At the Shubert: a revival of the famous "Chocolate Soldier" completely revamped, reset, and brought up to date with the usual Shubert thoroughness. The constant outcroppings of well-worn musical comedy tricks leads one to suspect considerable alteration from the original. There is mention of flappers as well as of other things quite unknown "when Hector was a lad", and the stage business is straight from Broadway. Indeed, it offered a strange contrast of methods to find the modified recitative of the original score standing side by side with stage capers of the Fred Stone school. Consequently, only the sureness and restraint of Mr. Brian's playing prevented much of the buffoonery from being quite out of place. There is difference between the old comic opera style and the musical comedy antics of today. "The Chocolate Soldier" requires the older type of acting, and fortunately most of the company recognized this regardless of the obvious efforts of the producer to instill a little "pep" into the performance.

Despite this scattering of peroxide hairs among the silver, however, the opera still remains a delightful and amusing creation. Straus's score is still "a thing of beauty and a joy forever". Moreover the settings of the first act combine brilliance of color with an ingenious use of draperies, and the whole is no further from the actualities of Bulgaria than the nature of the piece demands. The garden scene, likewise, is most picturesque, and is not sufficiently like any known landscape as to mislead even the most realistically-minded.

Donald Brian heads the list of singers by undisputed right, but the supporting parts are likewise well taken. Miss O'Brien as "Nadina" was pleasing, particularly in her duet with Mr. Brian entitled "I am the Chocolate Soldier Man". Mr. O'Donnell, as the fat Colonel, gave a spirited rendering of "Thank the Lord the War is Over" which has a noticeably Gilbert and Sullivan" touch. The dancing of Miss Eastman and Mr. Brian was also received with the applause which it well merited, and the famous waltz motive, redecorated with several sets of new words, kept coming in at appropriate moments throughout the performance. Unfortunately the work of the Choruses, as likewise that of the principals, was often obscured by the loudness of the orchestra,--a fault which prevented the verses from gaining their full recognition. All in all, however, "The Chocolate Soldier" can take its place without fear beside the other musical attractions now running, as was amply attested by its enthusiastic reception before a packed house on Monday night.