New-York tribune., 1920-02-22
Mary Garden Gives
Hilarious Carmen
AT Italian Benefit
Chicago Opera Star Empha.
sizes the Physical Charms
Of Bizet's Heroine at Sac.
rifice Of Earlier Standards
By H. E. Krehbiel

rNvclation OF her conception or Carmen
"a the people Of New York in Fabru-
.rv. 1919, we were Of the opinion that
- compare 1t with the impersonation
of any one Of the many predecessors
rhich she had had in the character
would have been disrespectful to those
nredecessors. We might have excepted
Maria Gay, whose performance touched
Miss Gardens or the side Of its sheer
yulgsrity at least.
Last night at the Lexington Theater
Miss Garden repeated her performance
Of tho part, and again did violence to
ali the elements Of the book and score
which make the dramatic figure ailur-
ing through the beauty which it is the
province of art To- pour upon its OBJ
sects. Again she vas indifferent to the
Genius of Merimee and Bizet and the
ingenuity of Bizet's librettists. Again
shs showed herself intolerant Of tradi-
tions and directed her appeal to the
lowest taste of her audience. Coarse
ness and extravaganza of gesture
bodied forth vulgar conception Of the
to redeem it. Before Mile. Calves
from which she could see nothing in
Bizet's heroine beyond an opportunity
to display her personal charms she
used to present Carmen as a woman
thoroughly wanton but equipped with
witeheries which, despite their vicious
moss, offered explanation and some
pslliation at least for the moral err
rancy and decay Of Don jose.
Nine. Fremstad also presented a
loose-limbed, loose-minded embodiment
Of selfish animalism: but in both cases
Il was possible to feel that such
woman might yet be (indeed was)
sion. There were charm, pathoS and
power in the finer. because more in
telligent and natural. conception which
Nine. Bressler-Gianoli OF gracious
memory embodied. From all these
Miss Gardens performance ts widely
divergent II is devoid Of charm Of
any sort to those who wish to see the
artist in the woman. If there is dra-
matte truthfulness of laudable kind
in consistently, famboyantly assertive
animalism without an iota of grace,
then so much may be set down to Miss
Gardens credit with regretful thought
Of the men who created the character
in different image.
MISS NaIoeH PIiuSLpdi aSSoCiAtcs
were Georges Baklanof, John O'Sul-
Ivan, Myrna Sharlow and Edouard
Cotreuil. Mr.. Baklanoff, as the bull
fighter, helped Miss Garden to make
garish, distempered picture of the
drama, throwing great splashes Of color
into the scene of his entrance, but CIV
Ing not hint of distinction to the
character Indeed, the hero so loudly
acclaimed by the crowd in Lillas
Pasta's tavern bore himself less
proudly than the meanest soldier and
peasant among the shouters. A strange
conception of the character, truly.
There was little unqualified good in
any Of the singing, least Of ell in that
gypsies, Miss De Phillippi, Desire De-
frere (Miss Darch did not sing Fras-
quita, though her name was q the
program Constantine Nicolay and
Irene Pavlosca. 1t was hilarious and
vociferous performance rather than a
finished one.
The performance was given for the
benefit of the Italian Hospital, which
charity, it is to be feared, profted
little, If anything, from it. The change
from a regulhr subscription affair to
one for a benevolent object brought
with it an advance in the price Of ad-
mission, with the result that sub
seribers had to exchange their tickets
at the box Office, and the general public
was so spathetic that the audience WAS
the smallest of the season
The afternoon was given over to
repetition of the ballet "Boudour,"
choreographic representation Of
"LApres-midi dun Faune," which An
dreas Pavley. Serge Oukrainsky (de-
signers of the pantomime) and Mile.
Ludmilla presented, and q perform
ance Of "Cavalleria Rusticana." with
the people of the drama impersonated
by Rosa Raisa, Alessandro Dolci, Anna
Corenti, Giacomo Rimini and Irene
Pavloska. Miss Raisa pitched her i'm
personation Of Santiozza in high key
At the very outset and kept it there,
with little modulation either in ex-
preston or dynamics. Much Of the
psthos Of the intense little tragedy was
thereby destroyed. though the brill
l'ancy and volume of the singers voice
aroused much enthusiasm.