New-York tribune., 1905-11-13
NOTES OF THE STAGE.
Comments on the National Theatre

Comments on the announcement by the director
Of the Metropolitan Opera House that he is going
TO found the National Theatre" are beginning to
pour in THE Boston Transcript Saturday. in
fbe course of a long article by H. T. Parker,
no,nted out the strangeness of the admxture pro-
posed of English drama and opera comique. 1t
said
Mr. Conried must have opera. 1t has become as
Vented yee itat % least in Amerca Anyhow he and
it have become inextricably confused Therefore,
siionaI oa Tbeatre but the Widest so far as we
can recall never contempated the ringling of
opera and of drama. Opera comque II is 10 oe-
4 few years ago in Paris Bruneau the composer,
wrote an article ABOUT it and called it the emne'
the French have extended it. to the smaller and
schools Mozart. Rossni and Donizetti. for example.
Presumably foreign singers will sing these operas
Of h1s our fhe is me for quota
form of musical art, for which there is no English
ought to be theatre for opera comiqae in New
York. as the musical capital of America 1t could
tainment that there is in the world But to make
is oi,ite another ~ mater at MI Conried knows us
well. A label catches so easily,
After reviewing at length the announced pur
poses Of the National Theatre. the article finally
closes with this paragraph
And so forth and so OH, even to committee
manners on the stage. Interesting will be the
choice OF it. and interesting its nin:strations to
actors with ''teInperaments , our National inca
tre,' if II follows present plans. VIII lnaeeG Dc
genthau and Mr.. Guggenheim and the rest OF
their associates to give II to US for an American
Institution 1t may fall shor- of some Ideals, oCt
that is the way of the world. 1t may not be cN-
actly the patient and sincere advocates OF
a loaf is better than no bread. Yet let US sup
pose Il purely hypothetical case: Suppose MI CON
ried wished another theatre in New York, Whcn
is Il legitimate desire. Suppose he wished to eX
English speaking dramatic company. winch are
equally legitimate ambitions. Suppose sundry as,
sociates thought all this a deserving venture and
willing to subscribe heavily to 1t, winch Is
social denland for a new circle or parterre
boxes to rival those of the Metropolitan Ine more
the merrier. Suppose it advisable to SECURE
the utmost publicity for the whole proJec, sup,
q National Theatre and do the trick. suppose
but this is purely hypothetical case
The Dl chess of Dantzic.' the musical COMEDY
version of Sans Gene which was shown in TINS
city at Days Theatre last season, with MISS Evls
Green ia the title part and Holbrook Blinn as Ma
poIeon and which has since been sung on the road
by the same players close its American career
comedy-or what passes for comedy in our musical
plays-in this excellent and delightful entertain
ment to attract the public outside of New ork
Even in Boston, q town where culture IS sun sup
posed to dwell on amfable terms Win the couiIsi @
court. II seems rather pity that good music
good singing, rather better than good acting. ana
a Skful and charming iibretto should count Tor SO
fies ali these things live three months out
side OF biggest cities.