The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-12-24
Attic ffSS

Many people in the audience at the
Grand last night had seen THE Merry
Widow in Chicago or New York, and
everybody in the house was familiar
with the story of the opera and the
details of the production and had
heard the music until it had palled
upon them But for all that THE
Merry Widow made tremendous hit
in Topeka and no theatrical perform
ance in this town has ever been re-
warded with so spontaneous a response
or such enthusiastic appreciation as
was shown the Savage company In
Franz Lehar's enormously successful
operetta last night. 1.-The Merry
Widow waltz, discarded by the or
chestras, even out here on the edge
of things, last season, was given new
lease of life, and was received with as
much zeal and fervOr as if it were
musical novelty, unknown to the
monographs and Undergraduates. In
short, the famous Viennese opera as
produced in Topeka, fully justified the
furore it created on two continents.
The book is clever and has some ele-
ments of real dramatic interest, the
situations unusual, the business" mar
Vicious. the music stands the test or
time and unparalleled abuse, and age
has not Withered nor custom stalled the
sensuous appeal of the sensational, Oft
burlesqued waltz which made the
piece famous.
There was some grumbling in town
today as Il result of an erroneous re-
port that Miss Rosemary Glosz, adver-.
tised for the part of-"Sonia,'' did not
AbarbaneII. Miss CLOSE is the most
famous Sonia who has sung the role
in this country and Topeka people
naturally wanted to see her. When
the morning newspaper reported that
Miss Pauline Perry was die Lustige
Witwe of last nights caste, there was
some not unreasonable dissatisfa ction,
although everybody ads tilted that the
scarcely have been better. But it was
Miss GIosz, herself, who appeared in
Topeka and when she heard in Atchi-
son this morning that another woman
had been given the credit for her
prima donna's rage and overturned
her cup of coffee. Miss Pauline Perry,
unaccountably mistaken for Miss Glosz
derstudy. She is the second singer
carried by the Savage company, to
alternate with Miss Glosz in the lead
ing role and usually sings at the
matinee performances
People who have seen both Miss
AbarbanelI and Miss Glosz, praise the
latter highly. 1t can not be a simple
matter to find a suitable sonia" The
role demands much musically, his
ironically and temperamentaily and
Miss Glosz delivers the goods. She has
beauty of just the right type, the
exuberance, the bouyanCy, the SPLEEN
VlIa1CYEW1inOuC
regardless of her other charms, could
realize the ideal of the perfectly nor
NAL, human and natural 'Sonia," and
a vigorous grace exactly suited to the
exigencies of q role in which the
terpsichorean demands are sufficient to
keen a premiere danseuse busy.
Interest in the caste centered, of
course, in Mr.. George Dameral. who
made himself famous as Prince
Danilo in Chicago and New York last
season and who is the best actor and
singer who has essayed the role in
America. Mr.. Damera1 is what is
technically known as a ''dinger." If
there was a woman in the audience
who didn't dream about him last
night, there is something radically
wrong with her. and she ought to take
something for it Dameral is the sort
of man who makes women restless and
lovers nervous. His success in the role
is personal and temperamental- He
might be a failure in some other part
but he is Danilo to the life. He sings
adorably, he dances divirely and as for
the way he makes lOve!-well, if it
were not for that fortunate provision
which prevents ourselves seeing our
selves with others eyes, no man would
take a woman who even interested
him to see Dameral do 1.-THE Merry
widow waltz.
Ire efforts of Miss Glosz and Mr..
Dameral We're seconded by a support
which was. entirely satisfactory. if