New-York tribune., 1904-10-11
"THE Shotgun"
Wallack's Theatre.

When the word gees abroad that a musical
comedy by George Ade is TO be shown, theatregoers
by this time have come 10 take heart from the
announcement and hope for the best And this is
because Mr.. AIDE has applied to this form OF en-
tertainment an injection OF brains. brains being
something which Mr.. AIDE possesses himself. and so
realizes are possessed to at least moderate de-
gree by a goodly proportion OF the public This
form of entertainment, once the injection reaches
its poor old bones and dried up arteries. seems TO
take hold on life. TO caper with the spon-
taneity of youth and laugh with the unaffected
gayety of a new thing. So 1.-THE Sultan Of sulu"
ran q season out at Wallack's. and Peggy from
Paris" for half its length was delight though
the injection was too weak to keep the bloom on
the last act.
And last night came The Shotgun" TO Wal
lacks. after a summer season in Boston of great
prosperity. Gustav Luders composed the music Tor
this piece. which is described by the manage
ment "a Corean comic opera" Now. comic
opera is rather serious affair. and there is little
defence possible for thus mixing UP terms A comic
opera, ''The Sho-Gun OF course. is not; but it is.
in a measure. return to the older school of musi-
cal comedy. almost at times of operetta, finding
plsnty of use for chorus voices and for an aug
nfented orchestra, and keeping the music always
on the same plane, obedient to guiding idea or
unity. even If the plane Is scarcely higher than
somewhat obvious tunefulness. Any one who has
heard Mr.. Luders's music (and few have
escaped IT'D needs no further clew. Then. too.
there are vaudeville interDoatons. the story
moving on with it's musical embellishments to its
spuointed end. moving through stage pictures OF
nretentious richness Of color and costume.
Where THE Sho-Gun will find its popularity
mainly TO rest however, Is on It's quality OF brains
and that is Mr. AIDES fault. Laying the scene on
an imaginary island between Corea and Japan,
benoe inviting in costumes and characters direct
cornnarisons with numerous Oriental pieces since
the first and greatest ''Mikado." Mr.. Ade yet
.ri,rnnhs by his adherence to intelligence. He
osLes his chief character a hustling. new rich
Middle Western Yankee, "the man who put Iowa
on the man" and sets him down in this uncor-
r,,nted island the only Occidental who ever came
tbera And from his reaction on the natives, his
,+,or Of trusts. his organization of labor
tons o,e makes himself the walking delegate of
~ banenen's union. and will behead
ht,n hnd his astonishngly energetic reorganiza-
t,o, of Oriental life springs the humor of THE
ST. rrn Indirectly, OF course, all this is good
,+,,ro5 satire on America, by indirection pointing
direct,on out and that act gives to the whole
fabric of the play meaning and pith
Vet somehow the meaning seldom so clear.
the NAV seldom so interesting and amusing as one
e.I, q sbouId have been. Until the second act, at
Iaas+ there ia TOO little AIDE and too much Luders-
II tha effort to make oldtime operetta- the
,, tbtne has been lost sight of. and that is that
NJ Aae,s central idea is what makes The Sho-
C.nn,S worth while only as that is amusingly de-
veloped is the whole iustihable.-for otherwise 1t