Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1907-03-28

favorites as Isabel Carroll in the
! urima donna role of Monita. William
/ n Strunz as the pompous Governor.
elaine Won ThVclc. as the dainty
papinta, James Brennan as Captain
/ ieop6lda. l.. II. Jefferson as the
German secretary. Margaret Flavin
the wealthy Donna Teresa. Wal
lace jenkins, Charles Jacklin and
others.
The production will be a magniG-
ant. one exactly as was seen at the
broadway Theatre New York for
'welyc consecutive months. three
months at the Sudebaker Theatre.
Chicago: three months in Boston and
40 months in Philadelphia The
! reduction is lavishly staged, with
q orgcous costumes. lavish effects and
pecial lighting effects The chorus
is one of the prettiest ever seen up
on any stage numbering forty hand
some girls
Among the song hits introduced
curing the action Of the opera are
Amt It Funny What Difference
Just Few Hours Make" "In the
Days Of Old" My San Domingo
Maid" "Td Like to be n Solder"
Cupid Has Found BY Heart" when
me Hammers go Rap, Rap, Rap"
In old New York" "Hola." eve
We're Taught to Walk Demurely."
and others
Inasmuch as Henry Blossom, Jr..
and Alfred Robyns Comic Opera.
The Yankee Consul is to be shortly
presented in this city, it is interest
ing TO know what John p. Slocum,
manager OF the organization has to
say regarding the stability" of COM
ic opera in the United States:
SO called Musical Comedy" un-
der the false badge OF Comic Opera"
j. misnomer. II has its place and
its following, but there is as much
difference between it and comic
opera, rs there is between day and
night.
Every effort to raise the dignity
of light or comic opera has met with
the cordial support OF the best critics
Of the American press. 1t is a com
mon past time, that OF dead eating
the critic with opprobrious speech"
vet it cannot be denied that every
meritorious comic opera presentation
during the past few years has met
with their cordial support With
! hardly an exception they have prais-
| I'd that which was worthy and un-
mercifully hayed that which was
lacking in dignity, merit or worth
Dryden said: Praise the Priest who
patiently is poor" so also let those
who are interested in a higher order
Of musical comedy, 1aud the critic
for his honesty OF purpose and his
courage, during the time when fri
volity seems to be gaining full sway.
TO run counter to public taste.
There is no species Of the drama
which is more worthy the attention
and support of a cultivated mind
than comic opera OF the right sort
Yet, every time that the serious
drama has met with failure the cry
has gone up that depraved public
taste has preferred light or comic
opera instead. There is trust and
there is untruth in the statement
that the public has nearly always
preferred opera to tragedy That the
reason for this preference lies i'm n
Initiated public taste, is unworthy Of
= sensible mans attention. From the
time OF Shakespeare. the good old
times" as they were called. to the
present the theatre-going public has
not supported representations of the
more exalted drama except when
presented by great artists, artists Of
great dramatic abilities who were
able to properly portray classic char
acters