The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-04-29

Atlanta, April 2S.-(Special.) )-Atlanta is quite mad about opera. She is agos from morning to night with gossip about at each new arrival Each morning she goes downtown with tired eyes and lags over business, but each afternoon sees 8 change. and each night transforma- ton. Then, she glitters and sparkles and has all the ear marks of being what she says she is on ordinary occasions. But with all her glitter, she cannot quite cover up the roughness of her aud- itorium, and she cannot keep her guests from wondering at the acoustics and the uninclined floor and the many conditions that keep opera from being an unalloyed pleasure.
 But when one tears her best frock be- cause the seats are rough and one fails to hear because acoustics are bad, and fails to sec because the girl in front fixes her hair high--grand opera, no matter how wonderful, has it's drawbacks. Bir- mingham will do better with her audi torium.
 Regardless of all drawbacks, however, ~-o~~~' and heard Caruso sing. and Marguerite Ober and Amato in Samson and De- llah," and were completely captivated. It was lovely thing-harmony of tone and color, and a marvellous opportunity for Ober's beautiful contralto voice. It is very seldom that a contralto has such g. lead, and if Caruso played second fiddle foir once, he was no less wonderful, and his tenor no less golden for 1t.
 And Caruso is Atlanta's favorite. it would seem, for she hangs on his every word, ready to laugh or weep as he wills But he wills her to laugh, and all is well. He seems to find posing for his photograph very fascinating, for he makes all sorts of wierd faces and funny motions for it's particular benefit, and takes peculiar delight in pulling his friends in the background.
 He has created quite a stir at the Geor- gian Terrace, where he, with his chum constant buzz of porters and manicures and other attendants about his doors, and an eyer-changing stream of callers friends made on former visits-in his suite.
 Monday he did very beautiful thing, when he sang for Helen Keller, who was stopping at the Terrace for g. day, and Sll0t SoSlilS IiOL dIll u6dIlI1S IOL, lelC tU6 wonderful vibrations of his song and knew it's beauty. He sang the Lament of the Blind Samson, as he did that night, but 1t is certain that more of it's tragic sweetness was felt by the one than by the many.
 Caruso came in Sunday afternoon with Mime. Ober and several stars and mem bers of the ballet, and after the hour of his arrival he was the center of all in tad astir early and sallied down Peachtree with some friends In a moment of light ness-and he has many such--he asked downtown newsboy for a certain Italian newspaper printed in Milan. The news boy recognized the great tenor and apol- ogized for having no paper from Milan. "But," he said, T have an Italian paper printed in New York, and that, am sure, is a much larger town than Milan" All of the party enjoyed a laugh and Caruso walked away, reading his paper after having tossed the boy a dollar.
 He Is a dapper sort of parsonage, and affects the faddiest clothes. When he arrived, and later in the week when he was seen out automobiling with Amato, Gatticasazzi and others, he wore an ex- tremely cut checked morning suit. The cuffs flopped open and the tails flew wide, but as he isn't as fat as he used to be he Is quite the tailor's model. Tues day afternoon at the matinee he wore very fce-creamy trousers and flippant sort of college boy hat to match, and a blue serge coat This seems to be the fashion just now for several of the mas- culine stars were hiding their wonderful tenors and baritones and bassos in like garb.
 Ober came in Sunday all in brown furs and red hat and carried at one hand a devoted husband and by the other an equally devoted dog-of the dachshund variety, which takes nine minutes to pass a given point, and which finds 1t impos- sible to turn short curve. She was a lovely thing as Delilah, and was ex- ceedingly graceful in spite of the fact that she is not of sylph-like proportions
 Two special trains arrived Monday morning. bringing most of the singers, but some of them were delayed. Gadsxi came in on Wednesday, bringing along her very youthful husband. and her maid,