The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-12-06

sta9efuI. Anna Held contrived to keep her small self distinct by dressing nos fashionably, but in quaint style os her own. Clever woman, Anna, what ever you may say.
 Thn mart of Miss Innocence' at the Abbaye was a rollIcky jollity--a show ing of reckless reveiry. 4 cnsp brought over from the genuine Ao- have tiRged wildly: a Spanish troupe of dancers sensually; plenty or pai
 lads was run in; brief buriesque ot
 Three Weeks was given; row oI girls played tunes on bells hidden m their clothes; and through it all detective, hired by the parents, was searching for the runaway girls from school. Before forget 1t. the lioretto was by Harry B. Smith and the score by Ludwig Englander. They sent the company for the last act to q vienna dancing school. where a sharp cnange of aspect Is gained by putting the
 girls into the plain, white and very short skirts of ballet pupils. An orig- inaI effect is wrought by suspending with ribbons from the files as many tanbourines as there are girls, Wno thunp tambos while 90 dancing m and out as to make aa maypole sort of interlacing of the ribbons Ine
 end is a view of a peach orchard, with
 full -blossomed trees. under which
 danced girls who. suppose. are
 peaches.
 I would hate to have to tell you the
 name of Fritzi Schen's latest charac-
 ter. The play that Henry Blossom and Victor Herbert have put together TOT
 her is called The Prima Donna" But whatever they may call the start part, believe me Fritzi Schen plays Fritzi N-. 44sslz ak a often successful, and. justly so; no one could play 1t so we'll. On the
 hrst night. one of the most fashion able audiences possible this side of grand opera cheered through its gur- gles of admiration. She was the fa- miliar chic. alluring Fritzi; still the little devil of grand opera" as the
 heavy Wagnerian prima donnas called her when she sprinkled BaietY all along the trail, from Mozart to Puc-
 cini. This time she bursts into
 dawdry cafe chantant in small
 French town. Some fourth rate per
 formers from. Paris are rehearsing their
 speciallties. One, a hollow -chested girl. coughs too much to sing, she
 would leave them in the lurch put that she is too poor to give up the pitiably small monetary reward. Up jumps Fritzi with the necessary money | in her hand and the voice In her
 throat. That is the first view of the mysterious prima donna, resting from
 the whirl of Paris in a town where she is unknown. But we know her,
 so when the sprightly young heuten-
 ant asks her if she can sing song ne has composed we ourselves are not bit anxious. We loll back secure in the fact that we are about to near voice such as rarely trilis through l lighter operstta and method much
 above it. But beyond that, we know, l thought we accept the pleasant hctton | that the handsome young ofticer com posed the song. that Victor Herbert
 really was father of 1t.
 That is the feeling when we sit back
 to hear the chief number in "The | Prima Donna" It is prepared for as obviously such; 1t Is repeated; its motif | runs through the opera. It Ia charm | singing 1t: or thinking We sing 1t. and enjoying the delusion just as much | It is simple; slow. hesitating, im- | aeinative waltz movement such as the ! famous aria in Mile Modiste." Un- descriptive praise Is dull; but I must put in a word of admiration for the music of Hubert. and not for this
 sample of 1t merelys But "The Prima
 Donna" Is not only a matter of mu-
 sic. Blossom has supplied one scene Of tense. cumulative. mounting drama.
 The generous prima donna has pre- | tended to be a poor chanteuse. has
 aided the girl, sung the young lieu | tenants song. appeared before the rois-
 terous audience, has fascinated every one. Through 1t all Fritzi has main- | talned that combination of pfopriety with vivacity, of wellbred smartness
 with PariBian "zing" which make her