Los Angeles herald., 1891-02-16
THE BUSEINED STAGE
How the Mirror Is Held Up
to Nature.
Points on Plays and Players
From Many Lands.
What VIII Be Done at the Local
Playhouses This Week.
Annie Abbott's lllness-The Clemenceau
Case-The Sea King-Coming Events
Casting Their Shadows Before Them.

Case-The Sea King-Coming Events
Casting Their Shadows Before Them.
The sudden illness of Annie Abbott at
San Jose, preventing her coming here to
open last night. gave the clever Steens
an opportunity to amuse the people once
more. Such phenomenal work in the
line Of jugglery has never been seen
here before, and will not be soon again.
During the week that much discussed
play, The Clemenceau Case. will be seen
at the Los Angeles. So much has been
said of this play as presented by this
company, with Sybil Johnston as liza,
that few readers of the papers need in
struction as to what it is. Opinions as
well as tastes differ ,and the fact that there
may be broad features in the piece has
not interfered with its success. Ella
Wheeler Wilcox, the poetess, enjoys the
reputation Of being remarkably moral
woman. In an article in the New York
World some time ago, this clever woman
gives her views of the Clemenceau Case.
as compared with DR.. Bill from the
point of morality, and she is of the
opinion that DR.. Bill is the most objec-
ti0nable, yet this play passes muster in
circles where the other is tabooed. But
this is the age that finds offense in
Shakespeare's Falstaff, yet enjoys
Byron's Don Juan. Here is a part of
Mrs. Wilcox's views:
The young man who goes to see
woman clothed only in flesh-colored
tights, expecting to be shocked, is less
in danger of contamination than the
one who goes to see DR.. Bill, and is ex-
pected to laugh over the disgraceful
conduct OF young bridegroom with
servant girls and dancers of doubtful
reputation. Yet on every hand / hear
The Ciemenceau Case condemned as
.'awful'' and DR.. Bill lauded as ''de-
lightful." Had the choice, would
send young brother to see the former
far sooner than the latter. There are
many books read in the choicest family
circles which would suppress; books
wherein the readers sympathy involun-
tarily goes with the unhappily married
man or woman who finds his or her
"afinity" after marriage with another.
And would place The Kreutzer Sonata
in the hands of every youth in the
world and bid him read it carefully and
find the great solemn lesson contained
in its morbid pages. Yet this book,
with its high moral purpose, has shocked
Mr.. Wanamaker and Mr.. Comstock,
while more vicious matter Sits through
their hands unnoticed and drips like
slow poison into young minds.
Richard Stahi's latest romantic opera
cOmique, The Sea King, which will
hovyo 70 a ROT vroIuok;o,, T,,oeJc,, Eol,
ruary oath, at the Grand opera house,
by the William J.. Gilmore opera COM
pany, has proved both an artlstic and
popular success. Mr.. Stahl will be
pleasantly remembered as the composer
of the opera Said Pasha, work which
was greatly admired and warmly prais-
ed. The Sea King is however a much
superior work. It not only possesses
greater melodic charm, but is Justly en-
titled to a higher rank as musical COM
position, the ensemble being more skill
fully worked out. The story of the
opera, which is entirely original with
Mr.. Stahl, has afforded a theme espec-
tally suited to his genius, which finds
its highest inspiration and attains it's
greatest possibilities in the realms of ro-
nance.
A Barrel OF Money, comedy drama,
referred to in complimentary terms by
our exchanges, will be the attraction at
the Los Angeles theater for four nights,
beginning next Sunday. 1t is a combin-
alton of musical, farce and natural COM
edy, melodrama and tinge of seusa-
tionalism, a combination said to be hap
PLY blended and constructed to please
all classes OF theatre goers. In the third
act the engine rooms of large iron mills
are shown. for which there will be new
scenery and effects. The cast will con-
tain good people. Among them are
Oracle Emmett, Belle Byrne, Grace Car
rington, Will III. Kohnle, Lloyd Neal,
Ralph Dorman and AL H. Bailey. The
productions are under the management
of f. d. Stair.
Miss Olof Krarer, the Esquimaux
lady, delivers her brilliant descriptive
lecture next Wednesday night, February
18th, at the Simpson auditorium. Miss
Krarer is the most wonderful curiosity
known to the platform. She is only
forty inches in height, 81 years of age,
and weighs 120 pounds. She has de-
livered over three hundred lectures in
the last two seasons, often repeating as
high as six times in single place.
Miss Krarer was born and lived in her
native country, Greenland, until Is
years of age, when she left home with
party of shipwrecked sailors, and after
travelling one thousand miles over frozen
seas at last reached Iceland. She re-
mained in Iceland about ten years, when
she lett there with her father and finally
reached Manitoba.
The story of her life. as she tells it, is |
more thrilling than any fairy tale. She
holds her audience as if spell-bound |
from first to last. During portion of |
the evening she will dress in her native |
costume, and at the close of the lecture
she will answer any questions that mem
bers of the audience choose to ask. Miss
Krarer comes as revelation, walking
wonder and the greatest curiosity of the
nineteenth century.
A Mile Minute, a sensational melo-
drama by Charles Coote and Charles
Klein, was given its first production in
this country last Monday night at the
Peoples theater, New York. The new
play is in five acts, with the scenes laid
in and around London. Managers HI.
Taylor and Harry Williams promise an
elaborate production.
A new play, an amusing musical bur-
lesque by Thomas Addison, called
Grimes's Cellar Door, is amusing New
81 l,