The San Francisco call., 1905-03-14
Tenor 'SVoiCe Purer
Than in Former
Operas.
Stage Settings Are
B.Q factor in
Success.

Even the third week of grand opera
a la Savage has hardly accustomed
one to settings that are as respectful
as those of musical comedy. The
mounting of La Tosca" last night was
at least as fine as the Tivoli gave to
The Toreador, and-though it is what
one doesn't dare TO call bourgeois, but
is, 10 speak OF the frame before the
picture-it counted heavily. The first
scene, With its distant frescoed chapel
pierced with shafts of topaz and azure
light as from stained glass, with it's
pageantry of priest and acolyte, scar
let-gowned cardinal and gayly uni
formed soldier floating banner and
other professional splendors. is most
gratefully remembered. So, too, is the
last scene on the ramparts of Scar
pia's castle, with its clever effect of
dawn. However. the operas the
thing.
Mr.. Sheehan was most of it last
night with a delightfully."- sung Cavaro-
dossi. One had heard that Mr.. Shee-
han was not in good form. His Othello
one has already mentioned the
many good things it was not-was his
only work of my acquaintance, though
l had heard of broken high C's-un-
pardonable sini-in his Manrico of
the other night. Last night the tenor
did some of those things that were
heralded of him. Dramatically he
was rather comfortable than stpenu-
Gus, though in the climax of the tor
ture scene he had a moment that
sizzled with the rest. But when il
came to the singing one discovered
what has SO far been lost to the season
by Mr.. Sheehan being out of voice.
The voice has an excellent sorority,
great sweetness. smoothnesS. and
volume that lifted to the, utmost
exigencies of the role. Perhaps his
prettiest bit of singing was done in
the duet of the last act, and here,
despite the applause censor, the itch
ing palm had its say. But throughout
the singer was adequate and much
more, and in his most strenuous
moments the voice lost no whit Of its
beauty
That delightfulest of vilIains-after
Carmen one would certainly prefer of
all the naughty stage folk to sing
Scarpia-was Winfred Goffs charge.
Mr.. Goff died beautifully With La
Puma's walking feather-bed of Scar
pia-who, too, with hilarious economy
blew out his own death-candles-so re-
Gently in memory. Mr.. Goff's imper-
Sonatlon came rather satisfactorily
But it wasn't real wicked. 1t wanted
in that lovely shivery. sinister villainy.
wanted. too. in courtliness and polish;
wanted. too, in the brutality under it
all. Yet in part Mr. Goff's Scarpia had
all OF these and was moreover a hand
some picture. His lines were sung
in smooth and unobtrusive fashion.
and his vocal quality is always agree
able
Miss Rennyson was the Tosca and
Miss Rennyson shouldn't do it again.
Life may be very serious, but it is
miles from being as serious anywhere
as Miss Rennyson's comedy. AS dire
fully conscientious as Mayor Schmitz
leading the Handel Largo was Miss
Rennyson's coquetry-and as amusing.
Nor anywhere from a persistent self
consciousness betraying itself largely in
constant attitudinizing-gran quite
possibly the result of excessive con-
scientiousness-did she convince in the
character. But Miss Rennyson did
someu charming singing, though there
is not enough of the voice to express
the big passion of the role. But the
part is temperamentally distinctly out
of her meter.
OF the rest, Mr.. Boyle did an excel
lent character sketch as the Sacristan
and Mr.. Benefits Angelotti was nota-
bic.
Mr.. Emanuel was in the leaders
chair-one cannot get quite accustomed
10 that chalr-and proved himself again
able and experienced. The other man
behind the gun" the stage director.
Mr.. Evans, is entitled to high praise
for the smoothness of this and all the
productions. The climax of the second
act in particular showed his firm and
artistic hand 1t was here that the
singers achieved a real Tivoli thrill
and that the house rose bravely to If,
Tonight "Lohengrin" is repeated. with
a chance to hear Marion Ivell as Or
trud. BLANCHE PARTINGTON.