The New York herald., 1922-10-03
THE YANKEE PRINCESS HAS
4 MERRY WIDOW SUCCESS
Kalman Operetta Wins With
It's Beautiful Score at
Knickerbocker.
By LAWRENCE REAMER.

Last autumn the knickerbocker The
ater scene of many notably comic opera
successes OF the past. opened Its year
with "The Merry Widow" OF Franz Lee
har. Last night the present season was
begun with new operetta by Emmerich
Kalnlan. who won immortality in this
field with "Sari."
The old favorite last year was well
coined back with enthusiasm. The new
work last. night Immediately became
popular with the audience. 1t was itself
favorite before the first act ended
BY the close Of the evening the beauti-
ful score held the audience captive.
THE Yankee Princess" which Is the
name OF the new work. with the un-
commonly beautiful music, easily had
"A Merry Widow success. Doesn't
every body know what sort of a success
that is?
Kalman's beautiful music. richly melo-
dious, ingeniously orchestrated and
piquant In It's rhythms. reaches its cli-
max Just as every good operetta score,
in the opinion of some judges, ought to.
in waltz. Certainly that ought to be
the fashion of every comic opera that
comes from Vienna THE Yankee Prin-
cess" meets every demand on the musi-
cal side indeed, few works so charming
have been heard In years.
Others than Kalman were naturally
concerned in the triumph of the new
work apart from the interpreters that
| A. L. Erlan9er had engaged. Die
| Bajadere," from which the English work
was adapted, had julius Branmer and
| Alfred Gruewald as creators of Its story
and verses. They were succeeded in the
version heard last night by William lie
Baron and B. G.. de Sylvia. But In both
cases the scenes of the operetta were
the foyer of the Chatelet Theater in
Paris, where the palace of the princely
lover and the rooms Of the Directoire
Club were also situated.
The fable of The Yankee Princess
moved along sprightly enough fashion.
which could scarcely have been otherwise
TO the accompaniment OF such exhilarat-
ing music This princess was a prima
donna with a French name even II che
vas American The princely suitor was
Indian. East specifically-and kept on
loving in spite of rebuffs 10 constantly as
to prove that will must always triumph.
So they were united in the happy fash
ion of all such fair stories which are
so needed In the word to-day.
Miss Vivienne Segal. who sang the
role Of the bajadere. has an uncommon
ly lovely and beautiful soprano voice,
Still fresh ana VelVeCy, ana Sne IL aple 10
control its Beauties with more than the
usual skill Of the dfvette OF comic opera.
Thorpe Rates, who comes from England
and was making his first appearance
h"-a last ght. Is a rather stolid young
man in the British fashion, but he, too,
IS gifted with more than the usual vocal
powers expended on such works. Their
duets moved the audience to sincere out
bursts of approval. Then they had such
warmly melodious and sentimental
music to sing.
John T. Murray is dry and easy
going comedian who seemed to be
accomplishing marvels in the way of
merriment in view of the material with
which he was working. It was largely
to the efforts of him and Vivian. Oakland
that the comedy scenes of THE Yankee
Princess really made the audience
laugh Joseph Urban has designed some
SNOWY scenes in his usual manner and
! Le- c.: ,nee OF comely r,orus wer"
more than usually lavish. For the first
time in years feminine dress on the
stage Is again growing graceful in out
| line, and in color the selections were
| rich and tasteful
| But everything necessary to the COM
| plete success of THE Yankee Princess
was present in the performance las,