The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-09-13
THE MESSENGER ROY"

In "The Messenger Boy" Nixon and Zimmerman's newest production, thea
 tergoers who are interested in good
 comic opera, have at last an opportu-
 rity of seeing a first class piece of
 work. Last night "The Messenger
 Boy" made his bow to America from
 the Hyperion stage, and the welcome
 he received was only a first taste of | the welcome he will be given later.
 The piece comes here from a long run
 in the London gaiety theater. It cer- tainly deserves the praise it received there and fu1lls the advance praise made for 1t here, even to the extent of claiming that the present production would surpass that made in the Eng fish metropolis two years ago. The scenery Is the same, but the costumes are entirely new Without question the verdict of New Haven isthat the enter tainment surpasses any musical com edy ever presented here. It has some reason for existence, in the first place, which is more than nine-t -tenths of the
 musical comedies have, and in the sec
 ond place it pleases, thoroughly and
 without drawback, which is the leglt- innate end of such production.
 Criticism of musical comedies gener- ally contents itself with applaudlng lonesome bits of catchy melody, and del nouncing the general thread on which the piece is strung together. All the musical comedies which the writer re-
 members to have recently heard con- tained numerous excellent songs and dances strung together on the loosest kind of general setting "Florodora" was by all odds the most remarka ble exception to this rule last season, as "The Messenger Boy seems likely to be this. As piece of musical writing last nights production is an entirety, The art of its composers has construct ed a compact, lyrical, melodious and singing piece that keeps it's tone from the start to finish Here and there in the second act the thread is dropped for a moment, but the general swing is kept up remarkably we'll throughout.
 The action of the piece Is of course elementary, as it Is merely a setting for the musical features. but it is suf-
 
 one looks with hope in the usual come dy of the kind, is here, and the story is interesting enough to command at tention. "Specialties, the bane of most operas, have here disappeared for the first time, and their absence is refresh ing. The plot hinges on the adventures of messenger boy, who Is sent from London to Cairo on romantic errand, and who Is hindered to the end by the enemies of his employer. Laughable in cidents abound, and as the denouement hastens, situation piles on situation un- til the whole unravels in true comedy style. The scene shifts from London to Brindisi steamship pier, thence to Cairo, and then to the Paris exposition. The three latter scenes afford excellent opportunities for the scenic artist, of which he has taken advantage. The Cairo and Paris settings are exquisite. the latter being as fine a thing as the Hyperion has ever staged.
 The musical numbers of the work are many. MT. Powers sang "The Mes senger Boy" Has Anybody Seen My Cat" 'The' Dancing Dervish," Miss May Robson Wash! Wash Wash" MISS 1dlIle anu MI. I dIh <aSh dpd, and Mir Park "A Perfectly Peaceful Person" Flora Zabelle of San Toy fame did "Maisie" excellently, and MT. Powers and Miss Booth in "The Num- my Song" Applause was spontaneous and enthusiastic on all these numbers, and they were all repeated.
 The personal efforts of the last were appreciated thoroughly. Mir. Powers was of course the leading star, and his work was highly favored. As messen- ger boy, sailory dervish and mummy MT. Powers was successively irresistible, and had his audience with him contin- uously Miss Robson made a hit in mother, her eccentric makeup in the first act calling forth rounds of applause. Georgia Game, MT. Kelly MT Park and dozen others make indi- vdual records of great merit.
 ''The Messenger Boy" will spent the remainder of the week here, going to DaJey's theater in New York next Mon day New Haveners who see the piece while it is pounding into shape here will make no mistake.
 - Tho one great virtue of Burnett's Van-fa |