Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-04-04
STAR-SPANGLED TOSCA
AROUSES PATRIOTISM
Miss Farrar Gives Puccini a New
Interlude and Waves
the Flag

A star-spangled Tosca Is rarer than the
roc, so Geraldine Farrar's entracte at
the Metropolitan last night claims prece
dence, in review. over singing. acting and
stage management. 1t was indeed re-
markable interlude. Bales OF bunting out
side and in proclaimed before the perform
ance the martial air Of the evening. About
the time that Scarpia Is preparing To re-
ceive the knife-blow, whispers circulated
They say she's going to sing The star
Spangled Banner after tnis act That
was the common current of gossip. How
ever, the cantatrlce, with regard LOT the
usual masculine desire to smoke. did not
follow UP her assassination or the minister
of police Immediately with patriotic song
She changed into n frock OF purest white
and. when the curtain rose. was revealed IN
a shaft of candence, against black velvet
draperies, and bearing aloft an American
flag. The lyric that so simply yet so tell
ingly dedicates itself to the love or THIS
country was given by her as solo, WIN
gestures, graceful. theatrical, simple. Tu-
multuous hand clapping brought repeti-
ton. with the whole houseful OF auditors
as chorus. The report that Mr.. Scotti was
to pose as George Washington proved false
As to the performance of the opera IT.
self 1t was not the worst OF recent years.
Certainly II was not the best. Yet II had
very fine and forcible moments. and was,
for the most part, acted with greater
ufanHtlC taste anu ScHSt VI Sliud'lph t'"Ai
are frequent Principally 1t erred on the
side of vocal under-emphasis. Any Floria
| that cannot get rapturous applause with
the Love and music" aria at this day Is
not worth the title of diva. Any Mario
that fails to evoke a storm of appreciation
with Strange Harmones" and The stars
Were Shining deserves as real man
agerial fusilade as Scarpia's men pour into
| the painter in the drama. OF course both
Miss Farrar and Mr.. Botta made Off with
| these supreme and passionate moments in
| stirring style. That is, they stirred their
audience. But neither one of them, nor any
| of the rest Of the cast except the shepherd.
| gave to the music that overpowering en-
phasis and strong heartbeat of excitement
| that the text and score demand. 1t was
| usually the crisis of word and idea that
| made what was happening on the stage i'm
portant and pusing.
| But IL Miss Farrar's Tosca has not grown
| in volume. 1t has advanced almost unbeiev-
| ably In theatric intelligence. It may really
| be said to be her best current role aside
| from Carmen. in which. temperamentally
| and psychcally, she could barely fail. She
no longer tries to keep at top pitch emo
| tionally Her frst-act Floria is stately, and
| handsomely amorous, and vivid ip her
| jealousy. The woman grows, before our
| eyes. from curtain to curtain, through the
| ordeal of Scarpia and his murder up to
| the splendid suicide of the singer. The stage
| business, too, is very we'll contrived. Par
| ticularly was this so in the second act
where the dramatic thrust of Sardou and
| his play dispelled the rather heavy manner
| in which the first act was done.
| Mr. Botta, the new Cavaradossi is a
! tenor Of refined and fairly well trained
| voice and port. He has a mind that con-
| ceives ideas, but does not execute them, az
| least the broad biting ideas Of Giacomo
| Puccini. So one is apt to ponder the theory
| that such refinement is not exactly the
| place for La Tosca" Mr.. Scotti's Scarpia
| is a classic with us. An added touch
of his is the delicate but plainly suggested
| physical decay of the reprobate. There
was really clever Sacristan in Mr.. Mala-
| tesla. May it be added. with only the in
| tention Of honest help, that the choir boys
| and the policemen are losing their original
| and native ginger? That frolic of the
| young scamps was tame as the efforts
| of the Baron's men to look interested In
| the whereabouts Of Angelotti. BID.