The Washington herald., 1911-06-04
By EMORY b. CALVERT.

New York. June 3-Theatrical circles
are awakening from their between a-sea-
sons lethargy. A metamorphosis is in
order, and this week the first dramatic
butterflies of the new summer season
have crawled from the cocoon Of prepar-
alton and are making their bows to wait
ing New York.
The butterflies we have in mind are
revivals Of H. NJ. s. Pinafore." that
ancient opera that charmed the theater-
goers OF the last generation, and "A
Country Girl another operetta Of the
dusty past whose memories are its press
agent.
Aside from "Pinafore'' and "A Coun-
try Girl" it might be mentioned that the
only plays that have survived the fire
test" OF a superheated spring and early
summer are THE Pink Lady" at the
New Amsterdam: "Everywoman." which
has moved to the Lyric; THE Spring
Maid" at the Liberty: THE Hen
Pecks." at the Broadway; Excuse Me-
at the Gaiety: LAS a Man Thinks at
the Thirty-ninth Street; Get Rich Quick
Wallingford.'' at Cohan's, and THE Con-
cert" at the Belasco.
"H. M. 8. Pfnafore."
While the news OF Sir William s. Gil
bert's sad and sudden death is yet the
talk Of theatrical circles. his most famous
operetta, H. NJ. s. Pinafore," is scoring
q nightly success at the Casino that
would have gladdened the old librettist's
heart and soothed his declining years
with proof positive that he, among all
his contemporaries, had written lines
that stand the acid test of time and will
long outlive his marble memorials: 1t is
g. a.
Mikado," another OF the Gilbert and Sui
livan favorites. will go down TO posterity
as works of operatic art that few will
equal
The present revival of "Pinafore'
amply proves its perennial popularity by
nightly box office receipts, despite the
continued hot weather, that would do
credit to the latest success Of a popular
modern playwright. To those who have
outlived their years Of adolescence and
reached the patriarchal, bewhiskered
stage, the action Of this MASTERPIECES ia
familiar, but to the many thousands
whose recollection of the piece lies only
in the enthusiastic "reminiscences of their
elders, the opera Is as new as on the
night OF its first performance at the old
Standard Theater. London. in 1879.
"Pinafore" Is satire upon the ancient
bureaucracy and snobbery that enyeloped
r@hBid navy III tHe days OF yOre. The
action Of the piece is placed aboard his
majesty's ship Pinafore, of Ports
mouth, England: the time being con-
temporaneous to its writing, In 1878. Ac-
cording to the story the Right Hon. Sir
Joseph Porter, first lord of the ADMIRAL
ty. has fallen deeply in love with To-
sephine. the charming daughter of Can't.
Corcoran, commander OF the Pinafore
This young woman. however is infatuat-
cd with Ralph Rackstraw. an able sea-
man. who 10 deeply in love with her.
even though she is SO much above his
station. The captain has secret long,
ing for Little Buttercup. q Portsmouth
bumboat woman. whom he thinks he
would gladly marry IL she were nor SO
much below his social station. Dlsre-
garding the cautions Of Dick DeadNye,
and needing the teachings of the ad-
miral. who insists that all men are equal,
and rules that the captain must say
please" when addressing his sailors,
Ralph plans to elope with Josephine.
Dick Deadeye gives the captain warning
of this plan, and he prevents its con-
summation.
When the admiral finds that Dick want
ed to eiope with Josephine. he goes back
on all his principles OF equality and
orders Ralph to the dungeon. At this
period Little Buttercup interferes. She
relates that when she was a young wo-
man she ran . baby farm. and that
Ralph and the captain were exchanged In
infancy, 90 that the seaman II really the
eaptaia and tie captain y really the