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Show I . ' m Rev. Dr. Straton Raises the Question Whether the Great Opera Prima Donnas Portrayal of Zaza Is Artistic or Indecent 7 v UV 'J 1.0- - 5 $ : IS ,t u, Zaza Makes Her Appearance in the First Act in a Bright Red Velvet Dress and Hat with Enormous Ostrich Plumes.' (tram Reo. Dr. Stratone Sermon.) The Stage la Set. aa a Music Hall Dressing Room and Zaza' at Once Begins to Take Off Her Street Clothes. "There are some things more important and beautiful than art, and one of them is female virtue. When a woman, even in grand opera, cornea upon a stage with her dress cut below her breast and sprays perfume over herself, every decent man .and woman, to say nothing of church members, ought to get. up and go out." Zaza Removes Hat and Dress and Strips Down Absolutely and more, and the house was filled with eager crowds at every performance. In the title role Mme. Farrar achieved probably Bare to the the most complete triumph of her brilliant Waist career. , Without It ia a matter of great delicacy and diffiCorset, HE Rev. Hr. John Roach Straton, of culty to decide whether Mme. Farrar could the Calvary Baptist Chuch, of New have adequately enacted the character conChemise ceived by, the authors without the display York, in a sermon recently, in Ator Vest. of dress anJ undress which has been comlanta. Georgia, used those words In point mg the linger of clerical reproach at Mme. plained of. Zaza is a French music hall Geraldine Farrar and herpresentation of girl of the lowest order and the lowest Mme. origin. Hep conversation is filled with prothe title role of the grand opera, "Zaza." fanity and tibaldry. Geraldine She attnpaa the public aa well as her Continuing. Rev. Dr. Straton said: ' "1 am told that you were given some individual Farrar victims by the most reckless dis' touches of this nature during the grand play of her rich charms and by singing, the in the opera week here recently. The South most risque songs. Famous is She to also bevain women who out shut of her and appear upon ought beauty, the stage in Indecent undresa, regardless comes filled with a desire to win Bernard Feather of their art and of their fine voices." Dnfresne, a wealthy and comparatively reCosttime Dr. Stratoni denunciation of Mme. Farspectable citizen, from another girl. She lures him into the concert hall dressing rar came after he had told the great conIn Zaza ' gregation of the Iniquities" Qf New York. room. Photo by Zaza goes in and out three times in this Chief of these Iniquities, be said were the scene and dresses and undresses each modern dance, the scanty dress affected Geisler & time, sometimes calling on Dufresne for by women, and the prostitution of art." Andrews. After describing what he termed degradhelp. She does so with every tantalizing ing scenes in New York theatres, he spoke - display that she thinks could fascinate the man. One of the dresses Mme. Farrar puts of Mme. Farrar's presentation of Zaza In Atlanta, and characterized it as already on astonishing "feather costume," which is supposed to have a very disturbprinted above. the Metropolitan Opera House. He wrote: After the close of the grand opera seaing effect. "The only question Involved, so far as Zaza wins ber man and they are seen son in New York the Metropolitan Opera later enjoying their romance in a lovely this review of last nights production will Company is , in the tfablt of presenting every Spring a short season of opera In cottage in the woods.- Then some one be concerned, is of the influence of the Atlanta, Georgia. The opera Zaza" was tells her that Dufresne, who has left her occasionally to visit Paris, is untrue to her, play upon the lyric drama That Influence, presented in Atlanta, as it had been presented several times In New York this She goes there and finda that he is married. which we conceive to be vicious, will not Winter. It is In the early part of the It Is her intention to make a horrible interfere with the popular success of the scene with his wife, but his youngdaughter performance that the scenes occur which Ou the contrary, it will enhance it opera. . comes inand talks so charmingly that the -Dr. Straton condemned. "Those young a omen to whom Mme. shameless woman relents and goes away. In the first act of the opera Mme Farrar, as Zaza, plays the part of the frivolous, Finally, although Zaza really loves him, Farrar is a paragon, and their elders worldly