Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1912-02-18

! ihtul Tue hlll OF lHe dOluen
VEST can only come as a bitter disap-
/ pointInent. There is little of the real
Puccini in It, and what there Is Is rem
iniscent. The play I'm the first place
with no apologies at all to Mr.. BelascoJ
IS STACEY and melodramatic. a banal AMI
unpOetic picture OF what Broadway fondly
believes to be the west. II Puccini In
hunting for such a subject had stumbled
upon the stories OF Bret Harte he might
havo written another masterpiece, but
Jack Hamlin aud Jack Rarce are several
thousand miles apart. and Minnie is but
dstantly related TO any Of Bret HaTte's
women.
COntufe up in your mind Bret lIarte' 5
I California OF lSlS and 40 His world that
has lived and breathed and vibrated all
these years; his marvellous descriptions
of the slerras-his innate sense Of beauty
his subtle lntuitions OF character, and
then put against your memories this
Golden West girl. There can only be one
result.
So much for the librettO that Puccini
had to work upon. II certainly did not
inspire him. A study OF the score re-
'veals little melodc beauty. There are
occasional places where one is conscious
of his true gift. often and often one
most part the orchestral construction is
bizarre. and inharmonious.
The first act. opening with the various
cowboys singing and talking and the
homesick Jim in the foreground. and
Nick circulating round with drinks, is
effective as stage picture. Puccinl
has evidently heard OF our beloved Ste
phen Foster, for he makes his camp
ltTOubadour tho most incongruous figure
any sane person ever beheld. by the wayl
wander in with his banjo and sing an
old time southern song, with the boys
sitting around for chorus. Mr.. Louis
d'AngelO didn't make very much OF a
really fair opportunity. After this the
real play begins. Minnie finally appears,
after many shrieks for her. johnson
comes heralded by a blare Of chords and
inquiries who wants 10 curl his hair
because he drinks his whisky with water
He and Minnie discover over the bar
that they have met before.
The best things in the frs - are
Jack RANGES narrative to Minnie, which
Mr.. Thomas Chalmers sang in a true
resonant baritone. All through the opera
Mr.. Chalmers was interesting. The part
Is the best in the opera and he did II
well. johnson has some real Pucclnl
music TO sing in his love scene with
Minnie. broad and lovely and effective
but Umberto Sacchetti fell way short OF
the mark. He was not good.
The meiodrama and fearful excitement
Of the second act was carried OF ef-
.fectiveIy. Minuis's first Kiss ali but
disrupted the orchestra, and during the
poker game mouths seemed occasionally
to open but no sound reached over the
footlights-
Ivy Scott as Minnie had a voice with
such a tremolo that even where one knew
the music it was hard to follow her.
M~rrrr-rs and phrases that sh0ulT have
been lovely were entirely lost,
The third act was set ia the great
California forest and was most beautiful
to look at. johnson is finally turned
over 10 Minnie b. tire weeping boys and.
redeemed and renewed. they wander ou-
into the great world. one wonders Just
where they are bound for as they sing
Goodbye. My CALIFORNIA;.
The tenor has one supreme chance at
TIE close when he sings. Let her believe
tlat Z have gained my freedom before
the rescued. Sacrhettt did not seem able
e. take adyantaEe % ais opportunity
One can imagine Carus1 ia his boots
q d spurS HsiHE tp this song and fairly
Lifting the house
The orchestra. which must have NUM-
E.red seventy al splendid WORK = large