Evening star., 1912-11-12
New National.

! An unusually large and proficient or
| chestra set the audience applaUding be
/ fore the curtain actually arose on "Ths
| Firehy" at the New National Theatei
| .ast night. The expression Of confidenc'
was not misplaced. The pretty melodie
promised by the introduction were j
| evidence abundantly as the action pr
gressed through some rather acrobat
dancing as a preliminary to more sui
| stantial merits The music is vel
worthy OF the elaborate care taken for
| it's presentation. The orchestratior
underlies the tupeful graces of the score
| In way that gives them both support
| and establishment without going so far
as to transfer solo responsibilities to the
| Instrumentation after the fashion of COM
pcsers more self asse-tive than Rudolf
| Friml. The lyrics Of Otto Hauerbach
contained some clever rhyming, more, Lc
| doubt, than got to the auditors ear, for
| the collaboration Is not Always successful
| In getting the words as clearly to atten-
| tion as the Gilbert & Sullivan test, to
which all light opera must be submitted
would demand. Enunciation is obscured
| too, by the foreign tendencies OF speech
| constantly in evidence. But where the
enough in listening to the music that
goes ripping along In sprightly refiec-
| ton Of the moods Of the plot and with
no efforts at eccentricities Of dance
rhythms.
Musical entertainments have come and
gore this season. greeted with expec-
fancy and dismissed with regret. The
Firefly" Is one that fulfills the hopes en-
te-tained and deserves to be sent on its
way rejoicing. an acceptable vehicle fo'
delightful singer and actress who has
i rot hitherto been very advantageously
equipped with material.
1: is a comic opera without being toe
comic The concise little plot tells q
charming tale Of love and devotion with
out enough departure from the conven.
tional to disturb traditional ideas of what
should occur where people sing their sen.
! .iments and dance by way Of helping
along the action Of the story. The com
edy Is not supplied In the form of buf-
foonery. No red-faced gentleman with q
dubious nose commits verbal atrocities
Melville Stewart, a player Of remarkably
leg. innate methods and sense Of humor
mas the first song 1t Is a jovial number
In which as a middle aged chap with a
disposition Of affable roguery, he invites
the young ladies, out of respect to the
gray above his temples to Call Hin
and afforded good contrast for the en-
trance song of the star the tiny Tren-
tni. 1t was a song which displayed hei
voice admirably, and, as In the case of al
her serious musical work, completely ef-
faced for the moment the dainty drollery
Of her personality in this role of distinctl.
humorous style. The entire evening is q
frolicsome masquerade for the little wom-
an whose manner is simple. whose
art is so accurate and whose voice is sc
sweetly powerful $ singing girl IN
italian peasant costume. as a gamir
smirched of face and impudent of man
ner. as a dapper Tommy Atkins and
finally as the radiant and triumphant
heroine, she sparkled through the piece
Ike a ray OF sunshine. Trentini is the
most prismatic of prima donnas: her per-
sonality is a perpetual play OF light and
cOlOrs.
Roy Atwell is grotesque and unfail-
ing source of amusement. He is the moss
angular Of comedians, with faculty OF
resolving himself into human clothes
pin or a letter X or a figure without
the least apparent effort. As the self
effacing secretarial person he contributed
very important character to cast
which contains excellence in unusual va
riety. Henry Vogel's song of toy shr
was one of the things of substantial quail
ity that found enthusiastic applause.
Charming musical numbers follow one
another in profusion but not in disorder
and the dialogue is introduced in dis
Greet proportion. There are pretty young
women in abundance, as expected in
musical entertainment. and the stage pic
lures make the performance constantly a
qualification to the eye as we'll as to the
ear.