Behind the patched and faded fed velvet curtain of Philadelphia's elegant Academy of Music (built in 1857 and famed for its acoustics) lives a small brown bat. During Metropolitan Opera visits to the Academy, the bat nearly flew into the broad mouth of Tenor Beniamino Gigli; once it flew rings around Basso Feodor Chaliapin. Last week, by lying low, the bat muffed a punnish chanceĀa performance of Johann Strauss's bubbling, rollicking The Bat (Die Fledermaus), by the best troupe Philadelphia has had in years.
In 1934, Mrs. Mary Louise Curtis Bok sank more...
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