Telegram-herald., 1886-10-02


II the eily. all eager and ezpeclaut. In
play anlrsd tao Nh0 have lived amoag Us
iof many years bad stepped from The do
mestlc sphere into the blazing light oi pub
iclty through rhe medium Of lae stage.
ar and Mrs. LeGrand Pierce nave for
many years been prominen. ami pop
ular hsurrs ln the social life Of
Grand Rapids. and IL was quite natural that
their friends. ss welt a. cur citizens gen
orally should have felt a sympa,hetc M
terest ID the performances last evening. it
xAs not 10 0e expected that ans great liter
arv briliiancy would shine through Patent
Rights" Fred Mafsden has set d0En some
funny lines ia a common- place story, and
with LeGrands patents aud few songs.
the performance may be said "a have been
salts iaetory-for there vas applause and
wealth Of ooaquets.
do not know what may be expected Of
the cri ic under circumstances which sur
round debut ike that of last night. The
critic certainly mas a duty TO perform to Lee
grand as well As TO the public / could
heartily wish that the facts might have
proven the duty less disasreeaole for Pat
ent Rights must be reformed before It
reaches the large cities or the comedian viii
be most sadly discounted. The comedy
Of itself lacks motive and strength. The
reader NAV say what modern comedy has
either and the reply IS none but all
have in them something for somebody 10
laugh at-even if il be no more than the
| antics 4 drunken man for the fact that
the central figure falls through skyiight
| into flJur barrel. Mr. IaTsden 5 comedy
lacks incident ana moves slowly, in fact
both author and actor have relied upon the
patents TO carry the play. The piece
is subservient to the properties. This
will never DO for while it IS mildly funny
10 see an umbrella inst4ntaneOusly turned
into a clothes horse our wizards OF the stage
do more wonderful things and while it IS
laughable 70 see a Kiss IN the dark illumi-
mated by a ',Ocket-electric light, 1t IS more
than possible that the gallery gods OF Chi
csgo and New York would FIRE chestnuts at
the stage if the device were too often re-
psated. Let all read me Alright; fault is not
being found with tn. really very funny
inventions that LeGrand introduces in his
play. They are all vastly amusing and
clever but they must be made subseFyient
To the movement Of the play and when they
retard its progress they should De described
aud not actC as.v introduced. The star
himself seems to have missed this point
entirely snd be paws far less less attention
10 the reading aud delivery Of bis lines
than TO the exhibition of his ingenious
contrivances While the locomotive
is really very handsome thing there are
hundreds. saortiug and believing at all
hours Of the day and night, within few
blocks II all the theatres IN America, and
vet the exclse-the motive for the locO-is
all contained in Solomon Sharp's expisna-
ton. 1t serves the double purpose of ad-
vertising nv business and enables nie 70 see
tie country" lt would be unjust not to
say % both author and actor that the play
needs wOrk-much work yet The whole
scene in the third act between
/ Mrs. Saunders and Clara, after Saun-
dsrs leaves the stage. should be eiimir ated.
The most clever playwright always fails
10 MAKE a scene between two women inter
esnnx and when ne gives the women moth
ing to talk about except what the audience
have already heard it IS not only ridiculous
out iiresome.
Il would be hardly fair to look too sharply
A. the faults Of the debu,auss. aiurally
here in their old home they we're ner vous.
Le<rand made hrs entrance seated on the
| GOV catcher Of his bea uuful locomotive but
the track was sprung and would not lee ihe
/ engine come down the stage. This
awxEar8 casfafeaps naturally vexsd
! hi m and spoiled BIS eafrec IL is obvious,
ho~ever. tn a. the new comedian does no;
/ catch the fan meaning u Mars,ien's lines
Tor. ss he gives them. many points are lost.
[ Fred Nar~d ems Vitticlsus are nct 50 pam
/ gent that parrof-iise repetition Of them
vii create cscbiaatory explosions among
5grss chester xoers. Even Roland ksed has
e. resort to a vast amount of rmUEginz %
make ,be joses 81 this playwright appreci-
atei ~ Grand should Aisocuf she aTiili, uu
/ gran nlsfical and Taiksr say Fhieb rrecedes
nearly every sentences thss be sdd7esses -
any enc 90 The Stage. and the same il true
~ voa see IN bis songs Le6rsn8 being
more IN bis element. made hit Tae de-
sataals. Etxins AsJasss. NFs IeErand
Psirce bad rtthsra arsffg psrs so play aud
( asa a ssrrrt.in sI4 well Her makeup vas