Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-02-18

BY sIDLE LAWRENCE

TT is altogether probable that his
excellency the president of these
Il United states never saw wood
Hand" He ought to see it, however,
for it would leave him in better
humor toward nature takers. This
dainty cperatic fantasy is the mag
mum opus of the doyen nature faker
of them all. 1t is nature faxed from
the rise of the curtain upon the nrst
act to it's final descent upon act two.
Eagles talk, blue jay plots, a
rooster turns pessimist, a robin leads
an army of legitimists on to victory
against an usurping king; peacock
masquerades as a society leader,
Jenny wren dances in way to SGT the
ornithologists agape and other curious
and entertaining exploits of nature
fakery are displayed upon the stage.
1t is all delightful foolery to the ac-
compartment of melodious music and
presented in a series of tremendously
colored settings of exceptional beauty
We in Los Angeles have seen no finer
stage settings than these designed url-
der the direction Of George Marion, nor
have we seen finer effects in the group
Ing and costuming OF the singers.
He Wasn't Amused
rhere was one man in the Mason
| last night who didn't seem particularly
amused by what was transpiring on
the stage. He sat through the two acts
of the opera quietly, but If he smiled
| l didn't detect 1t and l watched aim
every minute of the time / could spare
from that bird fairyland across tne
footlights. Humorists are proverbially
solemn folk. Hences argued, this man
must be humorist. Certainly no mere
dyspepsia could have resisted such de-
| lightful foolery. Then as We passed
out of the theater after the opera was
over my suspicion became a certainty.
He of the rueful countenance proved
| to be the Chevalier Frank Pixley. He
wrote woodland" himself and he
ought to be able to appreciate 1t, but
apparently he is not Next week Mr.
Pixley's first effort, "The Burgo-
master" comes to town. l hope ne
will go to see it. If he doesn't laugh
then there's no hope for him.
| This bird opera is not new to Los
Angeles. It's delightful melodies have
been heard here before, and its beau
| tiful stage pictures first won our ad-
miration two or three years ago. Rep
| etition, however, in this case merely
adds to a present Joy the pleasure of
| retrospection. Nothing more daintily
charming could we'll be imagined.
/ There were shortcomings last night
as there always are; but for the opera
4 itself, for the beauty of its story. the
quaint conceit upon which it is found
4 ed, the cleverness of its humor and
the tuneful quality of its music, to
say nothing Of the brilliancy of Its
staging. we would gladly forgive much
more serious faults.
Miss Nightingale
Mary Quive sings Miss Nightingale
this season. Miss Quive. sister OF
Grace Van Studdiford, is decidedly
rretty girl and acts her role with COM
mendable spirit. Vocally the part de-
madns a, coloratura voice of good
range, and the singer last night was
not always quite up to the music. She
displayed a frequent tendency to fiat
high notes, but in the duet with Hazel
Cox in act two this fault was not no
ticeable and the song was given finely.
George w. Leslie as the bluejay and
Dwight Allen as the rooster provide
the comedy and proved great favor
ties with the audience. Henry A. Bar
rows sang the role of the owl in a
voice of decidedly nasal quality that
detracted much from his work. Leila
Smith as Jenny Wren and Mabel Jones
as the cold bottle-strange combination
those names-Smith and Jones-sang
divinely with their feet. Both girls are
unusually clever dancers.
Good Male Chorus
The best thing unsteady in the pro-
duction is the singing of the male cho-
rus. The songs "go" because they are
beautifully staged, but the present
company is not long on voices.
The chorus is large one and is al
ways picturesque. whether It's mem
bers are peacock showgirls, canaries,
doves or blackbirds. The girls are
pretty. most of them. and they do not
hide their prettiness under bushel or
under too much of anything else.
Here are few words of wisdom from
the chevalier's notebook:
IAN ambush is widow who asks for
an introduction"
Love is a bonfire of joy, and mar
riage a fire extinguisher."
Society is a small body of accidents
entirely surrounded by money"
And this salutation, addressed by the
bibulous blue jay usurper to Lady Pea,
cock: "Bootiful screetcherl" Really,
however, Lady Peacock's voice wasn't