Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-27

and the Fencing Master and all the
| others of that long list were brought
| out
| Speaking of the musical comedy of
| the present stage, Mr.. De koven SAID
| there was no music in it and no comedy.
| For several years the public taste
has inclined to a fantastic form of must
| cal comedy $50 called) and extravaganza
| Prima donnas amounted to nothlns ar.
! tistically. What were known as comic
| opera companies were headed by no
bodies. Pretty women adequately fitted
into operas that could never have at
| tracted the public because of their mu-
steal excellence, and comedians became
| the chief figures in style of compost
| ton once dependent upon admirable sing
ers and actors. Rubbish maSdueraded
| in place of comic opera. and buffoonery
was substituted for real comedy and
spectacular scenes, and magnificent cos
| tunes and shapely figures became the
staple attractions"
/ So it was that he and Harry 3. Smith.
| his famous collaboration, got together to
produce comic opera after the manner
of the good old favorites, with just
enough of the modern methods to cl1nch
| it with the public. The Merry Widow
was mentioned by Mr.. De Koven this
morning as a sort of battering ram
| which bOwled over the froth and jargon
of whole lot of the shows that were
| in the limelight and when 1t was seen
| that the world was after the really
| legitimate form of comic opera" the
| time seems exactly ripe for another
American opera. Mr.. De koven says
! that for several years there was an alb
solute dearth of English comic opera,
| and, in fact. no nationality produced an
| opera worth while, but the wheel of
| time seems to have turned around again.
| with the rubbish underneath and the
real thing on top-and so the new comic
opera, The Golden Butterfly" has flut-
| tered from the pens of the famous pair.
Reginald de Koven and Harry B. Smith.
| Mr.. De Koven had all the local color
needed in THE Golden Butterfly" right
at his fingers ends. 1t is opera with
good bit of Hungarian in it. for it is
a story Of Hungary. He studied in Eu-
rope and knows exactly what is needed
to bring out the right flavor without
laying it on too thick" to use his own
| words. THE Golden Butterfly" has a
story all the way through. You will
wait to the end just for the story" said
| Mr.. De Koven. There are two lovers,
of course. and they separate. the man
going to a distant city to bring out an
opera, and the other, the girl, becoming
a sort of musical governess. Well. they
do not succeed so wonderfully well. but
| they write each other, telling in their
| letters that they are getting on Splen-
| didly. The man finally writes an opera
and is going to have 1T put on. The mu-
| steal governess is an understudy in the
| company. and there is great mix-up:
| A Russian nobleman is going to come
| to see the prima donna on the opening
| night, but the prima donna mistakes the
| poor author for the aristocrat, and he
| runs off with her just to give his sweet
heart. the understudy, chance to go on
and become famous. The second scene
| is a striking one. in the green room of a
thtater, showing the chorus getting
ready and all that" Mr.. De Koven
promises that his new music is going to
be the kind that the public loved There
| is a recurrent theme, after the idea of
| the Waltz Dream" and the Merry
Widow" but although it occurs eight or
| nine times. 1t always has something to
| do with the story. Miss Grace Van
| Studdiford will lead the company Mr.
De Koven thinks highly Of her ability
| and does not hesitate to say that she is
foremost among American light opera
| singers.
WHY COLLIER PARTED WITE
DALY.-People at all conversant with
theatrical matters are well aware that
William Collier began his stage career as
a call boy at Days Theater In New
| York. Mr.. Collier always had a great ad-
miration for Augustin DAILY. and feels
| that he did much to get him on the RICH,
| road to the success that he has attained
| In his chosen profession.
Il was with Augustin DAILY for seven
years." said Mr.. Collier recently. at the
very time when he and his wonderful
company were at their best. The ex-
perience is one that 1 wouldn't take a