Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-11-12
AT THE THEATERS.
Hoyt's New Comedy = Siberia and Other |
Plays and Players.

doyt8 new Comedy - Siberia ana OtneF
Plays and PInyera.
The performance of "a Midnight Bell' at the
Grand Opera House last night does not prove
that Mr.. Charles A Hoyt cannot write comedy,
but simply that he has not written one yet "a
Midnight Belp' might be, with vigorous compari-
son and cutting, converted into capital farce
comedy of the kind Mr.. Hoyt has made US
familiar with in "a Parlor Match" "a Rag
Baby" "a Tin Soldier" and "a Hole in
the Ground" Or it might with still smaller
difficulty be elaborated into q melodrama OF
the realistic order, with real snow, real sleds,
real New England hayseed, and . villain with
elegant clothes and aravishing bang. We can
not see where tank could be proftably In
stalled in such melodrama but tanks are on
the'wane-one burst the other day through leal-
ousy OF the calciums, it is said-and MI. Hoyt
should think seriously of making "a Midnight
Belr' 3 blood and thunder play.
And as we have already said though "a Mid
night BelP' is sorry shift for a comedy, there
are bits Of d,sin Character sketchng in 1t and
cautious-show that Mr.. Hoyt can write
comedy, Legitimate comedy yet. We hope
he will try, but If he cannot give us anything
better than "a Midnight Bell" he should fall
back upon his successful line Of farce
comedies.
Perhaps if "a Midnight Belp' were better
acted it would not not be 50 disappointing The The
Joshua Whttcon1b-is clever and Mr.. George
Richards gives a very natural picture of
Down-East deacon, when he does not fall into
burlesque, which happens not seldom. The
school teacher is we'll drawn also, and seems
sweet and loveable enough in the personality OF
Miss Fannie Mcintyre. The quiet humcr OF
Mr.. Frank Lane made the city lawyer interest
ing. and Miss Mande Adams gave good deal
of sprlghtliness to the minister's sister.
The proposal Of the lawyer for this
girls hand was by far the best piece-al-
most the only one-of pure comedy in the play
It was very. light and graceful Eugene Can
held, indefatgable as ever, brought all his
powers of squirting and grimacing to his de-
1ineation of a schoolboy, and he succeeded in
tickling the audience with rough fooling, but
he never came near nature in the part How
should he? Cantield is born burlesquer. In
the cast are many others who need not be men
toned, unless it be tiny child, who showed
her great schooling and natural cuteness in the
school scene.
If "a Midnight Bell' had been labeled
farce we should have felt constrained to praise
the realistic coasting side the trick root and
the scenic effects of the Hoytian order, but
they are sadly out of place in a comedy. The
scenery is not gorgeous but it attempts to
represent unusual scenes, such as the organ
loft of church, with only passable success.
Some people have taken the trouble to compare
"a Midnight Belr' with "The Old Homestead"
this is simply useless and unfair besides.
The only point Of similarity is the locality OF
both plays, New England. By the way, we can
have too much of New England deacons and
their surroundings-they are all right In small
lots, but there is local color in the United
States outside of Massachusetts,, Vermont and
New Hampshire.