Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-15

WaShingtOn's 400" and their sisters
and their cousins and their aunts vent
to the Fox Theater last night to hear
"Tosca," and were probably RECALLED
with more than they had expected
While the Snarling of traffic and the
great crowd of sidewalk onlookers re-
tarded hundreds in the progress to
their seats, the opera, as per usual with
the Metropolitan, started on time, with
steady stream OF late corners pour
ing into their seats for a good half
hour afterward.
With the stroke of $3.50 the Powered
curtain of the theater was raised and
the familiar Church of st. Andrea della
Vale came to the eye while in the pit
Conductor Vincenzo Bellezza raised his
arm and Puccini's mellow and familiar
music began its evenings run.
Jeritza Predominates.
Last night, as a matter of fact
belonged to Jerit2a--or rather after
cloudy and lukewarm first act it be-
longed to her. One must admit that,
while Puccini had prepared sump-
tuous singing role, and Mr.. Sardeu had
given more than an average dramatic
opportunity, Nine. Jeritza was as much
Mime. JeritZa as she was Floria Tosca.
With her fair bobbed tresseS streaming
about her. her eyes shining with
Brunhildian fire. this great actress
more or less leveled all before her-in-
Guiding Mr.. Lauri-Volpi. in whose arms
she rested rather precariouSly.
1t was a grand histrionic exhibit and
an almost equally grand vocal one, even
If there were many present who wished
for the days whan Tosca wore a hat in
the first act and more subdued &C
coutermentS in the second and behaved
a little less like a ladylike tiger. Per-
sonally, however, this observer found
more i'll "Tosca" than ever before. In
spite of the dramaticS there was no
trace OF impairing of song and blend
ing of fire and thunder with a true
sense OF the value of the music, which,
one must admit, is about all that could
be asked for.
Sings Aria Prone.
To Jeritza alone belongs the honor of
being able to sing that most tremulous
of ariaS. "Vissi dArte," prone on the
floor with her face more or less biting
the Metropolitan's dust. She sings and
she sobs, and after awhile she sits up
and finishes the rest of it on her knees
and there has nev,r been QUESTION
but that she has done it quite as eftec-
lively es most of her predecessors. she
received a small ovation from the audi
ence afterward for this-which was
richly deserved, and curtain-call fol-
lowed curtain-call for this statu9Sque
beauty, who, one must remember, was
making her operate debut in WaShlng-
ton.
Assisting Jeritza in last nights les,
tivities-which was. Of course. witness
bv a CAPACITY houSe-was Lawrence I'D
bett as one Of operas most famous bad
men. Scarpia. and Giacomo Laurl-Volpl
as Mario Cavara dossi. Mr.. Tibbett.
while in excel mt voice, seemed not
oyerfamiliar with the role-which rumor
hath the had never undertaken be-
fore. While Mr.. Lauri-Volpi Scalsd TO
the heights in at least one aria. and gave
proof that with lady more OF his own
size he could be a highly presentable
actor as wen. The audience, however,
seemed highly pleased with both of these
gentlemen And perhaps if the memory
of Maestro Scott of the Metropolitan
forces in the DAYS Of. and prior to the
DAYS of Farrar hadn't been still so po-
tently with us. Mr.. Tibbett's perform
ance as the scheming baron who meets
d5ath at the hands OF bread knife,
might have stood out more thrillingly.
Lesser Roles Effective.
In the lesser ranks of the operate
roles. George Cehanovsky was more
than satisfactory Angelotti, and Louis
D'Angelo was an ably amusing Sacris-
tan. Nor must one forget the group
choruses which were well arranged Gnd
well voiced and die their little ring
around the-rosy dance in the church
with conventional but pleasing abandon.
The scenic effects provided were. as
a matter of fact. the only things the
Metropolitan might have been more
generous with. The setting for the first
act positively breathed of generation
or more service on the home boards
while in the last an oYer-induced
0raught from the wings played havoc
with what should have been a serene
and placidly blue sky. These minor
disturbances, however, detracted but
little from the performance as a whole
Since with Nine. Jeritza sweeping
across the stage in her shimmering
gowns, her jewels and the endless train
which Mr. Tibbett and Mr. Lauri-
Volpi had to vault over nimbly time
and time again. there was little to be
thought of except, was there ever a
more picturesque Tosca-or a blonde
Tosca, whose hair in the eighteen-hun-
dreds was miraculously cut short?
E. de S. MELCHER.