El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-03-06
GRAND OPERAS
HUGE SUCCESS
Crowded Houses Greet Bos-
ton Opera Company at
Two Performances.

InEGrVAlS-
HttIe hands fluttered in a thousand
motions Of delight A bird on the bough
could not have been more ecstatic. As
she came over the little red bridge and
INTO the play, singing her high notes
ana turning this way and that. each
nSna placed Just SO, and each quick turn
oI ner BODY so biTdlike, so small so
( quick and so sweet-it was more But
terfIy's personality for awhile that cap
tlVated the crowded theater than the
songs she sang, the wedding promises
she was making, or the lovely swing
ing music of Puccini
The music is wonderful. II swings
win the rhythm of wind in the trees.
drtts like fruit blossom petals on the
WIND and booms and clatters and
crashes like thunder storm in the
It is all too sad There is no Justice
IN 1t. Butterfly is too little too ex-
Qulsltely gay for the fate she measures
out TO herself at the end. The Amer
'lcan men and the American wife appear
III TOO great a disadvantage.
Details All Perfect.
suzuki was perfect as the devoted
maid The duet where the little
mistress and maid scatter the cherry
blossoms over the house for a festival
IN honor Of the American husband who
lBhtly, flutteringly, gracefully sung
Perhaps one is only being played
upon, as the writer of the story and
the composer of the music meant the
audience to be played upon, to be so +.
thoroucaly moved by the bright flut-
terlng little Nipponese girl and to find
the young American officer so dull and .
unworthy.
The part of the hermit priest who I
represented old Japan outraged and ,
protesting against the little maid re-
nouncing her gods and shrines for this !
careless and uncomprehending Amer /
lean, was done with splendidly intense /
acting and music The scenes, first .
the garden, with little red bridge over
which the heroine and her crowd OF
girls come singing. and with big stone
lanterns and a lovely view across the
bay, then the interior of the house,
were beautiful and satisfying.
The Japanese PrIma Donna.
Butterfly, as this little Japanese girl
portrayed her, is a revelation. One
fancles that after seeing her. all other
attempts at Madame Butterfly will lack
vividness. Her thousand most delicate
fluttering motions Of hands and feet,
her quick turns of body. her kneeling.
her little runs. her outstretched arms
in salute, every birdlike leaflike move
ment was so different from anything
in our land and so perfect both in
gayety and in despair. and her singing
so high, so clear. that she will never
De forgotten. There are possibly awk-
ward japanese women possibly there
are untrue and wick ed ones. but the
little Nipponese butterfly has given Ell |
Paso sympathy with the exquisite
the tender the true. the graceful. and |
the honorable in the women of the
mikado's land.
The music. so sympathetically con-
Quoted. voices the story so that one
almost might have told il again with
out all that was doing on the stage, as
one might almost have done from the 4
of Butterfly. The orchestra
and Butterfly might almost have done
without the old Japanese marriage
broker. without the japanese prince
lover. without the American promise
breaker. or his wife or the consul
Butterfly and the orchestra could have
told the whole story with her bird :
and 1.-the bending. fluttering body.
with the orchestra swaying and crash |
ing and protesting and sobbing with |
her.
A Lovely BALLET.
After the end of Butterfly came
Pavlowa's Snowflake ballet. the music
being from Tschaikowskfs Nutcracker
suite. In great white clearing in
the hoary woods, snowy. silken men
and girls powdered and glittering and
as light as snOwflakes. whirled and
turned and drifted about the stage like
n jolly first snow storm OF the wear.
with Pavlowa tiptoeing and leaping
and smiling and coquetting like a
honey-sweet sprite daughter Of old
Boreas out on a lark
Pagliasci SuperbIy Given.
At night IL was Pagiiacci first
Pagliacci, that light. tuneful. gay. per-
rect bit Of comedy. that play within
n play, that turns to tragedy in the
twlnkltng Of an eye. with poor
CoIumoine who has stuck to her gay
music and dancing strut and bravado
she feels the doom at hand.
poor Columbine. dead on the steps that
ieau up TO the players stage, and her
lover dead. her husband fled into the
night. the clown staring open mouthed.
and the gay little audience Of country
Ok an shocked and frozen with fright
over this death-turn to the comedy
they were enjoying so perfectly
one can say of the Pagliacci that
rom the first note to the last, it was
perfectly done The pretty Media. /
smiling at her lovers, was beautifully
'uns and forcefully played. and the
-nree men about her in the troupe of
llayers' Tonic, Beppo, Silvio, handled
-neir parts with szilful artistry. The
;horus was lively interested, and sang
nc, spirited Pagliacci choruses most
I Luly' Here the men had more chance
ook the house by storm.
PavIOwa's Charm
The Coppelia ballet following Pagl- )
aeei LEFT the audience smiling and '
comfortable. and probably was good a
or II after the prolonged pathos q {
iadame Butterfly and the quick mex c
IN ulshable flame of anger jealousy, 9
nd death in PagIiacci. 7
Coppeltus. the old automata maker. l
as ven done and his weird room full 4
I the wonderful automata was all very a
roll. The orchestra cracked jokes all
ne while and Pavlowa and her friends q,
ere tptoeing and pirouetting and =
sanlhg about in mischief in the room \
ME the old man was away. Il was e
eIghtful. The old mans return. the t
lght Of the frightened balle+. Paw v
IVA hidden and taking the automatic b
OIL S place. all lead up to a delightful {
u. or acting in which PavlOwa shows ! [
lore than toe work. As the wooden !
OIL a jolly, whimsical, droll play n S
hlch she comes to life most woodenly,
ne was very arch. The old automata
aker who thinks it is his wooden doll -.
nom he has made. INDUCES in gro y
'saue rapture. The flight Of the girl II
18th her sweetheart ends the story, all +
I'D IN dance and not any Of 1t missed /
the audience Ii