Evening star., 1909-03-02
A M U S E NJ E N T S .
New National.

Among the celebrities whose presence
will grace the inaugural festivities the
Merry Widow should be mentioned.
True, the dances which she executes with
such 1.-THE abandon would startle a con-
ventional assembage, and the costumes
which she sanctions though within the
limits of what popular opinion has sane
toned in theatric display, would scarcely
pear minute description In lne soclety
editors column.
THE Merry Widow is most modern
bit of entertainment and is d striking eX-
ample of how in order to create the new
We must revive the forgotten. The waltz
so long neglected for the march and two
step, in this performance comes merrily
into its own once more. Forgetful of our
own John Phillip Sousa. we go back for a
time to the swinging rythms of Strauss
and Waldteufel. Only these Lehar
waltzes are not the soft expressions OF
moonlit romance. They are pulse-uuick-
ening rythms. dramatic in their meaning.
expressions of gayety or resentment. but
never even in their most liesurely meas
ures suggestive of languorouS repoSe.
With all it's music which displays
skill far beyond the simple song and
CHORUS interpretations with which the hsht
operate stage has so long been forced
to shift along. The Merry Widow is
less an opera than a dance. 1t is a
twentieth century dithyramb; far echo
of the Grecian days swhen revelers bore
aloft the Dionysian vine and danced in
unrestrained exuberance.
The story of 1.-THE Merry Widow" con-
veys' a hint of severe satire on the ways
of diplomacy in minor European states.
But the auditor will hardly care to go
beyond the simple lovers quarrel, mutual
jealousy and reconciliation, all told as
eloquently in dancing as they could be
told in pages of blank verse. To be
sure, there are periods of dialogue. There
must be breathing time. These are ap-
propriated mainly by Robert r. Graham
and Fred Frear for the purpose of de-
veloping some real old-faShioned comedy
not oldfashioned in the sense of sad
familiarity, but in the fact of its. being
genuinely funny The terrible strain for
points that sometimes gives perform
ance designed to be humorous the effect
of an endurance contest is absent. When
the lines do not provide laughs the per-
formers are able to score by their man
ner of delivering them and in one num-
ber male chorus develops half a dozen
or more amusing characters. each indie
pendently and hilariously efficient.
The cast itself presents assembling
of the familiar and the new. In grace
full cooperation with the lOng-eStabliShed
favorites mentioned are Frances Gamer
on in the title role. who lavishly distrib
utes her talents as singer, dancer
and an actress, without letting the de-
mands of one sacrifice the charm of an
other, and Donald Brian, as pretty a
pTlnceInG as ever lTOU the DOaIuS WIFI
bevy of beauties Miss Franceska
kaspar has a highly important role. which
she performs in a manner which wins
hearty approval. The reckless abandon
of the dance sometimes leaves the per-
formers with scarce breath enough for
singing, but in such emergencies the or
chestra, under the direction of Louis
Gottschak, comes with unostentatiOus
reliability came to the rescue.
The stage settings and costumes are
all conducive to an atmosphere of Jolllty-
Act one shows the MarSOvian embassy in
Paris, where gentlemen wear the pictur-
eSque badges of European distinction and
the ladies appear with coiffures, realizing
the widest dreams of the illustrators
now following in the footsteps of Aubrey
Beardsey.
The second act, showing the widows
residence in Marsovia. gives opportunity
for native costume display, and the third
is that famous landmark of traditional
French gayety, Maxim's. That observant
but sometimes Sardonic American in
Paris. Sterling Heilig. once described
MaXims as place where lot of Ameri-
cans sit on one side spending money
watching d lot of Americans. also spend
ing money. on the other side, all con-
vinced that they are gazing at the most
daShing sports that civilization can pro-
duce. The Viennese view of MaXim's is
different. 1t is scene of picturesque
revelry. such as only the imagination OF
the theatric producer could make possible.
The reception accorded The Merry
Widow at the New National last night
was most enthusiastic. the audience be-
ing exceptional, not only in numbers but
in manifestations of approval. The ia
miliarity of the famous waltz song, in
stead of hindering the interest in this long
delayed gagement, has the effect of an
introduction to work that improves on
acquaintance.