Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-06-29

ably seldom has been heard in a Lon
don playhouse, Writing of this scene
one of the London critlcs-who heads
his article Audience Maddencd by q
waltz says Those In the pit rose
To their feet to cheer him and hats
and caps We're waved at him as though
at a victorious general after a long
campaign Which is no eNagEeratiou.
Joseph Coyne, by the way, is eN-
ttomely good in THE Merry Widow A"
He was engaged by Edwardes after his
hit in Nelly Nell" and has "A similar
part at Days to that which he played
IN the Mcclellan musical comedy name
~ youthful 'rounder.' He Is not
a great singer, however and many ot
the critics have grumbloG over his
selection to play Prince DahilO, for a.
song called; I'm OF to MaXims,"
which made a furore in Vienna, fails
NAT as he gives It. and he does not
even attempt another ditty allotted to
the character. sim Cpyne scored
hugely on the opening night, as all the
reviewers admit
He really is immense IN the waltz
scene. rs well rs IN y later one where
he tries 10 resist the appeal of the
melody The story of The Merry
Widow hardly is worth telling, yet
as Americans may have heard, no less
than two British authors are claiming
Ing 1t. There are Captain Basil Hood,
" no wrote Sweet and Twenty" and
Edward Morton. whose chief claim to
fame as = librettist rests on the fact
that he gave US san Toy"
on the first night programs. as we'll
as ON the posters, Morton was named
as the adapter of Die Lustige Witwe,"
but 10! on the morning after the pro-
duotion at Days, Captain Hood
claimed a have danp no work Tvb.a
whole thing Is something of a mys-
terry, even now. but as MOrton's name
has been taken off the program and the
bills, II looks as IL Hood had emerged
victorious and the question Is how tho
other librettist came 10 be given the
credit at the outset? The controversy
in the newspapers has shed no light
ON this interesting matter.
To bark back TO the plot Of "The
Merry Widow" however this is harm
less as well as tritiing, enough. Sonia.
the heroine, has been wooed as Il girl
by Prince Danilo, but, alas, the latter's
rich uncle would not give his consent.
the maiden being a farmers daughter.
SO Danio broke ii or. albeit reluct-
antly. and Sonia married money in the
person Of fabulously rich agrcul-
urist who died within a few weeks of
their wedding A mlliOnairess. then,
as well as beautiful, she comes to Paris
where Danlo is now secretary of le-
CATION, and upon meeting they fall in
love all over again. But Danilo has
gone the pace at MaNim's. moro
over, he breads to be branded as "A
fortune hunter and SO 1t comes that
the girl he had formerly Tilted has TO
court him through three acts OF COM
plications.
Their waltz-the national dance of
their common country Marsovla-is
l,.a /, t,,.,f
course. are crowned with success As
! have pointed out. this allurlng dance
has led to a tragedy In real life aud il
would not be surprising il many ro-
mancos had been eagcndercd by the
melody which accompanies H. Pre-
vlouS 60 the rising of the curtain on
the third act OF THE Merry Widow"
the first night audience hummed this
waltz I'm chorus, and IL has quickly
spread throughout London, a gramo-
phone company, which had prepared
thousands of records IN anticipation,
was sold out it is said, two days after
"Thc Merry Widow was produced,
The publishers of the music scarcely
can keep up with the demand. "All
England" says "A writer I'm n news
paper before me, "will have To bc pre-
pared to hear II played by every band
and organ IN the country from now
forward until, goodness knows when.
1t is an opoch-maklng waltz, though
simple. Whistllng will once more
become general, and street organs that
play the waltz are expected 10 be al
lowed to stay as long as they like in
even the most exclusive streets"
Meanwhile DAYS win not begin 10
accommodate the folk who want TO see
the actual dance In THE Merry
Widow" and am authority has declared
that the opera Will ran here for three
years. Hut just you wait tin tho
waltz refrain reaches the United
Statosl "Hiawatha' viii be nothing
TO 1t. CURTIS BROWN.