New Britain herald., 1915-10-22
ADELE" PROVES A DELIGHTFUL OPERET'
Vast Audience at Lyceum Shows
 Hearty Appreciation of Singers

When a plot is of sufficient impor-
 tance to survive through three acts of
 musical comedy, the comedy then be-
 comes an opera: and, if it Is inter-
 spersed with plenty of comedy, 1t then
 is a comic opera; again, if the lean
 ings of the opera happen to be de-
 cidedly feminine it's gender is alter
 ably changed and it is known as
 comic operetta. That is what Adele" { is, the vehicle that furnished so much
 real entertainment at the Lyceum last l night. "Adele' is one of the few musical shows on the road possessing & plot not lost in the second or third
 act. It Is laden with good situations, at times dramatic. It further car ries an assortment of good lines,
 clever phrases, and pretty music. It
 is replete with all that subtleness that
 goes to make up a catchy musical
 effort. And, yet Adele is not great
 show. We have seen better. It Is
 not Chocolate Soldier" nor can it
 compare with "Sweethearts." not
 playing now.
 Adele" fails to provide its two
 comedians with songs. This Is prob
 ably because these particular come-
 dians cannot sing; but the original score did not contain such a song. A topical selection might easily be in- terspersed. Fred F'rear Is exceedingly good as an eccentric old picklemaker and playing opposite him in the role of rival merchant, Felix Haney pro- vided a wealth of fun. These two make a great team, although at times Haney stoops to slap-stick comedy and Trear makes use of tactics in vogue n,, ho h11r cfo oil 1af,, faults we forgive them. They are funny.
 As the lead in Adele" Miss Myrtle Jersey. possesses sweet voice and sings her part we'll. The lead male role, in the hands of Charles H. Bowers, was very we'll handled. But it remained for Miss Clara Palmer to ] capture the main honors of the even- l ing. She easily proved herself to be l the most experienced player on the !! program. Her singing voice would add l charm to any select company, her | dramatic ability is unquestioned, her | grace and ease in dancing are dis | features. Playing opposite | her, Maurice Lavigne seems a veri- | table amateur. This young man was | either very nervous or very much in love last night. As the valet, Sidney | Davies was good. As the maid, Dorothy Betts also deserves mention Others in the cast were: Jules Epailly. J. Martin. George O'Donnell, Ernest Smith. Sedley Bryant. and the Misses Amy La Rue, Priscilla Maddox, Mar saret Livingston, Leila Thorne, Doro- hy Fernandez Edie Sewell, Vivian Brennan and Isabel Carpenter.
 Adele" tells the story of a young 5rl in love with the son of her ather's business rival. She wants to marry, but her father refuses. Under lge, and therefore unable legally to ol1ow her whim, she plans to marry !, Baron whose name added to the firm of her father would mean greater sales. After this marriage she would secure a divorce md then be at liberty to contract with her real lover. The affair is carried through: but when the honeymoon bangs low on the horizon the Baron falls in love with his wife, Adele, she gaIIs in love with him, and her first affair is allowed to go by the boards. The main song of the evening, of course, had to be Adele" and the theme is carried throughout the operetta Other numbers well re- reived were: Like Swallows Fly Ing" When the Little Birds Are Sleeping" and Strawberries and Cream" The chorus was very small; but what it lacked in numbers 1t more than made up for in volume and 1r aIity of tone. Tn all, the singing was very good.