Evening star., 1941-08-17
MARTHA
TOBe Given
Tonight
Water Gate Show
Marks Halfway
Point in Season
Point in Season


season of seven opera performances
at the Water Gate tonight when, at
8:15 o'clock, Won Flotow's charming
light opera, Martha" will be sung
In English and the ballet corps of
the company will present a program
Of advertisement. This is the first
summer festival of opera ever to be
given at the Water Gate.
Lucille Meusel, the lovely Violet
ia" of La Traviata," will sing the
title role of Martha" She has en-
deared herself already with the
of the old favorite-" THE Last Rose
of Summer" at the National Theater
last winter.
Other principals in this opera are:
| Charlotte Bruno, Stefan Kozake-
vich, Rolf Gerard, Richard Went
worth and Francesca Curci.
AS in all the performances of
this summer festival, Carlo Peroni
will conduct.
Monday night the luscious and
powerful soprano Of the Indian prin-
cess, Mobley Lushanya, will be
heard in the leading role of Leonora
in Verdi's I'll Trovatore," tunes of
which are familiar to many. Others
in principal roles will be Anna Kas-
kas, Metropolitan contralto; Flora
Shannon, Harold Lindi, Mostyn
Thomas, Harold Kravitt, Francesca
Curci and Fausto Bozza. The opera
will be sung in Italian.
To Close Tuesday.
The festival is scheduled to close
Tuesday unless rain causes post
ponement to the latter part of the
week of some of the earlier operas,
with the brilliant double bill of
Mascagni's "Cavalleria Rusticana"
and Leonavallo's Il Pagliacci," both
to be sung in Italian. The dramatic
soprano of the Chicago Opera Com
pany. Anne Roselle is in the role of
the impetuous and unhappy San
tuzZa.
Others singing principal roles will
be Charlotte Bruno. Flora Sherman,
Rolf Gerard. Stefan Kozakevich,
with Peroni conducting.
In the "Pagliacci" the role of Ned
da will be sung by the golden-haired
American. Jean Tennyson, with
Harold Lindi singing the famous
Sob Song" Mostyn Thomas as
Tonic and Francesca Curci and
Leonard Stokes in the roles of Beppe
and Silvio Washington music low
ers have heard both Jean Tenny-
| son and Leonard Stokes in Mrs.
/ Lawrence Townsends S famous Mon
/ day morning musicales at the May
! flower.
Wife Went to School Here.
Mr.. Stokes. whose wife is a grad
uate Of the King Smith School here,
recently had great success at a
concert In Asheville, N. C. He was
born in Moultrie. Ga, but spent
much of his life in New England.
In his vocal studies he worked with
Jean de ReSzke and later with
Oscar Seagle. His operate training
has been under zanatello, in New
York.
Flotows comic opera tingles with
melody. The story is laid in Surry,
England, A court lady of Queen
Anne, weary of the pleasures of
fashionable life. one day enters
on reckless adventure Disgusting
herself and her faithful maid
Nancy in peasant clothes, she goes
TO the annual fair at Richmond
where it is the custom for farmers
to engage servants for the coming
year. Enjoying the escapade, she
boldly accepts service under the
name of Martha, with two young
farmers. But the jest goes too far,
for the rich young farmers refuse
to allow the girls to depart and
hastily pack them off to their farm
An elderly courtier, Sir Tristan, who
has followed Lady Harriet as a
barely tolerated escort, is helpless
to prevent this catastrophe. how
ever. Later under darkness of night
he manages to rescue the indiscreet
girls.
Story of I'll Trovatore."
III Trovatore" is the story of Man.
rico Harold Lindi, tenor. mysteri-
GUS knight who has won the heart
of the Duchess Leonora (Mobley
Lushanya, soprano, and is chal-
lenged by her jealous suitor, the
powerful Count di Luna CMostyn
Thomas, BARITONE. Soon after,
Manrico, wounded in battle, is
picked up by Azucena (Anna Kas-
kas, mezzo-soprano), the gypsy
whom he believes to be his mother.
The gypsy Azucena, to avenge her
mothers execution for witchery, had
kidnapped, as an infant, Count di
Luna's brother whom she reared as
Manrico. Later, Manrico elopes
with Leonora Manrico, returning
to rescue Azucena from burning for
witchery also. is captured and con-
demned to death. Leonora offers
herself to di Luna as ransom for
Manrico, but takes poison before
di Luna can claim her. Thwarted,
he proceeds with the execution of
Manrico. Azucena takes grisly
pleasure in telling the count that
he has slain his own brother.
"Cavalleria RuSticana."
"Cavalleria Rusticana" deals with
peasant life in a Sicilian village.
Santuzza (Anne Roselle. soprano),
beautiful Sicilian maiden; Turiddu
Rolf Gerard, tenor, who has loved
but deserted the trusting maiden;
Lola Charlotte Bruno. mezzo-so-
prano), the coquette who has won
Turiddu's affections, and Alto, the
carter (Stefan Kozakevich), hus-
band of Lola, tell the tale of rustic
chivalry and honor. The role of
Santuzza will be sung by one of
Americas famous prima donnas.
Anne Roselle has sung with the
great opera companies of the world.
"Pagliacci' depicts life of band
of strolling players in Southern
Italy. Canio CHarold Lindi, tenor,
master of the troupe. jealous of his
pretty wife Media (Jean Tennyson,
soprano), who, because she refuses
to reveal the name of her clande-
stine lover Is stabbed during the