Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-10-21

characters in tho order named, N.
s..ouncemrnt Of "Blossom Times
~1aoement has a pleasant sound.
Here is the life Of Fran: Schubert
.r. rather, a rop,dntic inter!adc ot ~;
madc into n play and sprtnkted g,fh
"ome Of his most beoutifnl melodies;
i romGn's Z; orstFs ,Irsts ,ssr, 'ss '9If S fSe S,s
scmo.''t n.. familiar William, Danforth and
rc,trom Peacock, toho as mem bcrs OF
M sociefv of Arericon Singers. np-
.sorcd IN the Gilbert and SuHivdn
sJ,,,;cs ore here rcVnitcd, the former
cInwno Baron Van Schrober. friend
"a Fran, aud his riral in lore, and the
latter Schubert himself.
THE hishwayman Is none other than
III the famous Mnc1Ieath. the domi :
Mating figure in that most fascihatn,s
nroduction OF "The Beggar's Opera,
which starts its final week MONDAY: IL
Is safe prediction to say that .h;a hn'in ~,
delphia will get nothing IKE .s 'n,s nUtra;n IT.,
%" an old. old drinking song; IKE
o,s ont Of the Dickens of "Oliyer
ESsris." %ri or Tale of Two Cities; like
ol;mn nse into n musty and dusty court
.esord from venerable Newgate or the
Old BAILEY; like all these testimonials
~ n rolicking and registering age that
srnsd Falstaffs and Fagins, Brrdolphs
ND Jerry Crunchers. THE Bcggar's
Nnarn'' comes as pleasantly to the ear
md as refrcthingly to the eye now ns
ever i, did. It is nll poppycock to say
kbat the audience Of today cannot
Understand this gay musical comedy
because cf political or other references:
Nords and phrases md snatches Oh
bong mas have only Il family remin-
scent ring, but for the most part thls
krry human and distinctly 70"
romcdy" story of the romantic hish-
wayman who had wife in every
sorsrn ord town OF Aierrie England.
and finally came TO grief because OF
khem. Is as modern in content as
"Sally" or Good Morning Dcarie'
RhemselveF.
Here Mt last we hear the "LulH-
h,licro." " famed Of history and fiction,
las we'll as fragments of dozen othcr
Ala sonys that have been obliterated by
Tho passing of time. In company that
ts uniformly fine, even to the least I'M
nortnnt character. Joseph Harrington.
40 Cartnin Macl1cnth himself stands out
ns the most finished artist. Capab'"
baritone. commanding figure. delight
All comedian, he nakcs of MacHeath.
pne moment Il gallant, pOsturing hcro.
he next cOnscienceless, GraceieSs
pcamp.
So much for the second OF the four
characters:
was made last week OF
wi Doris Keane's skillfuily limned
'Czarina." Here was n character not
half as easy to stage as the love-sm
zen but music inspired Schubert, or che
captivating rogue, Maclleath. l.?
build a play around an Empress OF
hi the Russias, q frnil woman who
ruled the destinies of millions, but tell
victim to the first handsome FIG
Ire or pnir of rowing eyes, was
task fraught wi.h hnrdah!ps.
Plays revolving about personalities
ire almost always difficult here there
waa the added handicap of trans.n-
ion from foreign language. The hur.
1lc was tnkcn successfully by Edward
Eholion, The plays main structural
'efcct is Sn@gng second art. Where
b. th" average performance weakest
link is either a prcsy first net OF a
let down IN It's final scene. Tile
Czavina" IL neither so trenchant in i.s
katire or as absorbing in its acticu
lurino thc second oct ns in the other
fwo Jrat whot rho reason is il would
be hard 70 sty. prohabIy because the
Bncinlent revoiution tagged in the nick
bf time BY tho cunny chancellor, the
kreachery of tho Cossack lover OF the
f,earina and his final overthrow al
Imack too strongly Of the deadly myth.
fcal kinrdom ro,nance which (;corve
Barr McttutcheOn wrote
The finnl act, however, sweeps the
lir clear OF nll cobwebs Of Graustark-
Ism and enters the realms OF pure and
delicious satire. No longer does the
hction concern itself with thu details
bf how the Black Guards are to mutiny.
(he palace attendants 10 Withdraw and
(he revolution to begin with the cap
lure Of the Empress. Now. instead,
ke have the petulant ruler. her nrida
offended by the Cossnck's deficiency.
FASTING around for successor md de,
lighted to find him in tho sortoriollv
berfect French ombossndor T ove cron.
(ers followed ufter onn onn,hcr ronirIv
IN the life of Catherine. Thcv forn
Aa''ha,
oo"oy IN" TACT thnt the actual be-
|LI' L"s a,, VI h'M h,'o"r III th' ire OF
ri, I ssrahs" monarch ana the celebrity
M Mh'rh h'r various a'ialrs came to
~ pnu' were moro interesting than the
s ,r ur less soFa'd Irtnils OF the ar
aS themselves, resulted IN the actual
'Tbo n't'tnt tn OF ,ath"rln" anu CZ"rny, IN
&a,ns. harinn Dcihg or lar less IN
sv i 'mnn 'he way IL began ana the
Fay II ended
..,sn ,ma,herine ,n II OF Russia, commonly
srs,. a me Treat Is n hugely in
InnnuonrS; peIsohagc ns depicted by the
diuf'nn md bn Nh arnmntiSts; by Mr.. Sheldon