Evening star., 1955-07-01
The Soint Has
More Than Just
Itoliun opero
By DAY THORPE

mo little quiet satisfaction in the
success Of his last and best-in-
|tegrated work.
'The Saint Of Bleecker Street
has almost everything that any
good italian opera ever has had
the most melodramatic and
lurid aspects Of love. hate. muir
der and pathetic death. It has
|more-it has religion. an aspect
|of the travail Of humanity that
in opera Is ordinarily touched
upon only In the most stylized
manner, by the presence OF Q
Cardinal, say, or Of . rosary.
"The Saint" however. has
both q stigmata and q crucifix-
lion in the first act. each primi-
tive theater so blood dcurdline
that one wonders how the com-
Iposer-dramatist can continue
without anticlimax. Menotti does
continue, nevertheless, for nearly
l3h hours, and whatever any
one may think Of various as
poets Of the opera. few will call
lit dull.
Puccini and Verdi
Never in his other operas q
have never heard 'The Consul)
has Menotti used the orchestra
|so well to keep the action moving
lat q seldom varied but always
|unfiagging pace. The orchestra-
ton. reminds one Of the rich and
all-enveloping music Of Puccini.
|Tf there are only few moments
when the music draws attention
to itself, when it does not seem
capable but q trifie undistin-
guished, that is to the good, for
it is always the handmaiden, or
rather the Turkish bath attend
ant, to the action.
In form, the work is similar to
q late Verdi opera, with the or
chestra providing q background
throughout to chorus, recitative
and aria. The words are in free
and lyrical unrhymed verse.
The most conspicuous weak
ness Of the opera. it seems to me,
lis the slighthess of the melody
Generally speaking. the phrases
|all seem to be broken up to fit
the rhythms Of the most sollo-
|quial sentences. with almost al
ways just one note to one sylla-
|ble. The infection is very
accurate, but the tunes have q
stiffness and a short-winded
quality that soon becomes notice
able. Also. the arias. however
they may start. often settle dowr
Into a sameness, both Of tempo
land Of general atmosphere. thai
lis not q conspicuous attribute Of
most Italian opera.
Plenty Happening
This is small fault to find Will
| q work that, unlike SO man,
other operas, never loses sigh
lof its goal--linrelenting theatri.
cal entertainment - and is *
successful in the endeavor. Tht
turning point Of the plot seems
Ito have little or no motivation
hut who cares when 50 much Il
happening.
Annina, simple minded girl il
THE Italian district Of New Yorl
City, Is obsessed by her love o
Christ, and annually Is visitet
Iby q stigmata. bodily wound
that are said by the Roman
Catholic Church to be the exac
wounds of the crucifled Christ
land to be a sign Of great saint
illness. Her brother Michele i
devoted to his sister. and Is We
lhemently antagonistic to th'
church. which he believes ha'
Iinoculated the girl with super
Istition and sorrow.
This Is the foundation Of th'
story, but the plot does no
spring from this vivid and un'
usual conflict. Rather the actor
Ievolves from q crime Of passion
To- drunken murder. Michele be
comes q fugitive when he kill
Ibis mistress. q girl who in bitter
mess at not being accepted by TIN
society she lives in. accuses
michele of carnal love for hi
own sister.
You can see that the story o
'The Saint" is far from trite
but that he conflict between faitl
and unbelief is hardly q unifyint
force for the melodranla.
Excellent Cast
The singing and acting Of tn
large cast Is, without exception
excellent. Rosemary Kuhlman, a
IDesideria, the mistress Of Michele
IL thought particularly effectiv
both vocally and as an actress
Gabrielle Ruggiero. last night
|Annina (she will alternate dur
ling this run with Virginia Cope
'Iland), and Davis Cunningham Al
Michele Che will alternate witt
Richard Cassidy were each o
them remarkably naturalist,
characters for Qpera-patheti'
rather than noble, gauche rather
than self-assured, human rather
than types.
It was q full house last might
lat Carter Barron, and there I
full house Is more than 1000
Menotti In "The Saint" has writ
ten grand opera that crowds vii
60 to-New York proved that
land I think 1t highly probable
that the two-week run here viii
confirm 1t. It is o good show wei
done, although by q company
with no reputation, withou
singers that are big names on Tv
land with O conductor. Samue
Krachmalnick. who. though h