The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-12-08

Musical melodrama.
Have you ever heard Of a theatrical
Offering being described as a musical
melodrama %
Sounds novel, doesn't it?
And 1t is quite within the bounds OF
possibility that another season, and the
new leading successes will come to US
described in that manner rather than
as comic operas, musical comedies
musical extravaganzas. and so on
through the various and several varia-
tons SO we'll known to the theater
going public
And why not? The country has been
SO profusely supplied within the past
few years with that brand of musical
entertainment so thoroughly popular
lied by H. w. Savage, that the public
las become satiated- Manager after
manager in an effort to reap harvest
while the craze for musical COMEDY
was at its height, has had whipped To-
gether some sort of absurd impro babe
story with one or another or the lot
eign countries that lent themselves
readily to the purposes in hand, as a
background for a gorgeous and ornate
display of scenic and costume pictures
varying in degree of splenoor ana color
as the Imagination Of the various play
writer's and the pocketbooks OF the re-
Epective managers permitted.
But the reaction has set IN II -
heard on every hand The pupnc
doesn't seem to flock in droves 10 tne
once magic words musical COMEDY
applied to a production
The lament is the same the whole
country over. The public Graves some
thing new, and as a consequence new
sensations must be devised The leglu-
mate drama diet will no longer satlsIy
the public appetite as a regular tnlng'
Shakespeare can be presented Dy
but few of even the recognized stars
of the first magnitude, and draw
enough at the box Office to warrant tne
als-and even then the produc-
tions must be sumptuous speclaculaA
50 the question that puzzles amuse-
1nent managers is what may we turn
to next to offer"
Joseph f. Howard. the weil-known
couposer and playwright, seems 10
have happilv solved the problem, ana
his latest pieces, The District Leaoer
in which he was seen in Topeka our-
ing the past week. IS propaoiS ~
forerl1nner OF a new type of entertain
4oant mat possibly bids fair to have
successful vogue the same as nao Hiu-
steal. comedy, comic opera, etc
About the most fitting name tnat
might be applied to The DislIlcS
Leader" would be to call It musical
Whether Mr. Howard unwittingly
turned out a piece OF this description,
or whether 1t is the result OF sluuleu
effort to put forth a pioneer ~ d 80
field may not be stated in TINS con-
nection because. to use an oft quoted
phrase. ''official confirmation is lack
ing" a
But the fact remains the same
There is a striking originality that at
taches to The District Leader tnat
seems to compel the verdict that II -
q corking good entertainment w ny
There seems no reason unless II u
that the melodramatic features 50
cleverlv interviewer with lot OF per-
faof1v natural and witty dialogue and
catchy songs, constitute a change Of
diet that ii a source Of restful relief;
1t isn't the one. two, three style Of
rneIodrana that marks 1.-The District
Leader" So distinctively. There are nc
hair breadth escapes from the buzz
saw in the old log mill or rescues of
the hero or heroine from the fast ap-
proacfing night express. but rather
high class type of melodrama OF the
brand that has always attracted the
dollar and a half audiences to per- |
formances of the Gillette order