The daily commonwealth. (Greenwood, Leflore Co., Miss.) 1916-1919, 1917-01-02
KATINKA AT THE GREENWOOD
THEATRE, JANUARY 9.

The following criticism Of Katinka,
the famous musical play, which will
be presented at the Greenwood Thea
tire, Jan. 9th, is reproduced from the
Daily Florida Times-Unio of Decem-
Der 25, 1916:
Katinka, a musical play, the book
and lyrics by Otto Hauerbach and the
music by Rudolph Frimi, has reached
Jacksonville within a few months aft
er a very long and highly successful
run in New York at one Of the most
popular theatres. The people Of this
city are therefore to be congratulated
upon the opportunity that is thus af-
forded-for Katinka is one of the
most pronounced hits of the past sew
eral years, and is an offering preten-
tious and excellent. Katinka is a fas-
tastic little story involving the love
affairs Of a few Russians, Turks and
Austrians, and is thoroughly pictur-
eque, sufficiently reasonable to require
no great stretch of the imagination,
and is filled with bright, lively and
thoroughly enjoyable music. The be-
trothal of pretty little Katinka, a fair
and romantic maiden, to an old, ugly
and d!sagreeabie Russian nobleman
is the motif around which the story
runs. This is the work of ambitious
mother who is looking for money and
position, and has thus planned to foil
the intentions Of a handsome young
officer who is madly in love with the
girl. Mother has managed to seize love
messages sent between the lovers, and
tells Katinka that her gallant Ivan,
who has gone to Austria, is false and
will not return. The marriage to the
Russian noble takes place, and then,
while the feast in still in progress,
the young officer returns. He learns
that katinka has been deceived, and
plans to spirit her away at once. An
American traveller, who knows almost
everything, turns up a friends of
the officer and gets information re-
garding a former wife of the Russian,
who had never been reported as dead
and away the conspirators 60 to
Constantinople to get the wife to de-
clare herself and thus annul the later
marriage.
Having enjoyed a performance of
Katinka at the Lyric theatre, New
York, only a few months ago, I was
delighted to find that the company
sent on tour was fully as good as that
playing in the metropolis. As a mat
ter of fact, ! like the charming little
leading woman better than the one
singing the part in New York, al
though there was no fault to find with
either. Margaret Owen is pretty,
graceful, clever and sings as though
she meant every line and note of her
score; a true soprano with ample
range and unusual sweetness. Mr..
Langford, as Thaddeus Hopper, the
American, is a breezy c~aricature on
Americanisms that cannot fail to
please. His lines are tefse, and he
gets them over every time.
Clifford Nelson, in the comedy role
OF Miss Phelps, as Mrs. Hopper, has
some fine work in acts two and three.
and has a lively little song, with Male
chorus, called l Want to Marry a Male
Quartet. The chorus singing is thor
oughly enjoyable throughout the ev-
ening, and the costumes are what
might be expected with a liberal man
agement and the opportunities offered
by the books.
There are just twenty musical num-
bers in the three acts, and while
Rackety Coo, the love song that Ka-
tlnka-sings to Ivan-while the sunset
tlnts the background of sky and water
and the two white pigeons fit about
as she tells of his gift and the pretty
mate that his pigeon has found-is
surely the best remembered and most
pleasing, many of the others are
worthy to be remembered. My Para
disc, Can Tell By the Way You
Dance Dear, Allah's Holiday, In Wen
ma. katinka and others are delight
fully melodious and pretty. The COM
pany has its own orchestra, directed
by Edward Bower, and has a wealth
OF scenery and effects, very hand
somely presenting the villa Strogoff
IN Russia, a street in STEAMBOAT, Tur-
key and the Cafe Knopf in Vienna.
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