The New York herald., 1921-10-16

been numerous all the way down the
line from the Strausses to the Straus
with Won Suppe. MilloecKer, Lehar
jacob, Kalman and numerous others
But never before was the help OF
Franz Schubert to be obtained until
these lucky me came along and wrote
"The House of the Three Girls" which
dealt with more or less apochryphal
love affair in the life Of the poet of
tones.
Now the work is here to be en-
joyed to the last note by every lover
of melody. No admirer of the musi-
cal comedy need be scared away by
&c suggestion that the unfinished
Symphony" occurs in the score. Nor
need any Of the other songs that have
been so judiciously selected create any
terror of the high class atmosphere
Blossom Time" is a continuous
stream Of melody which will appeal
with the same force to the man who
loves "Cheri" as to him who is
anxiously awaiting the first concert
of the Philadelphia Orchestra.
]. j. Shubert has neglected no op-
portunity to have this music delivered
as well as 1t could be in production
Of comic opera. The men in particu-
lar sing well, and they are altogether
capable of producing sufficient illusion
to keep the story plausible. William
Danforth never seems to the writer
so well placed as in Gilbert and Sulli-
van, but he makes amusing enough
fun out Of the weaknesses of the court
jeweller. Howard Marsh has increased
remarkably in poise and authority
since he began a year ago in the
Greenwich Village Follies and his fine
voice has lost none of its freshness.
The singing voices of the women are
equal to their task. So Blossom
Time" with Dorothy Donnelly's viva
cious dialogue, is a feast Of famous
melody.
"The Love Letter."
Nothing more artistic in. the per-
formance Of comic opera than "The
Love Letter" has come to the New
York stage in years. OF course there
are few such singers in operetta
as John Charles Thomas, who has
been especially well provided for by
Victor Jacobi and has frequent op-
portunities to reveal the beauty of his
voice. In both the Italian and the
Irish numbers which the composer has
written for him Mr.. Thomas is enabled
to show his powers at their best.
Then there could be nothing more de-
lightful than the sudden melodious
burst of enhancing waltz rhythm
which comes into the score with the
reminiscence Of "The Marriage Mar
ket."
The staccato dance numbers dedi-
Gated to the Astaires are just as
piquant as these two really incom-
parable comic dancers require. They
are more now than mere dancers.
They have developed sense of COM
edy which is no less effective because
II is expressed in such novel terms.
Exquisite in her poise and with the
repose OF dipctte of the boulevards
in her scenes Of comedy. Miss Marjorie
Gateson seems like a new apparition
in "The Love Letter. She seems to
have found herself for the first time.
Her skill and finish suggest that Miss
Gateson might be an Irresistible ac-
tress OF comedy. Mr.. Dillingham; might
give her a trial In that line some day
without the aid of music.
so long as he lived and produced
here the musical comedies that were
imported from London nobody ever
treated them with the same delicacy
that Augustin DAILY impaired to his
productions. Under his skilled treat
ment they were altogether different
from the efforts of other managers
In the same direction. Mr.. Dillingham;
seems his inevitable successor in this
monopoly OF the ability to present
musical plays daintily. tastefully and
above all politely.
The charming THE Love Letter" Is
a fine example of the gift which might
well be studied by other managers.
One will look in vain in this or any
of the musical shows produced under
the same aegis for any chorus girl
smeared with cosmetics until she
looks like an Alaskan totem pole and
wrggling on and off the stage with
the aplomb OF graduate of Billy
watson's Beef Trust. That is dis
tinctly not the Dillingham; manner.
OF course. the generally refined at
mosphere Of THE Love Letter" IS
immeasurably increased by the taste
of the dressing. Then Joseph Urban
has not always during recent years
turned out such imaginative ana