Evening star., 1952-12-09

Capital.
"1olanthe" is the company's o
season and the fact that 1t has
the most captivating score. it is
an excellent choice.
What threshold in the whole
Gilbert and Sullivan repertory
could be more inviting at Christ
mas time than that of Already?
This one the more especially since
on the other side of it, stands
Martyr Green. Mr.. Green is the
greatest Of the Savoyards who be-
came available to an Americana
G. and S. company through the
breakup of the seemingly in
vlncible D'Oyly-Carte company.
His unchallenged dominance of
the new Chartock company, ex-
cellent in so many respects, has
encouraged Mr.. Green to be al
more winning Lord Chancellor byI
being a more moderate one. His
performance here is one that
should quash the last charge Of
the last migrate that Mr.. Green
overclowns his rich opportunities.
y X X
It is not to be expected surely
that any Gilbert and Sullivan
company will make one forget
D'Oyly Carte. 1t is to Mr.. Char
tock's credit. however. that he has
put together one that so admirably
relislles the opportunity to catch
the falling torch. It has voices toI
lift, and knows how to lift them,
in a most happy cause.
This was evident in even a first
night performance whose move
rnents were tentative. and some
times awkward. on an unfamiliar
stage.
"Iolanthe" is the loveliest, III
not the most rousing, of the operas
and it makes an excellent jewel
box setting for the display of the
Chartock troupe's talents.
He has found some sparkling
ornaments to go with Mr.. Green.
One of these is Glynn Hill who
sings the title role in "Iolanthe
In a way that makes Arcadian
wayWardness look like the most
enchanting misconduct conceiv-
able, Another is Lillian Murphy
whose guardianship might most
reasonably unhinge any Lord
Chancellor, and whose MOI tai pet
ulance with half-mortal lovers
is one of "1olanthe's" brightest.
assets. Mary Roche, Eileen Moran
and Audrey Dearden are proper
enchantresses as the fairy platoon
leaders. and Ella Halman is a |
figure of genuine majesty i'll every
note she sings and every word
she speaks as the Fairy Queen.
Frank Ccgier, Joseph Macauley
and Fobert Eckles are the males
who testify to the excellence OF
MIR. ChartccE S taste in singers.
And to Conductor Lehman En-
gels Skill at bending them all.
with his instrumentaliSts, into a.
happy whole. /
y X
"Iolanthe," in case any one has
forgotten OF grown up vague about
1t, is the opera which deals with
the clash between England's fairy
people and the House of Lords, or
Peers. Ioianthe, a lovely fairy
princess who erred in marrying a
mortal. thinks her semi mortal
son should marry the ward of the
Lord Chancellor. So do her fellow
Arcadians. The Peers, a stuffy lot /
with naughty notions about shep-
herd lads. disagree. !
This situation has inspired an
opera score that runs the ganut
from the haunt'nCiy lovely to t.lc
satiricallv ridiculous. Its happy
purpose is to prove that in either
politics or love, Peers are no match
for the little people of the glades.
1t gives Mr.. Green brilliant op- i
portunity to sing such of his al
most privately owned classics as
THE Law Is the True Embodi-
ment,' when Went to the
Bar" when You're Lying
Awake" and Faint Heart Never
Won Fair Lady" He makes these
vocal highlights of the opera,
naturally, each with the habitual
number Of encores.
But there is wonderful contrast
In Miss Murphy's and Mr..
ROGERS duet, None Shall Part
U.s." and their high-spirited re- |.
conciliation song, If We're Weak
Enough to Tarry."
OF the rich choral numbers, it
Is probably inevitable considering
their supernatural gifts that the
fairies should out-sing the Peers.
1t Is not merely that they are
more graceful but that they sing
with lilt of satire that the male
group notably misses. 1t is con-
tent to vocalize such blithely /
singing items as Loudly Let the
Trumpet Bray" and when Bri-
tain Really Ruled the Waves"
"Iolanthe" would have a blither
spirit with a closer match in the
moods of the choral groups.
\ \ \
These may be merely churlish
reservations, however. which will
prove ground once the company
has found its bearings on the
Sl1ubert's stage. incidentally.
Ralph Alswang's settings and
Peggy Morrison's costumes are
artfully calculated to catch the
properly contrasting glints of
Arcadia and London.
N Cate Dln,, Sspek