The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-02-04
Society
Personal
Fashions
THE STAGE
DETROIT OPERA HOUSE.

Librettists, In their hasty search
for something original which they
| can borrow for their purposes, seen
to have overlooked the lesson they
might read in the success OF "The
Chocolate Soldier" appearing In the
Detroit opera house this week There
Is scarcely a play by Bernard Shaw
which could resist similar treatment
unless Mr.. Shaw used a gun, and he
Is VIGOROUSLY gentle in his habits
Candida for instance, would make
a beautiful opera bouffe-think OF the
possibilities or comedy in the poet
Marchbanks 0f that is his name), and
in Candida's very ordinary husband !;
think Gapaida.s- greaIsn along
the lines OF II love my John, but oh
you rhymester" Then there's Caesar
and Cleopatra after all the fun had
been eliminated. the librettist would
not have to make another change,
while the scene-painter would have
the time of his life. Cleopatra could
do a dance-you know. Are Messrs.
Baker and Potter in the audience?
IL Is but barely possible that The
Chocolate Soldier owes much to Mr..
Shaw, though once In a while some
thing appears that Is reminiscent OF
his ideas, The character OF Blunt
schli is lost in Lieut. Bumeri. In spite
OF the fact that Bumerli sometimes
talks Bluntschlrs language No; 1t
is evidently Oscar Straus, who is re-
sponsible for the longevity OF the
opera; not the Straus who ran for
collector OF the port, or comptroller
OF the currency, or governor or some
thing, on the Bull Moose ticket last
fall, but the one who wrote my
Hero" and who doesn't need Col.
Roosevelt's Endorsement to make him
solid with the crowd. Musically, The
Chocolate Soldier is perhaps the best
work OF It's kind in recent years. Ger
tainly, nothing has 30 caught the pub
lie since The Prince of Pilsen" Mr.
Straus does not write tune throw
Ii in, and forget about IL. Familiar
strains appear Unexpectedly, and un.
dergo strange and pleasant metamor
phoses. First themes return TO life in
later scenes. There Is musical
unity in the score such as is found
in few Of the light operas OF today
III one remembers that the best light
opera voices are not multitudnous in
number, he will perhaps be satisfied
with the cast. Rena Vivienne takes
the part OF Nadina Popoff, whose
Ideas OF military heroism are given
such a rude shock by the soldier
whose notion OF successful battle Is
the salvation OF his own skin. She
has TO sound many high notes, to
which she is able to give great vol
ume. Lucille Saunders is Nadina's
mother, Aurelia Popoff; Ion Bergert
sings the role OF the spritely Mascha
who also loves heroes and everything
else in a uniform. Charles Purcell
puts plenty OF fun into the part o
| Bumerli. j. Russell Powell has
makeup and walk that are all tn,
requirements OF Massakroff Sylvan
Langlois is an adequate Casimir, ant
J. r. McDonough is good as the Eat
| faced hero" Alexius. 1t Is too baC
that the chorus can't sing; producer
would violate tradition, no doubt. II
they could afford TO, but the public
mustn't demand too much. That De
troit likes The Chocolate Soldier
was demonstrated by the full Mon.
day night house. though this is the
operas third appearance here