The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1907-02-08
ADJUSTMENTS.
"The Free Lance"

At the opera house tonight will be
seen Klaw e. changers presentation
Of the Sousa opera Company, in which
Joseph Cawthorn is the stellar feature
in John Philip Sousa and Harry B.
Smiths new military comic opera en-
titled The Free Lance" which was
first produced last season and ran for
months at the New Amsterdam The
atre, New York. The cast and ensem-
BILE is the original one, the main fac
tors being Joseph CawthOrn, Nella
Bergen, jeanette Lowrie, Albert Hart,
George Schiller, Stanley Murphy,
Monte Elmo, George Tallman and
other singers and comedians of promi-
nence. There is a singing chorus of
seventy voices which is said TO be the
best ever heard in a Klaw & Erlan-
ger production and good enough for
opera of any kind. The Free Lance"
is called genuine comic opera and
return to the happy spirited and
genuinely musical compositions of the
legitimate comic opera class, few of
which have been heard in this country
since the Gilbert and Sullivan sue
cesses. 1t is claimed that John Philip
Sousa has composed a score of must
cal numbers in The Free Lance" that
for quality would put to blush most
of the compositions that have been
evolved from native musicians for
many a day, while Harry b. Smith
has contributed a briskly moving in
teresting book, full of bright lyrics and
funny lines. Klaw & Erlanger have
given THE Free Lance one of those
sumptuous productions for which their
names are noted. The scenic embel-
lishment is picturesque and beautiful.
the costumes of regal mas1idcence.
but always in good taste. An. idea of
the story of the opera may beigleaned
from the following:
The treasury of the Emperor of
Braggadocia being empty, and. in order
to replenish it he decides to wed his
daughter. Princess Yolands, to Prince
Florian, son of the Duke of Graftiana
The latter is willing that his son
should enter upon this match for the
very same purpose. But Princess Yo-
lande has scrupples about finding a
husband in such a cut-and-dried man.
ner. On the eve of the Dukes arri-
val she disappears, and the Emperor
in order not to disappoint the Duke,
introduces Griselda, goose-girl and
shepherdess as his daughter Prince
Florian, for the same reason as the
princess, also keeps aloof. so the Duke
orders his soldiers to find his son, or
at least provide substitute, where
upon they compel Siegmund Lump
(JOseph Cawthorn) to impersOnate the
Prince. In the meantime the real
Prince and Princess, disguised as
peasants, meet and promptly fall in
love, and when Siegmund and Grissel-
da are introduced to one another
they find they are alresiy man and
wife. When it is discovered that
both the Emperor and the Duke have
been financing their offsprings for the
purpose of replenishing the treasury
and that neither country has gained
any advantage thereby, war is de-
clared, Grisselda commanding the
Amazon army of Braggadocia, while
her husband, Lump. is made COM
mander-in-chief of that of Graftiana
The story as may be seen affords
plenty Of scope for comic compiled
tons and happy, humorous episodes
of which the excellent comedians of
the company take full opportunity.
A complete orchestra of trained must
clans accompanies the organization.