Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-04-11

At9ME ,{SIS At IAsrIogsretts in three acts;
TToia; Book adspted gy Edsor smith and
~ ,Willspsr 0,na Rob Robert BoaansEy. Addtional
Benrimo. Lyric Theatre '
Hans ketterer, veteran Swiss guild, ,,,..,.
Coun. Max splenninsen. 49, y Mr.. Harry Conor
Mrs 'PhoebSs ?foverdaie a wealthy % Amer. N3S A'we
r.,,,,. ,cnn widow Miss Elizabeth Goodall
Baron Franz Won Hansen, :, -
Tfly Dachau of the Hon Isi Tbes,re Vienna
Yvonno Everett an Americgn gig!, ,,,. ,.. -
Professor plnslebendor geoiasis Mas Miriam FO'SeF
SYNOPSIS or SCENES.
!, Act IslGarden 9f the Hotel Victoria. Inter-
act tsccne IThe Terrace Sf the Grand
oTnng moff kuaTs sgsns r The 3s grs % thu the TsE
frau Aftesgnoon Scene 3-The Summit of
Act iift-f.ounnnfgSc Of the Hotel Victoria. In
terlaken. The following evening.
There are certain shows and they do
not come often, which give their auditors
a good feeling, n rich sense of pleasure
and satisfaction They are not always the
most spectacular. nor the most heralded of
theatrical offerings, but they come and in
quiet way. draw their crowds and send
then home again happy one of them is
en- view at the Lyric, "Alone at Last"
Therefore, 1t is safe to prophesy that no
one in Alone at Last" will he lonely.
AS production, it has a few faults.
There is, for example, "A chorus which Is
not beautiful. Really. Perhaps, by way
of novelty, the thing which musical COM
edy critics and professional humorists call
female pulchritudo is notably and per-
ststently and lamentably lacking. John
Charles Thomas is present by contrast,
Perhaps that Is why--but such specula-
tions lead nowhere. Mr. Thomas is the
''milk-fed baritone" of last years Peas
ant Girl" and as Mr.. Atwell remarked. he
has learned how to act. Better still, he
remembers how to sing in very agreeable
voice. And Miss Beth Lydy, dainty So
prano, very good to look upon and hear
plays opposite him with a thorough
bred Cfor musical comedy intelligence
Further, there is Mr. Roy Atwen not
quite so much the nut as he used to be-
but wonderfully divertinE in all his little
tricks and fancles ana exceedingly good
in his Little Bug" song; and there is Mr.
Harry Conor, with the glory of the old
Hoyt days about him, irresistibly funny.
The whole effect of "Alone at Last" is
so pleasing that even, as in the preceding
paragraph, when you try to centre your
mind on it's faults, you run off into praise.
The only other thing the matter with the
piece is that II is meanly staged in the
fashion of 1892. Urban has spoiled our
taste for many things even for his own
seconds, But these are worse.
Mr.. Franz Lehar is, however, n gem
tleman beyond the power of scenery to
make or unmale. He Is a crafty composer
and talented musician lie will write you
the loveliest of tunes and orchestrate IL
into a glowing interme2zo, and he will
spread before you, in an evening such a
dazzling array of things you just cannot
and will not forget, that you may forget
them all for a time. But they will come
back Not Now, hut by the Moon" and
all the duets sung by Miss Lydy and Mr.
Thomas are splendid. The swift waltz
rhythms and the lanEuorous, everything
Niennesc and everything adapted, vr-
tually every note in the score is the work
of talent and its high lights are inspira-
ton, Not the precise equals of "Die
Lustige Witwe"-even Berlin wrote only
one "AleXander"-but fine stuff
good comic spirit. plenty of obvious
fun and some not quite so obvious, a will |
Ing spirit of frivolity all through the cast, |
help along enormously But we have more !!
than suspicion that Mr.. Lehar sent an |
ronclad guarantee with his music No |
one would dream of asking for money
back. G. v s