January 11, 1923
MUSICAL COURIER
56
AMUSEMENTS
KNICKERBOCKER THEATRE B w״y fnd 3®״■««et• Evening s:is
.71“ ״״ “Mi”«•: Wed: & 5־t• ־t 2:15
rnnA c .. t D n״ .״,a“nees: ״ea• « oat.
Good Seats at Box Office—Buy in Advance Henry W. Savage offers
״THF	C2i"®dy with Music Sensation
THE CLINGING VINE
with PEGGY WOOD and a Brilliant, Singing Cast
Book and Lyrics by Zelda Sears	Music by Harold Levey
»»
THEATRE
W. 44th Street
BROADHURST
SUNDAY NICHTS: JANUARY 14, 21 & ZB TUESDAY and FRIDAY MATS., JAN. 16, 19, 23 & 26 James B. Pond presents
RUTH DRAPER
Direct from New Triumphs in Madrid, Paris and London
ORIGINAL CHARACTER SKETCHES
Sh״d־?«^
N.ew York
Kuhn s Merry Music Riders. The opening scene was a motion picture with musical numbers interspersed. The first was called the Sleighing Party, which was rather amusing. The motion picture took up the theme again, and one followed the flight of reindeers until landed on the top of a roof. At this point another scene was created which ended in a song and dance. The last number took place at a riding academy. This was very clever, and the first time the writer saw it, at the tiny Punch and Judy Theater about two months ago, it was one of the features of the Forty-niners. It is equally as amusing as it is interpreted at the Strand. The prologue to the picture was an original number arranged by Manager Plunkett. It was a very good program from start to finish. May Johnson.
CHICAGO OPERA
B’way at 51st St. "Subway to Door” EDW. BOWES, Mng. Dir.
CAPITOL
World’s Largest and foremost Motion Picture Palace
Beginning Sunday, January 14.
GOLDWYN Pictures Present
GIM’ME
CAPITOL GRAND ORCHESTRA
Erno Rapee, Conductor Presentations by S. L. ROTHAFEL
JPcùxurieuril SPlciure&-
Th. aters under the direction of Hugo Riesenfeld
The F IVOLI broadway and 49,1, st.
First Time at Popular Prices Eighteenth Week Sn Broadway ״״.. MARION DAVIES In W Knighthood Was In Flower”
R1ESENFE1 D-S CLASSICAL JAZ2ar1MV00IJUC0NCEHT ORCHESTRA
The RIALTO broadway and 42d st.
“DRUMS OE FATE”
W,thp™ R״b־Er? CMa!״N,TieVarasdsb£׳
Maurice Flynn.
hMS amWusepi^Littau S “CHESTRA
tory of the (Ompany. The same cast heard at previous ner
3™״־"HaSL^onttd. 3 IarSe a״d Cnth״siastic audi־
Rene Devries.
Pasquale Amato Not Coming Until Next Season
R. E. Johnston announces that Pasquale Amato’s Amer
Amato°sUrevfrS bHF postponed u״t;l "ext season. Due to Amato s extraordinary success at La Scala in Milan hP
nf3Fahked t0 yXtend his engagement there until the middle Zl lbeiJCOrresp0nde"ce it. was finally decided that of 1923-24	Wl!1 remain for the entire ־«son
Cadman and Tsianina On Tour
Charles Wakefield Cadman began his Pacific Una־!
the Indfan"mezfolopranTpHncel“ Tsianina ZeT
Axles'0ÌZT^0Un^leTch01^¿ BraWK
Hughes Recital on February 5
ÄiSÄ, i * ™'*' *<
SUSAN IDA CLOUGH,
mezzo soprano and principal soloist at the Rialto last week, where she sang Love Sends a Little Gift of Roses, bit Openshaw, an effective ballad that was much a p -plauded.
(Continued from page 24)
It has all the virility demanded. The clarionlike tones that the American tenor poured forth brought thrills to his hearers, and the vigorous manner in which he acted the role made him an admirable interpreter of a role that has not often been heard to best advantage on the stage of the Auditorium. Marshall is a star, a big drawing card. He was acclaimed all through the evening and will in all likelihood be one of the first artists re-engaged for next season Louise Homer, seductive, beautiful, sirenlike, was the Delilah. Beautifully gowned, she looked ravishing to the eye and more like a debutante than a woman who is already a proud grandmother. Vocally, she was fine, even though some of the music lies too low for her, and at times, especially in the second act, she was completely inaudible ; but yet her work as a whole was satisfactory. For some unknown reason the famous contralto aria, My Heart at Thy Sweet Voice, ended in perfect silence, while heretofore tempestuous plaudits re-echoed throughout the Auditorium. The strange attitude of the audience was so much more noticed, since the aria was excellently sung by Mme. Homer; but at the close of the act she was recalled amid plaudits which showed that her hearers waited to show their approval, and the fault was not the contralto’s but their own.
