Evening star., 1927-10-22
OPERA ATTENDED
BY MRS. COOLIDGE
English Company PIeaSeS
Capacity Audience at
Polls Theater.

An audience, headed by Mrs. Calvin
Coolidge. filled Polls Theater yester-
! dav at the first professional musica
/ event of the new season, when the
English opera, The Beggars' Opera,
written by John Gay, 200 years ago
was presented by an excellent English
company. The comparatively light
musical score with new settings OF
the famous old folk melodies of that
period, in England, made by Frederic
Austin, and most appropriate instru
mental rendition by group dis
tinguished also for the fact that ali
the members except the director.
Sebastian Unglada, were women, sup
plemented the purely dramatic pOr-
ton OF tn opera admirably. In the
instruments used. the traditions were
upheld by harpsichord. viola d'Amore
and viola di GAMBIA as we'll as the
usage of the more familiar violin
viola. double bass, oboe and flute of
today.
The singers were also actors and
their diction seemed unusually clear
and their dramatic impersonations
were full of individuality combined
with the quaint gestures that marked
the artistry of the earlier stage.
George Baker Convincing.
First honors went without doubt to
George Baker in his romantic dashing
highwayman hero. Capt. Mac Heath
He not only looked and acted the part
convincingly but. even more to the
point, he sang it eXcellently in a reso.
nant baritone voice. Especially notable
was his singing of the air, If the
Heart of a Man is Deprest With
Cares" of his later song, cat the Tree
/ Shall Suffer With Pleasure" and
filled with quotation familiarity was
another short solo, How Happy Could
] Be With Either Were T'Other Dear
Charmer Awayr'
Sylvia Nelis was a delightful mink
of a heroine and her flukelike high voice
coupled with real skill of the trained
singer in her very artistry made the
simplicity of her songs stand out.
Celia Turrill was a thoroughly salts.
factory Lucy and the trio with Polly
Peachum and the Captain was a lovely
bit of singing.
Comedy honors might we'll be divid-
ed between the highly satisfactory
Mrs. Peachum of Lena Maitland, the
Fitch of Alfred Heather, and Charles
Magrath's Peachum. Norman Will
llams' dialect was especially good in
the role of Lockit and all the rest
of the cast seemed perfectly placed
in their various roles.
Nothing could be more charming
than the color scheme of the famous
costumes of c. Lovat Fraser, and the
settings, while simple and easily
changed. were thoroughly consistent
in detail and atmosphere with both
the action of the opera and the pc
riod in which it was supposed to
have been written.
Drinking Song Pleased.
A particularly choice bit was the
suggestion of passing from the prison
interior into the night outside by
the simple expedient of putting out
the lights in the set and the swing
ing OF lanterns and the comical
valise marked with a huge INCH" by
the Captain and the fair Lucy as they
dashed across the front of the stage
The chorus bits, both the mems
drinking song led by Fitch, and the
chorus Of ladies with Capt. McHeath,
led by Jenny Diver (charmingIy done
by Alison Ramsay, were completely in
the picture and easy with the ease that
comes Of much practice. Also the old
dances that played an incidental part
were refreshing in this day of black
bottoms and hug-me-tight ballroom
dances.
In short. this earliest English opera
with its reality of characterizations
its bubbling comedy and satire even in
the suave lines which, in this produc-
ton, are considerably tanned from the
original blunt version, and it's tinkling
pleasing melodies, was a highly sue.
cessful opening to a season that indi.
cations point will particularly feature
operatic works. H, f,