The Washington herald., 1908-05-26
New NationaI-..Mnrtha.y ~

The Aborn Opera Company entered upon
its fifth week at the National Theater last
night with the favorite old opera Mar
tina" as the bin. The intense heat had
visible effect upon the attendance. which
has hitherto been practically top-noteh.
but there was sufficient enthusiasm over
the music and the singers to give zest and
encouragement to the performance
Martha is one OF those ballad operas,
pleasantly reminiscent Of our grandmoth-
ers' days, which possess enough merit TO
outlast the changes Of the times. The
book is Of little or no consequence, Is far
from entertaining. and is 20 weak that no
latter-day composer would think OF using
II as basis on which TO build a dignified
and scholarly operate score. The music
OF Flotow, however. Is the feature Of the
opera beloved by all, and It will probably
live in affectionate memory as long as
any Of the works OF its class. Il is full
OF sweet, melodious strains of haunting
and unforgettable quality. The Last Rose
Of Summer" has been q classic these
many years. and doubtless there is no
family extant which does not boast OF
one elderly member who speaks with
breathless reverence Of PATHS singing of
the immortal ballad.
The high producing standard set by
the Aborn people cannot always be
reached, OF course, and last nights pro-
duction gave less evidence Of thorough
rehearsal than is usual on Monday night.
The chorus particularly, while singing
fully as well as usual. seemed somewhat
unfamiliar with us duties. and several
noticeable bitches in the ensembles Oc-
CURED. The orchestra. too. appeared to
be in some difficulty. and the Substitution
OF the plano for the harp robbed the
exquisite score Of it's full richness in
very many Of the passages. These mat
ters will probably be vastly improved as
the week progresses. and. indeed. the
production as a whole furnishes an ex-
cellent opportunity to many who have
never heard this classical work.
The cast Is a small one. and contains
probably the best tenor who has yet ap-
peared with the company this season. He
| Is an old friend. too. Harry Davies. who
is well known here as the possessOr OF a
strong, clear voice. His acting and sing
Ing are both full OF pathos. and he gave
most gratifying performance as Lionel
Harry Luckstone was the Plunkett. and
while he has little TO do, sang his part
with his accustomed gusto and conf
dence. Charles W. Meyer came back 10
sing the role OF Lord Tristan. and gave
| satisfactory performance.
Alice Kraft Benson appeared In the
| title role, and barring a lack Of fexi-
/ bility and slight unevenness of tone. less
noticeable in the lower than IN the upper
register. gave considerable satisfaction:
| but such a shOwy role as Martha re-
quires a singer with a little more verve
| and natvete and voice OF much greater
| range than Miss BensOn's. Her stage
presence IS excellent. and she has a most
| attractive personality. Miss Bertha
/ Shalek, as Nancy. was a good brunette
/ foil 20 Miss Benson's fairer type Of
| beauty and she sang her one song very
/ charmingly.
/ Miss Magda Dahl. who sang Maid
Marian last week in robin Hood" will
alternate the role Of Martha with Miss
! Benson.