Douglas daily dispatch., 1926-01-15
OPERA CARMEN
MAKES BIG HIT
WITH BIG CROWD

Carmen triumphant-Carmen de-
ceitful and finallyy Carmen subdued
-Rea Toniola of the San Carlos
Grand opera company was these
al the Grand, Thursday night-living
them all, acting them all and sing
ing them all until with the final
curtain, she was Rea Toniola VIC
torious.
The company has always main
tanned a high ranking in opera cir
cles and last night it added just
one more link to the long, long
chain of it's past glories. To Car
men, the leading figure of the great
drama. so inte1ligently, so vitality
and so intensely played by Rea
Toniola must OF course be accorded
first mention. Her performance was
perfect in it's vocal Interpretation
realistic in it's dramatic assertions
and above all vivid and deep
thrusting in its every plase.
Yet Rea Toniola as Carmen swept
across the footlights last night no
more stunningly, no more convinc-
ingly and no more triumphantly that
the Don Jose of Ludovico Tomar-
chic. This soloist sang with ease.
with strength and above all with
ower-commanding voice which
went on and on, and up out and
and out until it lifted it's hearers
with it and crashed the very gates
of the operate heaven. just as Rea
Toniola's voice stood out in it's
facility and it's range above these.
of the other female members of
the cast so-only more so-did
Tomardhio's powerful and virile tones
rise to heights unreached by the
other male singers. Both these stars
threw themselves into every scene,
every motion, every song until in
the final act, the dashing climax
literally hurled itself to the furthest
confines of the theatre. IF one might
I voice single regret, it is that the
famous toreador song could not have
been sung by Tomarchio who, with
his power and his strength, could
| have offered it with the vim anG
swing which it embraces.
Mario Vale in that part was truly
handsome and pleasing character,
! singing with facility and appeal but
! hardly throwing himself into the
production as did the two leading
! characters. olga Kargau made .
sweet and attractive Micaela and Of
/ fered her hearers a voice of full mel
/ if some what lacking the power of
Rea Toniola. The other leading
characters were an good. Singing
with skill and cleverness in many
idifficult situationsa 81
X idft E n
Jose appeared to five throughout on
| a. plane Of their Dawn anu on them
/ one cannot desist from showerng
most of the praise and bestowing
/ most of the glory.
| To Carlo Peroni, the conductor, and
| his small but effective orchestra,
should go endless credit for giving
i to Carmen all that it holds in it's
i musical strains.j And Peroni, leading
with dynamic force and putting his
| very all into every bar of music, car
ried both his fellow musicians and
the cast with him to a glorious eli.
max.
The costumes and settings were
| both excellent, although the latter
were slightly cramped by the stage
space, which was unavoidable. For
the opera, Carmen itself, what is
there to say-through all its por.
| tions it istruly great giving music
which folks on the desert crave but
too often want in svain-the sort of
thing that stirs ones blood to a
higher tempo, lifts ones mind out
of the rut and carries ones imagina-
tion to the land of highest hopes
and desires.
1t was truly a masterful produc-
tion in every sense and Douglas ana
Bisbee seemed to enjoy the gorgeous
and inspiring feast which it is TO
be hoped will be served here again