Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1921-03-23
SEATS MONDAY
FOR THE MIKADO
Popular Comics Npera Will Appear in
Decorah at I'd Opera House
Ap. 4. 'th
ED. ANDREWS WILln>
BE SEEN ; Il 'KO-KO"
e.
The Attraction Will Be Greet Sy
One of the Largest Audiences of
the Season Here

"The Mikado" is coming to the
Grand opera house Wednesday, even
ing, April 6. 1t is a Ralph Dunbar
production of Gilbert and Sullivan's
comic opera, and the seat sale will
open at E. j. Parman's drug store
Monday, March 2S.
Judging from the numerous re-
quests and queries received "The
Mikado" will be greeted by one of
the largest audiences of the season.
1t is Ralph Dunbar production and
that means it is super-excellent. The
following is taken from the Mobile
Register:
The Mikado," presented Saturday
by the Ralph Dunbar singers at the
Lyric, was like resurrecting an old
abum--not the family album with
the blue plush covers, but the kodak
book of school days-and living it
all over again, those days agone,
music on the single bar than present
jazz atrocities, masquerading under
the guise of comic opera, develop
to the ream. Fiom the very begin
ming when Na'nki-Poo sang "A
Wandering Minstrel, l." to the inim-
liable "Tit Willow" foolishness of
Ko-Ko making crazy love to Katiska,
it was game of recalling the days
Of the great run of the Gilbert and
~ O operas, and the generation
lazihesss, now nearly gone, that
the pnem famous. Francis Wilson
.sanU"'De Wolf Hopper aye reviving
Ernlinie this year, contemporane-
ously popular with these other pieces
!, % years ago, but scarcely another of
{ the singers whose names were on the
lips of all devotees a generation ago
remain on the stage. The more's the
pity.
The Mikado was good production
by an excellent company, strikingly
strong in the leading parts. 1t was
well staged, well sung and especially
we'll enacted. This dramatic demon
stration was perhaps the most strik-
ing characteristic of the performance.
Nank-Poo, 'Ko-Ko, Poo-Bah, Katisha
and Petti-Sing particularly were well
done. In the mock love making of
Ko-Ko, Ed Andrews, always supurb
operate comedian, was at his best,
and in the vocal eccentricities of the
'Tit Willow song he convulsed his
audience with an artists skill. Katis-
ha, also in this scene, was splendidly
acted by Aroline Andrews, who
throughout proved herself thoroughly
equipped for the part of the "divinely
ancient bird" (they call them hens
now) whose left elbow men come
miles to see.
To the part of Nanki-Poo, the mas
querading son of the Mikado, Theo-
pohilus L. Alban brought an enthus-
iasm and freshness that captivated.
He is possessed of a splendid voice,
which he holds under effective con-
troll. Poo Bah, the man who was born
sneering and can't get over it, was
well done by Duane Nelson. Little
Pitti-Sing, the girl whose tongue will
persist in saying the wrong thing
and whose educated feet trip through
difficult dances with startling agility
had a way all her own of getting
her lines, spoken and sung, across
the footlights. Ann McCashin, in the
part, is possessed of a winning
whimsical personality that fitted very
pat with the part. Yum Yum, the
ward of Ko-Ko, who finally marries
Nanlli-Poo, and who sang splendidly
in chorus, was inclined to overdo the
Japaneseness of her situations. Hel
voice is essentially dramatic.
The chorus proved genuine treat
both in point of training and really
fine voices. With Suilivan's tendency
to experimentation the divided chorus
in Mikado, using the men and the
women separately, creates stand.
ard not accomplished by other com
posers of similar works, and the eff
feet, when the chorus is well chosen
and equal to the difficult situation, as
proved y arday, is almost
monastic or =. { such a com.
parison may be made. 1t is trick
of Sullivan's secret heart, and the