Evening star., 1935-02-19
D'Oyly Opera TroupeWins
Big Audience at National
English Company, After Success in New York,
Proves Equally Popular in the Capital
With The Gondoliers."

were glorified and the scenery rolled
in by the ton. It Is as II June
and not February was in the air,
and prosperity had just come from
around the corner.
Instead Of mere revivals OF two
masters of very light opera, whose
fame came in punches only when,
after a performance of a one-act
piece called. Trial by jury" the
public suddenly realized that satire
could be used somewhere in q form
between grand opera and musical
comedy. 1t came with Mr.. Gilbert's
brittle wit and Mrs. Sullivan's swerve
from writing onward Christian Sol
diers." 1t came with THE Mikado,"
and "The Pirates of Penzance," and
Little Bqttercup, and with the Duke
of Plaza-Toro, whom you saw last
night.
THE GONDOLIERS," which Is not
so well known in this country
as some Of the others, deserves, how
ever, the airing that the DOyly Carte
Co. Is giving 1t this season. While
communities have cried for Pa
tience," for "Pinafore" and for one
or two others, they have forgotten
perhaps that some of Mr.. Sullivan's
best music comes from the first act
of "The Gondoliers" and that both
the Duke and Don Alhambra del
Bolero are two of Mr.. Gilberts juciest
inventions.
Last nights presentation was as
colorful and ingenious as the advance
criers had said it would be. Every
inch of it demanded attention-even
the overture which Mr.. Isidore God
frey conducted with great care and
success and for which he "shushed"
the audience into a state of breathless
silence.
THE cast, which has mercifully not
been Juggled for road" purposes
and which Is the same as it was
when New York gave it rousing well
come in September, includes such re-
knowned Ko-Ko's 1--WE mention him
only because he is more familiar to
the. world than the Duke of Plaza
Toro) as Martyr Green, a youngish
man with glib legs, who specializes in
oldish characters; Sydney Granville,
last nights grand inquisitor: Muriel
Dickson. "witching" soprano. who
made Gianetta exactly twice as at
tractive as she has ever been before;
Muriel Eyre, who die likewise by Tes-
sa, and Dorothy Gill, who as the
Duchess of Plaza Plaza -Toro, fascin-
ated the audience every time she
courtseyed and went all the way down
to the ground ano stayed there.
The two gondolieri, Charles Gould
ing and Leslie Rands (Mr. Goulding
particularly sang and played their
roles with dispatch and vigor; Eileen
Moody and John Dean, as the grown
up drummer boy who eventually be-
comes king (you know the story we
hope) sang one of Mr.. Sullivan's best
dolaS came in and went out without
hitch and the "Cachoucha" was
danced with great abandon and good
spirits.
A word to school groups, who will,
of course, put on THE Gondoliers"
Immediately after seeing this; note
the chorus, note the way it sings and
acts, note the fact that chief charac-
ters don't strain for effect-don't
screw their faces into wildly absurd
grimaces-don't exaggerate everything
for laugh. Note that time and ira
dition has taught the group that SIM
plicity is perfection-that Messrs. Gill
bert and Sullivan are quite able to
stand on their own two feet without
lot Of extra personality" thrown in.
Note that this company Is the fin
est you will ever see.