The soprano roles in Gilbert & Sullivan operettas are most effective when sung by small, arch, comely ladies. The contralto roles demand singers made up to look stout and ugly. Katisha in The Mikado, in particular, should be "a most unattractive old thing, tra la, with a caricature of a face." For this role last week the brothers Lee & Jake Shubert signed up oldtime Contralto Ernestine Schumann-Heink, 70. With a company of seasoned Savoyards, the Shuberts' Mikado opens Oct. 16 in Wilmington, Del., will play in Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and other...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
