The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-04-28
4Adclc" Brightens the Season.

/
@Adclc" Britshtcns the Season.
Hero at the very end or April comes
adele" to breathe new life, fresh hui
NOR and glad beauty into the tired
season And its delicious music. lovely
women. quick comedy and fine voices
costumes and the pretty setting OF the
whole charming thing-would suffice to
rejuvcnate n season far more faded even
than this.
| The music, tho women. the book and
tho voices are spoken of together. be-
cause. az the play WAS presented at the
Academy Of Music last night. they form
cd so complete 4 whole that IL would
be difficult to dissoci;te them and still
OF OPPORTUNITIES Us the piece Is, Adele
would he but n poor thing II presented
| by even mediocre cast.
Adele" is not an opera. because 1T
Is Il farce: IL is not musical comedy,
because IL has too much of a story too
much sense. in a word: 1T Is not even
non understands the word. because IL
! ~ not In the least Viennese. 1t is Of
ne Madam saerry, or Alma" type
Herve and Briquet gave us Adele
too. 1t could he played without the
| music, yet every word sung by prin-
| cipals ana chorus advances the story.
While the story is thorough. CO.
hercnt. III doesn't matter In the least:
u ~ sufficient 10 say shat II IS m ndap-
| talon from the French. and gives de-
cidcd indications toward its climax that
II was quite Frenchy before lit was
Anplicized or American2ed. and tina, IL
people, who are matched for love, un-
| matched ana mated again for money
and position and tind THEMSELVES in the
eHd properly snuHicd after all.
Since 1T IS 4 love story, though based
I upon iarclcal complications IT gives
9 are nas,,s eIeq 1o- or resson, If any
sentiment, all OF which are most hap
ply irge from kish sentimentality,
hha an skilfuly and sometimes strik-
comparatively few butfa songs. In the
,@,a!lz-sohs named after the title OF
t The Pee ,h,o,, which runs as sort of
poser was particularly happy. but the
/ athc0Hnho only pretty numbers that
being in any sense "A one-song euccoss.
indeed. the pest, most completely sat
lSiyins number IN Adele is the CON
| ccertcd The Clock Is Striking Ten" in
TN, second act, in which the waltz
Ia% y,,g does not appear.
YIN one exception, tho cast could
who substitutes FOR Jules Epaillv' as
r'S eGe. ffiebur, is not good. but the
rssi oi the PRINCIPALS, II not planets,
~ least belong In the Milky Iyav
carolyn Thomson, the Adele. appears
'e De ABOUT eighteen or nineteen Years
old AMI sings with the freshness and
tho weil-traincd voice nj such AN oro
While she IS herself altogether I'M n.
1". 4HWorH MISS Thomson IS
z ma ~ the world OF musical comedy.
or comic operctta.
Nannette Flack is moro mature In
voice and In person. but she was the
nrst woman t. make Alma a decent
sort. and she sings and plays the other
E!rl With the same art and refinement
that she exhibited In that famous
comedy. John Park not only uses his
good baritone voice we'll but plavs
| Win comedy method that Is t,fec-
tious ana irresistible: George O'Donneu
hes few occasions To use Mo nraU,.
lower voice that mad. his colonai
lopor In The Chocolate Soldier" so
Inc. but makes the most Of his oppor-
pclor dances especially VOL ana
KAHN Marin, being an English actor.
makes servants bi; stand out
ne chorus nns little 10 do. and does
Adele" viii he PLAYED again to-
night Tomorrow afternoon and to-
morrow night-don't miss 1t,