St. Paul daily globe., 1885-12-20
IN THE PLAY HOUSES
The Novel Plot of 'Hoodman Blind" Now
Running at Wallaok's, New York,
Briefly Told.
John Riokaby's Novel Scheme for Ad-
vertising a star-Hundreds Of
Misdireoted Letters
Young Women in Tights Not Draw
ing as Largely as They For
merly Did.
Local Amusements Nevada Inns
Week-Plays for the Opening
Holidays.
Correspondence of the Globe.

Correspondence of the Globe.
NEW YORK. Dec. 16.-"Hoodman
Blind" the new play by Henry A JONES
md Wilson Barrett, which has been ruil-
aing at Wallack's theater since Dec. 4, ls
one of the greatest of the successes that
nave been made on the stage of this the
lter. Mr.. Wallack is very partial to Eng
lish plays and players and it is only occa-
,ionally that a play written by an Ameri-
.an author can get an opening at MS thea
Ter. ''Hoodman Blind is very strong
drama in five acts and fourteen scenes. The
plot is based upon the strong resemblance
that one sister bears to the other and they
do not know of each others existence. One
Of these sisters is a good woman and
model wife, while the other is quite the OPP
posite By an unfortunate fatality the
arring sister commits an act in the presence
Of her sisters husband which strengtn-
ems the conviction that his
wife is not faithful to hlm.
His mind has been poisoned by talthlesS
friend. who is in love with his wife and
who bv accident discovered the bad sister
without knowing who she is, but whom he
bribed to make love to her pal on moon
light night in the woods, to which place he
brings The contiding husband, when he con-
Vinced him that his wife was not all he
thinks her TO be- As the wanton girl Is
like her sister in height, appearance, fsa-
lures and voice the husband mistakes his
5ister-in-law for his wife. Of course in the
end everything is settled satisfactorily and
the husband and wife after long separa-
ton are finally united. The identity OF the
WantUn sister is discovered by her brother
in-law, as she is about to end her life by
throwing herself off the Thames embank-
ment al Cleopatras needle. She dies in
his arms, telling him who she is.
The husband at last discovers the where
abouts of his wife, who left her home in
disgrace, in the village of Abbot's Creslow,
and who has been working by her needle in
London to support herself and child. The
scenery and acting of this play are superb.
Miss Annie Robe plays the dual part OF the
sisters with much depth of feeling and gen.
uine pathos, and she is exceedingly good in
the lighter portions of the play. Mr.. Kyrle
Below plays the husband with excellent
taste. and is very interesting. The first of
the two illustrations this week is a scene
between Mr. Below and Miss Robe re-
spectively, as Jack Youlett and Nance,
his wife, at their home at Green Ruddy
farm. The second scene presents view
of the Thames embankment and Cloopatra's
Needle, which is one of the most effective
scenes that have ever been seen on any
stage The play will run for some weeks
to come.
*x*
Three weeks ago or more, was in the
private office of Mr.. John Rickaby, the mall
ager of the Lyceum theater, where Miss
Helen Dauvray is playing with great sue
cess in lone Of Our Girls" play by Bron-
son Howard, when he showed me letter
he had received from Miss Kate Field, in
which she expressed her thanks for pleas
ant time he had afforded her on previous
evening, when she witnessed the perform
tnce of the play, and spoke very compli-
nentarily of the play and star. / made the
suggestion to Mr.. Rickaby, which he said
ae thought somewhat of doing, to have
autographed copies made of Miss Fields
letter, an exact reproduction in eyeryway of
Ihe note paper, monogram and autograph
letter and to purchase book published in
This city called The List, which gives the
addresses of about 1000 people who are in
fashionable society in New York and to
send to each person mentioned in the book
one of the Autographed letters in a sealed
envelope, all of which he did and the result
has exceeded his most sanguine eXpecta-
tions On Sunday morning he had them
all mailed and the letters were received by
1000 people in New York at breakfast time
on Monday morning. These letters looked
to be genuine, and many people immedi-
ately called for a messenger boy and sent a
polite note to Mr.. Rickaby saying that they
had received the enclosed letter
evidently by mistake and would Mr.. Rick
aby kindly look over his mail and send
them by the messenger the letter intended
for them from Miss Field. Every mail
brought him letters of the same kind during
that eventful Monday and for some days
afterward. l dropped i'll on Mr.. Rickaby one
day this week and he showed me 800 re-
plies to the Autographed letter which he
had received from anxious people who
thought he was keeping back their private
correspondence. Miss Field has received
no less than 500 letters enclosing the litho-
graphed one which Rickaby sent out. At
the Victoria hotel, where Miss Field is
stopping, there was roOmful of people
on a recent occasion waiting to see her, all
on account of the Autographed letter. One
night this week siXty-tive carriage checks
were given out by the footman in front of
the theater, which is circumstance of rare
occurrence at any therter in this city. except
of course at the opera house where the
ladies go in evening dress. lone of Our
Girls" is drawing the best class of people Of
New York and the theater is paying hand
somely, something it has never accomplished
heretofore OF even met expenses.
49,
Nat Goodwin's "Skating Rink" company
Is in Harlem this week and playing to very
large receipts. 1t was great dsappoint-
ment to Mr.. Goodwin. his manager and the
people that he could not have continued at
the Standard theater, where they opened.
longer than the two weeks it was engaged
for. Lolita, who followed the company, was
offered SIS, 500 for her two weeks. which she
declined, so Mr.. Goodwin was obliged to
finish the run of the Skating Rink" at the
end of the two weeks he was there. The
piece is quite as funny as 'Adonis," which
has run in New York for nearly a ear and a
half. and Mr.. Goodwin is an infinitely more
amusing and versatile actor than Mr.. Dixey.
Mr.. DiXey is to be classed among the clever
entertainers of to-day. while Mr.. Goodwin
is undoubtedly the best comedian on the
stage. Next week the Skating Rink"
goes to Brooklyn at the Criterion theater,
and the week following the company will
open in Philadelphia. Mr.. Goodwin is COIN
ing money hand over fist, as the expression
goes, and has got hold of making
piece. In fact the Shaking Rink" would
be nothing without him, the same as
''Adonis' would be nothing without Mr.
Dixey.
sVTba po4-Cofobar hoe baa, ,,rob -,