Cesare Formichi was excellent as the High Priest. It was the best work he has done this season, both from a vocal and a histrionic point of view. He sang with great dignity, tonal beauty, and his glorious organ, having in the Saint-Saëns music full sway, he found himself very much at home and made a distinct hit. His French enunciation is very pure and he acted the part with nobility. Though very good as the old Hebrew, Edouard Cotreuil could not obliterate from memory the one of last season, Paul Payan, whose return to the company is here politely suggested to the management. Desire Defrere was, as always more than satisfactory as Abimelech.
If given the last place in this review, Giorgio Polacco’s reading of the three act biblical opera well deserved first mention, as he knew with his baton how to depict the lan-gourous and pathetic music of Saint-Saëns, and his stupen-dous climaxes and well built pianissimos cannot be too highly praised. An astute conductor, Polacco has the instinct for the theater. He made of the Saint-Saëns score, as beautiful as it always is, an opera of great action, while heretofore it seemed on the opera stage a little tedious and as if belonging to the concert platform. Better praise than this could not be given a conductor, as really, under Po-lacc° s guidance. Samson and Delilah was re-created at the Auditorium on Friday evening, January S. The performance^ would have been pronounced perfect from every point of view, as the chorus, orchestra and minor roles were excellent and the ballet deserving of much more than passing comment (as Bolm had created a Bacchanale of his own well deserving a paragraph, which it will receive, at the second performance of Samson next week), and the fine stage management, but the stage director once more committed a sin in allowing two members of the chorus to appear adorned with wrist watches, which they wore not -,7, 11Ri-he first act but also in the last. Stage Manager Merle-Forest may think we are trying to make a mountain out oi an ant hill; no—but it was exasperating to have such beautiful pictures as the very sane Merle-Forest had so well worked out, spoiled by wrong adornments that stood out as black spots in an otherwise unblemished performance.
La Forza del Destino, January 6 (Matinee).
If the management of the Civic Opera Company be right in announcing that La Forza del Destino had on this occasion its première in Chicago, then one wonders why after sixty years the Verdi opera was at all produced, for, though it has been given often at the Metropolitan, the work is not one that quickens the pulse. It is a long, drawn out plot, with music that reflects Verdi’s bereavement, and com-pares very unfavorably with other works of the great Ital-*an £enm.s;	probability the work was produced with
the sole idea in the mind of the management of presenting Kosa Raisa in a new role. If this be the case, then the management is to be congratulated, as Raisa found in Donna Leonora another part to display to fine advantage her glorious dramatic voice. In superb form, she delighted her audience and sang the Prayer admirably. Althou״h the role does not require much histrionic ability, she made it stand out almost as much with her acting as with her singing. Giulio Crimi, in fine voice, strengthened his hold on the Chicago public by his beautiful interpretation of Don Alvaro Giacomo Rimini added to his popularity bv bis singing of Don Carlo. Virgilio Lazzari was a sonorous Friar, and Desire Defrere was quite funny as Melitone. Irene Pavloska found some of the music too low for her voice yet in the upper range she had full swav to exhibit some tones of gréât beauty. The minor roles were capably handled and Pamzza, who was at ■the conductor’s desk received an ovation after the overture, superbly plaved by his men. Should the opera not be r.epeated, one would not'hold a grudge against the management.
Snegourotchka, January 6 (Kvening).
Maiden has had more hearings this season than any other opera and will be included in the regular reper-
The Rivoli.
The most interesting number on an unusually interesting program given at the Rivoli during the week of December 24 was entitled Movies of the Future, and introduced Kelley s Plasticon Pictures. By means of colored glasses— red for the right eye and green for the left—these pictures, which are somewhat blurred to the naked eye, assume the much sought after third dimension with startlingly realistic effect. It was a real look into the future, which could not help but bring a thrill. The feature picture was Back Home and Broke, one of the best things Thomas Meighan has done. This genial actor’s popularity is increasing to a surprising extent, and by 9 o’clock of an evening not only was every seat taken and all the standees the place would hold admitted, but also the lobby ־was packed and even the sidewalk more than comfortably filled with those waiting to be admitted. The overture was the Dance of the Hours, from Gioconda, Frederick Stahlberg and Emanuel Baer conducting the Rivoli Orchestra. Riesenfeld’s Classical Jazz, which followed, aroused the customary enthusiasm. A music film, with the Hastings Twins in Toddling Tots, pleased, and the appearance of the twins themselves at the finish scored a hit. Around the Christmas Tree was the name of a group, which included Gladys Rice, soprano; Barbara Rawie, mezzo soprano; Inga Wank, contralto; Fred Jagel, tenor, and several others, and permitted the introduction of various well known Yuletide melodies. The Rivoli Pictorial, a number by the Serova Dancers, Helen, Sallie, Dolores, Hedwig and Alma, and a Pat Sullivan cartoon comedy, Felix Turns the Tide, completed the program.
