Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-10
IN THE COMIC MASK.
J. K. Emmett, Jr., Appears in His
Fathers Role of Fritz.
THE BoSTONIANS IN ROBIN HOOD.
Billy Barry in McKenna's Filtration, and
the White Slave Again Here.
ALL THE PLAYS IN TOwN-CRITICISED

Fritz Emmet's personality was the be-
ginning and the end of his success. He
could not sing better than lots of men
who failed to please the public; he danced
well, but in vague way of his own, and
his acting touched no heights, sounded no
depths, but he charmed his public as no
other actor in his generation could or
did. How did he do it? Some
body, q wise somebody, detected En-
NETS power of enchantment in his smile,
and it is the truth that old Fritz could melt
a milestone with his smile. But when you
get down to the bottom of it all you
will have to sum up your doubts and your
discernment in the decision that Emmets
power lay in his personality.
Now young Fritz, j. K Emmet, Jr., the
only son of the dead actor, comes along in
one of his fathers plays, in the yellow curis
and smiling face of Fritz and he asks to be
Judged on his own merits. The young man
modestly deprecates comparison with his
father; but the comparison inevitably will
be made. He cannot expect anything else.
In his fathers well-known creation, the
simple y-dispositioned peasant lad from
the Faderland, he courts comparison every
time he skips across the stage, every time
he sings, every time he remps with
the children, every time he smiles. There
is nothing unworthy in this undertaking,
though it is audaeious and from the greet
ing he got from an immense audience last
night at the Grand Opera House, it would
seem that good many people are ready to
receive him for his own or his fathers sake.
He does not possess his fathers personality;
the magnetic charm which was SO puzziing to
define in the departed actor we cannot find
in the son. Without carrying the compari-
son into detail, the young Fritz is not and
is never likely to be his fathers successor.
Probably Fritz as the elder Emmet was 20
years ago is gone for ever.
Young Mr.. Emmet is a young man
of we suppose % or so; slender. shapely
fellow, with very fine eyes and teeth, dark
hair, which you don't see in Fritz, and
pleasant, bright face. He moves about the
stage and dances with all his fathers grace,
and when his face is in repose that resem-
bles his fathers also somewhat. Last night
he appeared to be hoarse, and that may in
part account for his poor singing. He sang
the famous lullaby, the cuckoo song and
other Fritz ditties with nice expression but
no voice. OF course, his yodeling was de-
fective from like reason.
The play was Fritz in Ireland, The
haps not the worst. 1t is a stupid affair,
with tame clap-trappy excrescence in the
shape Of prologue. But one feels kind
of affection for it because it was the frame
of the original Fritz, and those sweet little
songs for children and of love blossomed
first in its innocent atmosphere. Mr.. EN-
met has sunk a very fair company Of actors
in the play, but there is small chance for
them to show themselves. A little
tot of 4 years, Baby Spencer, was
most congenially placed, and her acting
was really wonderful The audience fell
in love with her at once, and when she
sang little song unaccompanied in Act II
the applause was deafening. Miss Lvtton
made a comparatively small character
stand out, and her acting was as good as her
brogue which, by the way, did not fit SO
well upon the tongues of the alleged Irish |
men. Charles NJ Mcdonald, Mr. Utter |
and Miss Helen Sedgewick made all that |
was to be made of the characters entrusted
to them. 1t is one part play. The singing
of the Either Quartet was only fair, but a
boy named Charles Halvilsen sang two
ballads with much sweetness of expression,
and they were encored.
The play is staged better than it ever has
been before, and the views of Seaton Castle
on the Lakes of Killarney, both inside and
out, were very pretty indeed. The whole
production is'frst-class As to young Mr.
Emmett it may be said in conclusion that
he is promising young actor, but not with
a comedians bent. In straight" role he
would probably be seen to better advantage.
The audience gave him very hearty recep-
ticn last night, encoring most of his songs
and generally approving his work with ap-
plause. The general verdict of the lobby
between the acts was that young Emmet
was better than most people had expected.