the features which Independents
~ considered. must move to admiration and
applause, II lacks the intelligent conserya-
tism and the harmonious relationship of
plot. dialogue music and atmosphere neces-
sary to enable The Viceroy" to stand
shoulder to shoulder with the triumphs
which have made The Bostonians'' so dis
tinctly admirable, serenely prosperous
and so eminently respectable
COLUMBIA THEATER.-The Anna Held
of yore, she of the suggestive wink. the
yoluptuous walk and the scrappy, unsatis-
factory bits OF songs, is no more. In her
place is the Anna Held of today a youns
woman apparently making a sincere EFFORT
to achieve more substantial position on
the stage than that of vaudeville artist
high-salaried though she might be. who
only did turn in the course of a per-
formance where others furnished the bulk
OF the entertainment. In her new role she
mas diminished not whit the personal