music hall favorite. The stage Is she drives him away from ber because the also, will let fall copiously the pardoning Wt to show a dressing room of the music little daughter has touched her heart. tear when the wantons heart is touched Thousands of goof women unquestionably tjall. and Zaza makes her appearance in have been deeply moved by the patbos of by the prattle of a child (th8ir own costume and goes to her dressing this once shameless womans renunclatlc also by a beautiful piece of music artroom to dress for her act. Zaza arrives in a bright red velvet dress by the revelation of the heart and soul fully introduced), which she finds in and poke hat with three enormous ostrich - beneath a hardened exterior. This impres- - the home of the wife of her lover, plumes, green, red and wbitemis a high- - sion was produced both by the new opera whither she bad gone to learn whether and the earlier play in which Mrs. Leslie that wife was truly wife or only a misnecked dress, but staring and garish, tress and rival. She at once begins disrobing In her tarter enjoyed so long a buccess. Evidentlv the conception of the authors The men will find much for tltei dressing room. She takes off the enoradmiration in the circumstances that required that Zaza should be represented ntoua plumed hat. removes the red plush cress and strips down absolutely bare to as a very shameless, frivolous, coarse, sen- Miss Farrar effects several changes sual creature. Her language, indeed, was .costume in the presence of the audiIbe waist without corset, vest, chemise The portrayal of her ence; that she can cnt a capeh has the or anything. From the waist line hangs something awful. utter shamelessness was necessary as an hack trick as strong as any man in a short petticoat. Zaza has her back turned to the audl-- i antithesis to her renunciation. Illyria for woman either) and can kick From this point of Ylew a critic might a wineglass held shoulder high from the ence, but it is apparent that the actress is vearfng no clothes of any kind above the- say that Mme. Farrar held the mirror up to hands of Mr. Amato as neatly as any waist line, either front or back. She nature and therein displayed true art. But daughter of the Rialto. Should such things be hid? Shall busies herself taking down bef hair and then agaiu one might argue ,that she could rearranging it, and is finally assisted into - have suggested shamelessness In some consideration of dignity or propriety Other way than by baring ber back to the (conventions, both), prevent a prima her stage costume by her maid. donna from exhibiting her skill in imThe attack of Dr. Stratbn, who has re- - waist and letting it be known she was in front. who has risen personating a demi-recently made some severe criticisms of New In her intense devotion to her art, her to the dignity of a son dance perYorks morals, upon Mme. Geraldine' Far--l several in-- desire to realize the fullest purpose of former in a variety show? Not if she can rars performance has composer and author, did she not become add a feather to her crown of popularity. teresting questions. On the other hand, a critic who. apart Has the distinguished prima donna who too realistic? Would It not have been better art and from Journalism, Is known as a scholarly created the operatic , role of Zaza gone beyond the requirements of true art In her fully as effective to suggest by song, word, writer of books and might be expected to Haa she turned her por- - gesture, the kind of woman Zaza must have have high standards of taste, seemed to be performance? not at all shocked but rather amused by trayal of what was necessarily an unblush-- ,- been? We should expect to find these questions the performance. Said this scholar: lng character Into an occasion for the unThe opening scene is a regular two-rin- g necessary discarding of clothes? ifi her answered fully and convincingly by the circus, and there is so much to see lu enthusiasm for vigorous portrayal did the leading New York musical critics, but, artist overstep true art and offend good strange to say, they leave it in a state of the left ring that one almost forgets about One veteran critic, whose tbe right ring, which represents the back uncertainty. taste? Zaza," long familiar as a play, was first career goes back to days when standards of tbs stage of a vaudeville theatre. The produced as an opera this year and proved of theatrical propriety were much more thousands