Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-19
T he THE A T E R.

Last night at the Columbia Theater 1.-THE
! Red Feather" was greeted by an audience
whose numbers betokened confidence and
| whose enthusiasm throughout the piece
proclaimed a feeling that this confidence
| had not been misplaced. The production is
made the lavish scale uniformly fol
| lowed by F. Ziegfeld, jr., and is points of
conspicuous merit manifold. The
| music shows an honest and sincere effort
to maintain the better traditions OF light
opera composition, and this Mr.. Dekoven
has done without sacrifice of melodic Inter-
est. a number of the songs have the i'm
! press of personality: With their good,
solid harmonies their virile rhythms and
their ringing codas they reflect style
which, whatever may be its source of the
matte suggestion, Is quite the composer
own. 1t is free from the tricky emLeilsh-
ments and distorted rhythms which are so
often employed to give artificial attractive
ness to an essentially commonplace product.
The lyrics, by Charles Emerson Cook, show
facie gift of versification combined with
a discretion which enables the writer to
keep his rhymes well within the spirit of
the story. There Is an abundance of fancy
in the stanZas. and the literary expression
is always graceful. The lyrics may be re-
garded as the really responsible portion or
the production. for they convey about all
the suggestions that could have been or
value to the composer. The story Itself is
an ill-cooked rechauffe of materials that
have been common to romantic literature
DeyOnQ the memory oI HALL Hc iooy
Fra Diavolo, unprecedented SO charmingy
by Miss Van Studdiford Is a creature OF
fine romantic possibilities, to whom the
dramatist has been given little to do save TO
change from pettiCoatS to trousers ana
back again.
Miss Van Studdiford combines physical
beauty with vocal proficiency and personal
magnetism. The numbers which fall 10
her share were rendered with sparkling
spontaneity which would have been ire
sistible even had her vocal performances
been less remarkable for their orlihancy
and technical ease. 1t was most delight
full performance. and the ape IL OF the
prima donna was sufficient to bespeak for
giveness for Red Feather being so common
place a bandit. The company is throughout
a finely selected one. Mile. Elsie de we're
;mpersonated a French mll!ner, who mace
up by her individual vivacity for a rather
limited raison d'etre in the plot. MISS Cora
Tracy had a song in the last act which
give here an opportunity to display genuine
ability. George Tallman acquitted himseii
handsomely in a romantic tenor role, anu
prince Miss Lillian Seton, washington
young woman. appeared in a part winch.
while not conspicuous, suf1ced TO dlspiay
decided talent.
The comedy rests mainly on the shoulders
of James e. Sullivan, whose German dla-
lect while not novel, is full OF humorous
force. The poverty in the matter OF ton a,,c
ton of a breakfast food advertisement
This vandalism was hailed with bolsterous
approval. Similar demonstrations We're &C,
corded comic song which did not need
the mark "interpolated' to stamp it as an
interloper. Despite the laughter when
these features evoke, they are un1ortuha.e
Incidents They are not sufficient to at
tract a clientele and likely to offend those
who appreciate the production Tor ts
beauty as to music and us spienuois y.
scenery and costuming. The production Is
one of lavish gorgeousness. The ghost
conspiritors scene, in the second act. Is one
of the most weirdly picturesque stage ell
fects ever invented.