The Washington herald., 1910-01-25

"The Merry widow"


After an absence Of nearly a year. that
most graceful and pleasing of ladies, THE
Merry Widow" returned for a second visit
to the National last night
To go into any details concerning the
score or the story of the widow" would
be more than superhuous. The one has
been played and whistled over both hemi-
spheres-the other is almost as familiar
through the constantly changing audiences
that have seen and have been eaptivated
by the Viennese lady and her retinue.
The principal reason for the success of
''The Merry Widow lies in the beauty
and the purity Of the musical score. The
waltz music of Vienna, since and before
the days OF Johann Strauss, has been the
model for the whole world The power 10
please the popular ear and at the same
time TO yield 70 no temptation TO sacrifice
the dignity Of the meaning OF music is
rare gift. Franz Lehar in his compo-
sitions for The Merry Widow" has
proved himself the greatest example OF
that school Of operate music known as
comic opera that we have to-day. Music
of this grade is an education. II has be-
come the standard by which inferior sue
cessors are unavoidably compared.
| The score Of The Merry Widow" fairly
vibrates with harmony and rich melody
from the predominating waltz movements
to the less familiar, but equally endur-
ling marches. or the wonderful wild Hun
garian czarda which opens the second
/ act This latter composition has hardly
/ engaged the attention which it deserves.
Through il Lehar has given US a very
vivid picture Of the Magyar music. the
whirIing. passionate dance, the wild
| shouts, the almost fanaucal way In
which tho people Of Southeastern Eu-
rope arouse themselves 10 intense excite
ment
/ 1t was sometime after the opera was
/ produced for the first time in this coun-
try that the people at large woke TO the
/ fact that there were other compositions
I Of note beside the world-famous waltz But
NOW one awaits almost as eagerly the
haunting song of the prince, Maxim S.
villa" with its love song Of the wild
people OF the Hungarian plains; The
/ Cavalier and It's peculiar Tilt, and Neta-
| lies opening solo, II Am a DutIfuI
Wife" These and all the other Of the
! compositions which Lehar has so plenti-
fully bestowed this opera charm one al
/ most as much as the sensuous, appealing,
clinging waltz-''the waltz that has set
two continents dancing"
| In the present company there are a
number Of the same principals that were
| seen here last spring, Notable among
these are Frances Cameron. who still
dances and sings and acts with the same
grace and perfect ease with which she
did before, and no higher praise than
this can be given to her. Then. in the
part Of the ambassador, there is the
same Robert Graham, with the same
mannerisms which have grown 20 be a
part of the character as depicted by him.
+. J. Mccarthy is still the Nova Kovich
and Charles Kaufman the Marquis Cas-
cade.
But the principal newcomer in the cast
is Charles Meakins, in the role of the
Prince. Comparisons are VIGOROUSLY
odious. but A comparison Of the present
actor with Donald Brian-the actor whom
We saw in the part when the lady last
visited us-is almost inevitable But il
must be said that the comparison is. if
anything, in favor Of the present Prince.
He is as good looking as Brian. dances
as well (and those who saw the former
actor in the role will know that that is
saying a good deaD. and has an even
better voice. So it will be seen that the
present performance is up to the stand
ard Of the former in all things. and
not, as is so often the case, merely the
same play with mediocre actors and the
same costumes that are worn in the be-
ginning
There is only one Merry Widow" and
we are told that this is to be her last
visit to us; but, swanlke, she Is most
melodious and beautiful in her end. for
the producers have spared no pains TO
make the present trip surpass even the
former, and TO be thing to be remem-
bered and recalled as a criterion for the
comedies that viii follow after.