The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-10-28
MUSIC AND THE DRAMA.


| land Theatre last night, neither would it be
just. The Boston Theatre possesses one of, il
not the, finest stages in the country for spec
tacular effects. The Portland Theatre, how
ever, has fair stage room, and has afforded our
citizens several beautiful scenic displays, which
it is unnecessary to enumerate here. Last
might've must cohesive were very much dis
appointed in this matter. There were just two
scenes that were new to our theatre-goers, one
a snow scene "the cross road of the stone pill
lar" the other "a fisherman hut on the An
CARA river" both artistic but neither remark
able. The sledge teams with the dogs, was a
transient glimpse and, from the manner in
which the noble animals bounded across the
STAGE and the fact that the management de-
clined to raise the curtain and repeat the scene
in response to an encore, impressed the specta-
tor with the idea that the noble brutes were
not in high state of discipline. The confa-
grafton was very we'll done, but no better or
more Elusive than fire scenes have been repre-
sented here before. The best feature of the ac-
cessories consisted of the uniforms which were
handsome and, we understand, correct. Do
not let us be misunderstood that we expected
impossibilities. We did anticipate, however,
more in these respects than we received.
AS for the play, its plot was given in brief
in the PRESS. 1t is not very well adapted, we
should judge, to the English stage. The
drama is too talky. Much Of the dialogue is
ordinary and the only humor that enlivens it
is evidently original with Mr.. Maginnis and is
the wittiest portion of it. There are some
good situations in the piece, but none of them
are novel; nevertheless they are pleasing andef-
effective. Such are the pleading of Nadege with
Schelm in the croSS-road, and the brutality Of
Schelm in the Siberian cottage. The acting is
fair. Mr.. Shewell and Mr.. Buckley both rat
tied off their parts too rapidly for clear enun-
citation, and the understanding of the audi
ence. In some respects this has its merits be-
cause it hastens the action and shortens time
Generally speaking, they pleased their audi
Miss Noah were respectively satisfactory as
Nadege and Tatianna Lanine. Messrs Parks
and Prince were acceptable as Count Vladi-
mir and Count Palkine, Mr.. Maginnis very
amusing as Carcassin, and Mr.. Allen exceed
ingly funny as Popoff.
There was an excellent audience, all but the
two front rows Of the orchestra being occupied.
The Exiles is we'll worth seeing and will be re-
peated tonight.
KATE CLAYTON.
The St. Paul Press, speaking of Kate Clax-
ton and her play of "The Double Marriage"
which will be presented at Portland Theatre,
Wednesday and Thursday evenings, says:
The drama is intensely dramatic, and in
each act is gradually and artistically wrought
up to an interesting situation or climax. OF
course the interest of the play centres around,
and that of the audience was directed, to Miss
Claxton. She disappointed no one in this
interest, but sustained her part and claimed
the attention of her audience from first to last.
AS Josephine she had the difficulty Of love
warning with duty to portray, and did it with
that art of which she is SO completely the mis-
tress, verifying and intensifying the passion of
love and high sense Of duty with even pain
fu1 realism The character ahOundS in emo
tional opportunities, and Miss Claxton fails
not to give each and every opportunity a
realistic and intense Interpretation. Besides
this central commanding figure, so we'll de-
lineated, the drama abounds in other charac-
tiers demanding more than ordinary talent to
present even pleasantly.
THE JUBILEE SINGERS.
The second entertainment in the Grand
Army course will be given by the Fisk Jubilee
Singers at City Hall, Thursday evening.
Tickets may be procured at Stockbridges. the
Musical Times and Trade Review says:
barely mentioned the concert of the Fisk
Jubilee Singers in my last letter. Their music
deserves more than that, for their songs, as
we'll as their manner of singing them, are de-
cidedly original, and do not seem to lose their
quaint flavor. heard, some years ago, that
their immense success was partly accidental.
On their forming troupe to travel and raise
luuuo lOT IuClI OulfCISlVy, tACoo oihSOAo Liou
decided to give concerts of higher order.
They intended to appear in Italian songs and
operate selections. A lady friend (who is
devoting her life to the elevation of the freed
men) told me that it was only with difficulty
that they were persuaded to sing their planta-
tian songs instead people will hiss us off
the STAGE" they said. But the event proved
the contrary, and instead Of becoming third
class concert company, they became first
class and original chorus.
As Kit in the Arkansas Traveller Mr.. F.
S. Chanfrau has won fame and delighted hum
dreds of thousands Of people all over the
continent. The play itself, unlike most
American plays, commends itself to all lovers
of the drama. The scenic effects are beautiful,
the dialogue said to be interesting, and the
situations striking. On Saturday afternoon
Mrs. Chanfrau, who is one of the handsomest
and most natural actresses on the stage, will
appear in "Parted." The Boston Post says as
"Grace Shirley" her rendering of the charac-
ter is admirable throughout, and is absolutely
refreshing by force of its artistic purity and
the justice it does to the genuine womanly
nature.
This is what an exchange says of Kate
Thayer:
OF course the chief center of interest was in
the stranger to our concert boards, Miss Kate
Thayer. Whatever Kate the audience may
have had in their imaginations, when the real
Kate Thayer appeared, there was probably
embonpoint and human quality of Miss Cary,
they were fated to see before them little
creature with downcast eyes, looking very
much like nun highly spiritualized, or at
least considerably dematerialized. Is it posi-
BILE Tin effect, said the people to one another,
In ,a,,fx uoc ctr
possible that creature SO petite and demure,
has in her any singing quality? But II persons
were to be rated by avoirdupois, Daniel Lam
bert would have been immortal and Rufus
Choate only notorious When you come to
singing, the ostrich is beaten by the oriole, and
highly esteemed as the shanghai is, for pure
music the canary is generally and more truly
esteemed. Miss Thayer began singing and
continued, but the audience could not make up
its mind about her. Indeed she had almost
auditors concluded it was proper to regard her
as an unusual singer. When she left the stage
a storm of applause broke forth, and Miss
Thayer returned and gave bird-song with a
little ventriloqual echo. You could only think
of canary; for Miss Thayer handles her voice
with the skill and with something of the man
ner of the best singing birds, reaching octoyes
purely phenomenal in the history of the human
voice. Her voice and her manipulations of it
are wonderful. Miss Thayer gave for an encore
in the nrSv part une 'fOStlllOn, ana III Ino Sec
ond part she substituted mia Piecirella' for
"The Clock" on the programme.
Jefferson will appear in rip Van Winkle,'
afternoon and evening, Saturday, Nov. 8. The
sale of seats will begin at Stockbridges next
Wednesday morning
There will be excursions from Lewiston, Au-
burn and Brunswick, to witness the operas of
Paul and Virginia and Chimes of Normandy,
by the Abbott company next week.
Paul and Virginia was well received in Bos-
ton last week. Hundreds were unable to get
into the theatre on the opening night. All the
tickets for the second performance were sold
before eleven o'clock ON that day.
The Emma Abbott company will appear here
in the two operas in which they can be seen at
their best, viz: paul and Virginia." and
"Chimes of Normandy" The seats will be
found at Thomes', under Music Hall.
The tickets for the "Pleiades" are selling
? we'll at Stockbridge's This will prove strong
combination. Miss Helen Potter's impersona-
tions are alone worth the price of ticket, and
here we have Helen Potter, Reganey the carl
caturist, the Swedish Ladies' Quartette, and
Anna Berger on the cornet.
Joe Murphy in Kerry Cow" at Portland
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