, 1874-04-12
prebcnd. It is rare exotic, that porishes In

prebend: It is rare exotic, that porishes IN
the January temperature Of q Chicago audience
The form and outline OF the part she plays re-
main, but they are cla.nmy, lvd, ,ifeless. Give her
watt OF sympathy, and the color comes into
the picture. It lives. moves, glovs. It is an
astonishing physiological exhibition which is
dead and fiaccid auto1naton, Friday evening the
audience at HooIey's saw such d change. It
went to the theatre in q dull listless, chilly
mood, aud sat alphabetically before the cur
tain, It was cold enough in the first act,-
ae stony as most Chicago audiences are,-but
began to thaw under tho iuuicious comedy elo-
ment Of the piece, handled with felicity by Mr.
Bishop until it really offered the star Just q
trihe Of encouraging applause. The deLcate
temperament temper! 3 was hupso'nely grateful for the
which reacted on her. audience with renewed
planaits, until sho fai1ly caught the inspiration
OF the 6ympathiea OF the house, and gave in
return an exquisite little bit Of nature. With
e. eao1 act she grew stronger and brighter. until
Hester Graze6rook Of the p!ay,-the long-sutfer-
ing, tcnder-hearted, unsophisticnted, and loGiug
little lady Of the comedy on the stage, instinct
with life and feeling. 1t vas an exquisite bit
OF acting, and tie audience saw it so,
are icy enough in Chicago. The bleak
lake-winds appear to have made our beautiful
theatres their homes. uospltable enough to
every stranger who comes to See us as visitor,
We brag Of the warmth OF our hearts. Lot that
stranger mount the stago---especially il he or
ehe should possess my claim to atteniion--aad
we Sit and Rtaro at the poor creature id doubt
full sort Of way. THIS il all wrong. Miss Rogers
has broken the ice now. Perhaps the result will
DO freshet Of appreciation and applause.
JANE cooMBs-
Among the rare enjoylncnts accorded by theat-
rical exhibitions Of tho present time is that Of
intellectual satisfaction. 1t is not seldom that
the taste il pleased, the fancy even delighted,
but such tranasnt qualifications arc in the end
harmful to tho taste and pallinp to the dramatic
appetite. It sometimes seems 81 though the
stage is to become IN empty show, 81 ali sound
and fury, siEnifyiug nothing," and that dramatic
talent, having set out toward eGtct, is to steady
sail in that direction, and leave behind it the
tranacription OF the true lessons of life
IN al their seriousness, pathos, and h1lmor. It
will be argued that public taste signifies the at-
titude to be assumed by dramatic writer's, but
this is not fact, though it il not the present
purpose to demonstrate tho error- Il is suf-
fcient to say that wo must 20 back into the last
ges a%ea anpE ssecas T1fy oa er
and, as the thcatre-going public have seen the
standard plays over md over again, their tri
nmphs naturally wane. partly also from the
change in human customs that have come
about, and make these representations foreign
to the present conditions Of society. But, as it
is, they arc the best-fn fact all that we haFa in
this respect. Either tho present generation ad-
duces nothing OF 8 dramatic nature in its phases,
or else the race Of standard play-Triters have
died out, and there il no one left to absorb into
himself and give expression to anything OF real
life, or to disclose anything but tho mercst
frippery vaporings of those who do not know
Society except in it's artificial evidences, and
have never studied deeper into its mysteries
than one may look FROM tho pit into stage-box
with IN opcra-glass and hope to transcr;be ths
real emotions of It's occupants,
And 80 it follows that such actresses as Niles
Jane Coombs, now at McEicker's must, in order
to follow true desire to present something
qualification, fall back upon the old
English plays, which hare great merit if
it ia in q measure removed from present expert
encc. The force of all wit lies in it's power OF
coincidence. Thought aad observation Lie dor
touches tho hidden experience and gives it life.
a truth of any kind, be It that OF common hu-
man weakness, pride, ambition, or OF the ridicu-
louB attitudes into which humanity falls, Is
keen1y reEehcd BY the cultivated mind, that
yields to it u gratifed assent But when the
stage portrays only superficial outside aspect
of life, and repeats again and again it's poor OBJ
servation, it needs to bring in all manner Of
trumpery, glare, and glitter to rescue it from
contempt, and this really paints tho condition Of
that, ii Miss Jane Coombs is marty here to the
effort to revyify IN interest in real passion and
humor, her labor is not in vain, but throws
in its weight towards awakening tho theatrical
mind to its possibilities. Miss Coombs is caro-
full and gifted artistic, and is rowling class of
plays which have great merit. Sho labors in a
ield which, if somewhat worn with the plows
Of time, is yet legitimate one. Present society
presents q new field, but there is no one to reap
the harvest, Until snna one, arises; sin;are
OF the drama do no better than
to give her their support encouras cement, and
applause, and will not bo without receiving some
.3,.,t
comedies.
HooLEGs THEATRE.
Owing to the unexpected success OF Tom
Tay1ur's comedy 'The Unequal Match, Mimi"
has been postponed until Tuesday. Miss Rogers
will, therefore, have one more opportunity to de-
light the public who dare to brave the danger OF
seeing a meritorious play we'll acted. Following
s the cast of Mimi :"
Mimi. Miss Katherine Rogers
Maurice oDonne- J. y. nt!isdell
nlax Fa1Ison .----....-.-.-.-.'Mr- =: =: onn1V.n
Fritz Schneider Mr. =. =. HlsAop
collinet.. Mr. 7. Egbers
None. Durosel Mr. Russell soggs
CfQuot. Mr- George Gidtcus
Madame Darb1ay. Miss Kate Neck
tgolette 1uas Saney GoWen
3alopo. Hs an1S da
Friday night Miss Rogers has benefit, the
ill for which is not announced.
M'Y1cEEnts THEATRE.
Miss Jane Coombs viii remain another week,
ldhering to her purpose Of varying the enter
nightly: h5onday and Tuesday even;
[u1iet will be plaped Wednesday evening
The School for Scandal" will bo repeated :; !
Thursday evening, "Loyer's Sacr16ce;" and
7ridny and Saturday nights, 81 The Wife's Sc
ret" Following Ia the cast Of Romeo aud
u1iet:"
eomeo james o'Se1
lercut1o weston