Probably no number on the fifth anniversary program at the Rivoli last week aroused more enthusiasm than Ries-enefeld’s Classical Jazz. Through the courtesy of Morris Gest, this was the March of the Wooden Soldiers, the popular number from Balieff’s Chauve Souris. To add to the effectiveness, the wooden soldiers, one by one, slowly crossed the stage before the delighted audience. The overture which preceded this was the Capriccio Italien—which, if not Russian in name, at least had a Russian composer, Tschaikowsky.	An eccentric music film entitled, Daddy
Long Legs, pleased with its very oddity. The feature pic-, ture was My American Wife, with Gloria Swanson and Antonio Moreno, the scene being laid in South America. As was fitting, therefore, the vocal prologue was a Spanish Serenade, well sung by a quartet consisting of Barbara Rawie and Miriam Lax, sopranos; Inga Wank, contralto; Hubert Caron, baritone, assisted by the Rivoli EnsemV . A gay Spanish fandango completed the picture. There was another dance, too, after the picture, Chopiniana, by the Serova Dancers, Alma, Helen, Hedwig, Elma and Lucia. There was the prelude No. 7, the minute waltz, nocturne and mazurka. The Rivoli Pictorial, a Lloyd Hamilton comedy, The Speeder, and the Handel Largo, played by J. Van Cleft Cooper at the organ, completed the program.
The Rialto.
The program at the Rialto last week was an especially interesting one, both in regard to the music and the motion pictures presented. Thomas’ very popular overture to Mignon, with Hugo Riesenfeld and Joseph Littau alternating at the conductor’s stand, was the first number, following which came Riesenfeld’s Classical Jazz. The usual interesting gathering of the latest news was shown in the Rialto Magazine. Toddling Tots, a music film, was the next number. Movies of the Future, introducing Kelley’s Plasticon Pictures; Thomas Meighan in Back •Home and Broke, and Felix Turns the Tide, a Pat Sullivan cartoon comedy, were all so well received at the Rivoli the preceding week that they were carried over to the Rialto for a second showing last week. Susan Ida Clough, mezzo soprano, scored a decided hit with John Openshaw’s Love Sends a Little Gift of Roses. This is a charming ballad and is sure to make an appeal with an audience, whether it be sung on the concert stage or.in the theater. Lillian Powell, danseuse, put the proper rhythm and grace into he־ interpretation of Kreisler’s Liebesfreud.
The Capitol.
The feature picture here last week was Marshall Neilan’s The Strangers’ Banquet. It proved to be only fairly interesting as far as the story was concerned. The direction was handled with the same skill which characterizes most of the Neilan pictures.
The feature occupied the main portion of the program, although Mr. Rothafel had prepared an operatic potpourri which in parts was good. The orchestra contributed part of the prelude to Lohengrin as an overture. The Wagner music scarcely finished before the strains to the Prologue of Pagliacci were taken up. Erik Bye gave a most creditable interpretation to the famous number, in fact his voice is exceptionally good. Mr. Mendoza conducted the second performance on Thursday evening, and one felt he was a bit too enthusiastic with his directing, thereby spoiling many of Mr. Bye’s phrases with too heavy a tone from the brass. Frederick Jagel sang Ah, So Fair, from Martha, with a light small voice. Evelyn Herbert and Robert Davis sang the Miserere from 11 Trovatore. Mr. Davis’ voice was too light in quality for this music and Miss Herbert, who is the possessor of a fine voice, appeared to be singing a solo. The unit closed with one of Mr. Rothafel’s original interpretations, To the Dance of the Hours. Gambarelli, of course, was the soloist. Just before the feature Elizabeth Ayres sang a pojpular ballad, Love Will Find a Way. This song also formed the basis of the musical score for the feature.
The Strand.
Harold Lloyd has certainly made an amusing and well worked out comedy in his latest picture, Doctor Jack. It is one of the cleverest things of its kind we have seen in a long time. After the feature, Charles Urban presented the first film of the Great British Authors’ series.
The program opened with Reminiscences of 1922, arranged and compiled by Carl Edouarde, musical director. The next musical number was entitled The New Year’s Party, in five scenes, and .,included the Strand Male Quartet and Walt