Metropolitan Opera Archives

Opera, as Rhett Butler said of marriage, can be fun. It was that last evening at the Metropolitan Theater, when the Metropolitan Opera Company gave Boston its first hearing in several season of Donizetti's "The Daughter of the Regiment," with Lily Pons in the title role and Salvatore Baccaloni helping out liberally with the comedy.

TRIBUTE TO MISS PONS

By no means the most important opera of the present engagement, "La Fille Du Regiment" was, nevertheless, the first to sell out. This sudden popularity of a little known work was, of course, a tribute to Miss Pons, rather than to the piece itself. And no doubt the presence in the cast of Mr. Baccaloni had something to do with the demand for seats - that and the pleasant impression which the light and tuneful music made in the Saturday afternoon broadcast of a few weeks ago.

There were those who took it to heart that Donizetti was not to be represented here by his more subtle, more substantial "Don Pasquale," which the Met had also revived this season, primarily for Mr. Baccaloni.

In view of the sudden vogue of Donizetti - he rated the performance of three operas in the New York season - we may get "Don Pasquale" another year. But we will not get Miss Pons with it, and Miss Pons as Marie, the vivandiere was something not to be missed. Not before had we of this city been able to take Miss Pons' full measure as a comedienne.

Very Fetching

She also sang last evening, but somehow that seemed distinctly less important. Very fetching in her military get-up, she delighted the eye at every turn. In the first two scenes she was smart and snappy and just sentimental enough, in her scenes with Tonio, to meet the requirements of the plot. While in her subsequent role as the child of fortune she was irresistibly droll, wearing her trailing gown with a boyish awkwardness and, in the singing lesson, furnishing a delicious parody of the sort of singing with which she had made her own reputation. Not only a parody this, but a paradox.

Many Bostonians, including the present writer, had forgotten that Mr. Baccaloni appeared here in minor roles as a member of the Chicago Opera Company in 1931 and 32. Reminded of this fact by an aggrieved correspondent, this reviewer consulted his files only to discover that he had written politely regarding Mr. Baccaloni's Masetto in "Don Giovanni" and his Sacristan in "Tosca."

No longer is Mr. Baccaloni an "also ran"; he is now a headliner, and last evening he shared top honors with Miss Pons. We have now seen the huge basso three times in his new estate as star, and Donizetti's Sergeant Suplice was the fattest part he has yet had, as far as sheer comedy is concerned.

Attractive Background

To these two everyone else in the cast, even Raoul Jobin as Tonio, played second fiddle. Yet everyone gave just the right emphasis to his or her portion. This general commendation includes Miss Petina's properly affected Marquise, Mr. D'Angelo's self-important overseer, and Miss Savage's Duchess and Mr. Kosloff's absurdly insignificant Dukelet.

The Metropolitan has reset "The Daughter of the Regiment" in the modern stylized manner, and this décor was most attractive. Between the Alpine background and the bright dress of the soldiers, the stage presented in the first two acts an eye-filling spectacle. Mr. Papi conducted a properly supple and spirited performance of the century-old score. It is safe to say that everyone in the large audience had a good time.

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Search by title: La Fille du Régiment,

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