The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-03-13
sv ESTHER GRIFFIN WHITE.


up'a city paper and saw conspicuously
Haunted the pictures of the principals
of Martha" who appeared in the pro-
duction of the Aborn Grand Opera
Company here last winter-Samaloff,
the tenor. Jane Abercrombic. the So
prano, William Shuster the basso. and
De Sellem, the contralto, these under
the head Of
"Aborn Company grand opera stars. "
Attention is merely called to this be-
cause much misapprehension seems to
have existed. and to be still current.
with reference to various theatrical
| Offerings" here during the past sea-
son.
Irwas said that the people who gave
Martha" here were "understudies.' -
and much indignation was expressed
over this. although why, it was diff
cult to understand, since these people
all had excellent voices and interpret
ed their roles intelligently.
Nobody expects company like the
Metropolitan to come to Richmond.
But be that as it may. there We're
no "understudies' performing here.
These people were as advertised.
Cuts or pictures of them appeared in
the daily papers before their appear
ance.
AS stated here before the Aborn
Company, which makes no pretentions
to being other than a good touring
organization of it's sort, doesn't carry
; "understudies.'
A company Of this sort can't afford
it,
They have this season a repertoire
of six operas and three castles. These
appear alternately.
1t was originally intended to give
Madame Butterfly" here but this was
changed to Martha" at the request
of number of persons.
If the former had been presented
none of the four principals who APP
peared in the latter would have been
seen or heard here
Some one said the other day
isn't it a shame the way they are
palming off understudies on Richmond
for the original companies?'
No doubt the speaker reallv thought
this to be the case.
But there are other persons who are
determined to give the local theatrical
situation black eye whether or no.
|. Or else they do not take the trouble
to inform themselves.
1t is said that Naughty Marietta"
as presented here was advertised as
the original.
This was not the case in any way.
Madame Tretini was the original
Naughty Marietta
But this year Hammerstein sent out
a second company with number of
notable principals and featured" Flor
ence Weber. young and beautiful
girl who was seen here two seasons
ago in the first presentation of THE
Climax"
Florence Weber is not, as stated,
Tretini's ''understudy."
She never was And isn't now. And
, never will be.
She is being starred and successful
ly so.
The reason some people didn't like
Naughty Marietta" was because they
were unable to distinguish between
genuine comic opera, as Is this produc-
ton, and musical comedy.
The taste of the public has been so
depraved by the mongrel thing called
musical comedy theatrical half
breed, an illegitimate offspring Of the
drama-that it is incapable of distin.
gushing the pseudo from the real or
one class of theatres from another.
! Naughty Marietta" as presented
here, was straight comic opera and ex-
cellent at that. Victor Herbert, the
composer of its score is known to this
country and the world as one of the
most accomplished of American writ
ers of music, in addition to being a
musician and orchestral director.
The opera was effectively staged
the principals were all superior, Miss
Weber herself is the possessor of a
charming personality and a beautiful
voice, and is, what many opera sing
ers are not-a clever actress-the
dancing of the chorus was graceful
and artistic and, altogether it has
been many long day since Richmond
has seen anything to equal this pro
duction.
Musical comedy, as has been said
has debauched the average theatre
goer's taste.
1t, for one thing. insists upon the
conspicuity of the chorus which dom
mates in theatres of this class. On
the other hand the chorus is always
subsidiary to the principals and the
dramatic action and the voices of the
principals in opera, either comic, Ugh,
or grand.
! Notwithstanding the shabbiness oil
the setting and the chorus in Mar
tina" it was a good thing for the town
to have had this opera presented here
for the principals were good and, in
two cases. superior.
And there was no discounting the
advantages of Naughty Marietta"
So far as the chatter about under
studies is concerned it is meaning
less as applied to anything that has
appeared in Richmond.
Nobody's understudy has been seer
here this season.
To say that 'understudies" appear
in Richmond IL to argue yourself the