who have often wondered just what goes on in a prima donhaa dressing the greatest success of the season. It has puritanical, alone denounced the performance severely when Mme. Farrar gave ber room will here find their curiosity gratiwrought new wealth to its composed. Leoncavallo. Seven dollar seats sold for $15 first rendering of ,Zaza last Winter at fied to tbe utmost permissible limit. jcwac & Z ,.' .I e ffM4 x si e ..... X" x V c - 0 x kwsT so: , v t 'V' -- I 1 I" -- ' t - I - iJ I f ? m'" cx f ShJftt , 'i .;i J A t'1 ; yl is jf ' - , ! I i - T r I d ;f 1 I t , , ! t -- Y)X Full Front View of Zazac Wwrr Feather Dress. p y 5 S CI lflCO. International -- Ftalun Service. The. I room end plays the role of temptress to Dufresne in such a. way as to makp his moral collapse entirely plausible. This Involves more changes of costume, negligee trimmed with fur and so forth, and she ends the act in triumph and a blare of -scarier seqo ins "ana" emerald ostrich, feathers. Thereafter Miss Farrar counts more on he' own charm than on those of risque Her finest scene f is that with Dufresnes child, when she follows him to his own home Another musical authority, who is known to be on good terms with New Yorks fashexionable society, plained that Zaza" was quite In accordance cos-tumo- -- 'f f4 v - - "In this role Miss Farrar may legltl mately indulge her love for gorgeous and fantastic ciothps. At first she appears t a long trained dress of a startling shade of scarlet with bat to match,''but this costume does not long endure. The cafe ebantant singer soon appears in charming undress and proceeds to make up, to dress a becoming wig and finally to appear In still greater negligee as a preliminary to amazing and daring combination cf velvet chiffon and ostrich plumes, with retrousse effect in the back. "It Is not beautiful but it is chic rrom the point of view of the music hail, and Miss Farrar emphasizes all itg points of coarseness and vulgar appeal with the Grext Britain KirbU RTTd. c dressing thebe . eet dramatic skill which is hers. After her turn' he romes back to ber ' with tbe operatic taste of recent years, but failed to decide whether anything was wrong with it. 'Zaza.' twenty years ago," wrote this critic, was considered 'boldly realistic, shocking, but a strong moving drama; its realism of the artistic kind which treats of human character without selection or idealisation'; realism that admits of nn beauty. Perhaps opera, modern opera the most modern has grown Into standards of its own. After some of the things that have been observed upon the operatis stage in recent years, Zaza seems hardly to stand out from tbe general run so sharply as to need denunciation in terms of special emphasis for its bold or shock-- ' leg realism. The first ct, an ingenfpua vetting, chows what goes on behind the scenes ot the Alcazar during a performance; including the dressing room of Zaza. Zaza herself there in the rude and fashion of a spoiled favorite. The manager ia evidently largely at her mercy. The manners and customs of her dressing room are somewhat free, end its door la fipen to. pirtfjy .Visitors mostly. of the op- rostte fex though one of them la her mother, an objectionable person, to whom. however. Zaza la good." Another critic, who Is supposed to have a profound knowledge of music and has written some helpful books for musical, students, actuatly seemed to think that the decollete and risque scene in, "Zaza" were things to be laughed about things to be enjoyed. He expressed himself thus: Miss Farrar's scarlet ladies rise quickly before the memory, but they permit dark desire3 to slumber ia peace. One cannot omit mention of her Thais, who bravely labored to be shamelessly seductive, but was obviously doomed to sanctity from the instant of her first appearance on the stage. But not till last evening did Miss Fao-raemerge into the glare of the footlights, ns a real siren. Never before did she reach the abandon of tbe creature of absolutely uncontrolled passion. In the opera of Leoncavallo she has found her oppoO' tunity, or did she perhaps find it in tbs faith ot David Belasco, whose master craftsmanship seems to have moulded the Metropolitan production into e thing of ylvid, scarlet, theatrical life? "This whole scene will be popular. Every one likes to peep into the dressing rooms and touch the dangerous borders of tbe naughty world which is believed to hide in such regions." , dis-ror- ts r |