New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-11-15
THE GYPSY"
New PixIey and Luders Ro-
mantle 0peretta at the Park.
HAS GOOD MUSIC
But Not of the Popular Kind,
and Action Lacks
Spirit.

Inc composer and the deviser OF several
widely popular musical comedies offered
| their latest collaboration at the Park
Theatre last night. But THE GYPSY
| cannot hope for the success of, say, 1.-The
Prince Of Pilsen," because the thing that
every one goes to musical plays for
Spirits lacking.
The music of the new operetta, which
| aims all the way through to catch the
slow swing OF romance. is OF a better
singing quality than usual in native
musical plays, and the orchestration is
more carefully worked out. The leading
tenor. Francis Lieb, who Is neither able
to act nor apparently interested in that
branch of musical comedy art, cares a
good deal about singing. and knows how
as we'll He has 4 we'll trained voice
which he uses with fine spirit.
The scenes Of THE Gypsy" are laid
in England. the first outdoors in some
very satisfactory musical comedy woods
and the second in a gold and gray hall
IN Stanhope Manor. The story is made
out of the mellow old theme OF change
lings. Paulo, the young gypsy chief. and
the Lady Alicia OF Stanhope Hall should
really be the other way round. PauIo
was born to inherit the Stanhope millions.
and Alicia is the daughter Of the gypsies.
Paulo knows about this in the first act.
but because he loves Alicia and does not
want 10 dispossess her of lands and title
he burns 'the papers" These papers. OF
course, prove his birthright. They came
with him as a changeling and are the
only clew. besides his noble bearing, to
the fact that he is stanhope.
An ambitious father has other designs
for his supposed daughter than an ALL
ance with gypsy chieftain, so the
gypsies are ordered TO move on. and this
gives opportunity for the lovers to part
In sad music and for Paulo to sing his
oravado song, The Gypsy Rover" which
was the most spirited incident Of the
evening.
There are international 1avors recur-
rent throughout the piece in the rather
constant presence OF the Count Won Stern
berg, an Austrian fortune hunter, whose
couture and mustache point him out for
comedy. and in the equally frequent ap-
pearance Of Lord Kyddlehurst, also a
comedy person, OF the stage Englishman
type. That the other people Of tho play
were also supposed TO be English was a
fact not forced on the spectator. John
Hazard and Ernest Lambart played, re-
spectively, the Austrian and the English
man In the usual way, and won the APP
proval of large part OF the house
Forrest Winant, as retainer OF Lord
Stanhope, played juvenile lover 10 Anna
Wilkes's ingenue. and these two figured
In the brightest songs and dances of the
play.
Violet seaton played Lady Alicia. She
has capable voice, though there are
rather sharp notes in IT, William Sell
lery's deep bass provided the firm founda-
ton for a quartet The Tale OF the Tad
pole" In which chorus lassies arrayed
as frogs betrayed an unconscious inclina-
ton toward turkey trotting, and this dance
never looked so queer In anything as II
does In a polywog The "trot' is now IN
grained In all New York musical COM
edy choruses. Even in walking on the
stage In Quaker dress they seem hardly
able to restrain themselves from the
rhythmic gait Of the all pervading rag"
The first scene and all the costumes are
pleasing and mellow. There is an at
tractive lack Of vaudeville specialties. and
there Is good music. But there is no new
note struck and no bizarre doings. THE
Gypsy" will provide an opportunity Of
seeing whether or not these things are
necessary in musical plays.