Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-04-02
DELIGHTS
SEATTLE CRITICS

One of the hest shows Of the year
will be the Firefy at the Auditorium
Friday night. From a successful tour
in the west Bismarck gets another
famous production. The Seattle dra-
matte critic says: Emma Trentini
can come as often as she wishes to
Seattle and there always will be
large and enthusiastic audiences
awaiting her. Seattle is abreast Of the
theatrical times and long before Tren-
tint opened here her reputation was
known, but Seattle was not quite pre-
pared for, such startling perfection as
The Firefy IS exhibiting at The
Moore this week. Everything about
It is superlatively good. Trentini, with
the Voice of a grand opera diva, the
legs of low coincidence and the
body of a pert little sparrow, is quite
the most remarkable. combination
that I have ever SEEM know little
about the highest flights of music and
do not attempt to rob the music
page Of the technical expressions that
belong thereon, but I have a large and
well defined idea OF what pleases me
in.mlSic. 't
Trentini does that. Where in her lit.
tie body she carries the power plant
to produce such glorious notes as
thrill her audiences is quite beyond
my power to account for. l have to, as.
sumo that she commits none of the
technical sins that beset the path Of
artists and content myself only with
the knowledge that her "oice- SO i'm
pressed her large audience that every
appearance earned for her an ovation.
In dealing with her acting, however,
I am on more familiar ground, and as
l take a mental journey through the
years or musical comedy since tho
first days of Pinafore / can not en-
counter any prima donna who is SO al.
together delightful on the stage as
the diminutive Trent.ni. Her comedy
when attempting to- walk as a boy and
smoke a cigarette lis delicious and
from it to the divine tones Of her
voice is q startling contrast that
makes her quite an extraordinary ar
fist. 9s
But Trentini was not all The Firefly
by any means. One Of the delightful
features of the performance was that
all the rather large cast Of principals
measured we'll up to the standard set
by the leader. AS one after the other
or the characters was given an oppor-
tunity for individual effort ones ur-
prise grew for it was reasonable TO-
expect that some time before the bot.
tom Of the list was reached some
Slightly Earring note would be struck.
It was we'll on to the middle of the
second act before the tenor was un.
covered and by that time 1t was look.
ing as If there was to be no tenor. 1t
was the first time that Craig Campbell
had been given an opportunity and he
certainly made the most of It.. He has
a delightful voice and is one Of those
curiOusities-a tenor who a act.
Playing opposite" a star of the bril-.
liancy of Emma Trentini is a high
mark for a young tenor to shoot at
and the fact that Mr.. Campbell does
lit EXCEPTIONAL we'll, fixes his place
among the leading tenors on the
American light opera stage.
Oscar Figman is unQuesti0nably the
most artistic comic opera or musical
comedy comedian on the American
stage. His work differs little, from
season to. season and he is very much
Oscar Figman no matter what the
vehicle, but in. playing himself he
gives a performance that is thorough.
ly" satisfactory. He pr0vokes laughter
by his cleverness in Legitimate. acQm-
edy work and is as much an artist; in
his line as Trentini is in hers. The
Herr Franz Of William Wolff was
another outstanding, feature Of the dc
lightful performance. Betty .Darnell,
Grace Hanson, Melville Stewart and
John Kinds contributed largely to the
success of the production.
The review Of The Firehy wOnld
not be complete without reference to
the excellence Of the chorus. The
yOMng women and young men compos'
ing the chorus really sing and the
finale Of the second act assumes
1 grand opera proportions. Scenically
the production IS also most pleasing.
Those who labor under the impress
sion that Seattle does not get the best
attractions should try to recall when
they ever heard a better dot Of voices
in.any one light opera in recent years
p - ------ w