The record-union., 1891-04-26
music And DRAMA.
Roland Reeds Appearance in
Lend Me Your Wife"
Sacramentans VIII Have a Chance to
See ''The County Fair''-The Return
of Cleveland's Mfnstrels-General
Stage Notes of Interest.

Roland Reed comes to Sacramento and
presents his new play of LEND Me Your
Wife" on Friday night, May lst, on the
following night giving '"The Woman
Halter" The first mentioned play is fit
vehicle for his fun. 1t is perhaps not
strictly speaking a new play, but it is new
in the form in which it is presented
by Reed, although well known in the
French. The San Francisco ALta of the
18th inst. had this to say about the play:
"'Lend Me Your Wife is an adaptation
by the late Dion Boucicault and Sydney
Rosenfeld of familiar French comedy.
It has been Americanized, and the dia-
logue, while it is clever and bright, has
been remodeled so as to eliminate much
that would have been Objectionable in a
literal translation from the original play
While the lines are in no sense 'Frenchy,'
the situations are sufficiently piquant to
suggest its origin; and Mr.. Reed, whose
Samuel Bundy in The Woman Hater is
fresh in the memory of our theater-gOerS,
finds in Captain Abner Tarbox charac-
ter in which he can display his talents
and quaint humor to admirable adVan-
tage. The ludicrous situations and en-
tanglements of the play are due to the
fact that Dick Easily Harry A. SMITH, a
nephew of the bluff old Captain Tarbox
has deceived his uncle by writing to him
that he has complied with his wishes and
taken unto himself wife. The Captain
coming to New York Unexpectedly, Dick
determines to keep up the deception, and
prevails upon his friend Tom Bunt-
ing to lend him his wife for the day, and
then the trouble begins. The Buntings
have young baby, which is about to be
christened. They send Tarbox to the
wrong church, and by the time he re-
turns to the home of the Buntings the
ceremony is over, and he comes in to
find Baby Bunting seated at the head of
the table, while Dick is on his feet max
ing speech, as he offers a toast to the
health and future prosperity Of the Bunt-
'There are two or three good bits of
character acting among them, Alexander
Stirrup, Bessie's father, Benjamin Funni-
bone, the editor OF the kennebunk
Torpedo, and German waiter, Franz,
the latter cleverly played by Max
Fehrmann. Bessie Bunting is cleverly
played by Miss Isadore Rush. pretty
woman, who displays great variety of
handsome gowns that are well adapted
To show off to considerable advantage a
well-molded figure. Hettie Tarbox.
the Captains daughter, is played by Miss
Alice Free in pleasing manner, and the
baby, played by himself, is a great sue
cess. In fact he is the twinkIing little
star of the organization.
1T is not an easy matter to place
Lend Me Your Wife, Its not a comedy,
farce, or a burleSque, but it combines
many of the features of all three, and per-
haps farcical comedy would describe it
as well as any other term. Whatever
one may choose to call it, it is undeniably
funny, and the very large audience that
witnessed its initial performance here
last evening placed the stamp of its ap-
proval on it by liberal applause and call
for Mr.. Reed at the close of the second
act He responded in a neat little speech,
full Of humor, and expressed the senti-
ments Of large proportion of theater-
gOers when he said, we go to the theater
30 forget"
THE COUNTY FAIR.n
This play is one of the very best that
has come to this coast in many a wear,
and it was feared that Sacramento would
not have an opportunity of seeing it ex-
cept by going TO San Francisco. Man
ager Hall has succeeded, however, in
securing the company for one night at
the Metropolitan Theater on the 10th of
May. The best criticism upon this play
we have read appeared in the San Fran
cisco NeCS Letter, and was as follows:
1.-The County Fair at the Baldwin, is a
quiet picture of rural New England life,
hardly to be found nowadays, unless in
out-of-the way hooks and corners as vet
unreached by the artifcialities of modern
life. But 10 any one who has seen the
old-time farmer folk in these Businesses
of past customs and fast vanishing sim
plicity, the pictures and characters are
actual copies. Even Miss Abby's quav-
ering but triumphant treble, as she car
RES the tune of the evening hymn
doubtless regarded by majority of the
audience as a bit of amusing eXaggera-
In
country church choir or at the family
gathering when, the milking over and
the chores done, the tired but not ex-
hausted workers sit down to refresh
themselves with singing to the accompa-
niment of wheezy little organ. 1t is
well for us to have brought before us,
now and again, such picture of the
beauty OF simplicity, honesty and sim
cerity, by contrast with the varnish of
conventionality which overlies our every
day life.
Abigail Price and Otis Tucker are de-
Hghttul portraits, and he is unfortunate
who has never seen the originals. The
quaint LONELINESS of diction and bashful
awkwardness of manner, with the under
current, always apparent, of innate re-
fnement, kindliness and principle, are
presented by Marie Bates and Thomas
McGrath, with quiet naturalness which
makes one lose sight of the fact that it is
OF feeling of disappointment in not see
ing the familiar Widow Bedott of Neil
Burgess modified into the spinster abb
gail, but this wears off under the spell of
Marie Bates excellent acting of the part.
James K. Smith keeps equally close TO
nature as Solon Hammerhead, and the
younger people are satisfactorily person
ated by two pretty young women and
pleasant young men. Cold Molasses is
OF course, not only a star, but cynosure
at that. The husking bee might be lit
tie more natural if a little more husl<ing
were done, but Margaret Mays light and
nlmoIe feet dance SO airily amid the
huskers who do not husk, that objection
is forgotten. If one come to The County
Fair with the spirit he takes to French
sensational drama of intrigue, jealousy
and fractured commandments, he may
find it Slow no doubt, with the excep-
ton of the loudly heralded horse race,
which is exciting enough. The mechani-
cal illusion of the three horses running at
fuu speed, neck and neck, is marvel of
elect, and the enthusiastic shouts of the
audience fit in appropriately with the
spirit OF the scene and seem part of the
Stage production. The County Fair is a
play that will gain on the public by repe-
tition.p
CLEvELAND's BfINsTRELs.
The announcement that w. s. Cleve-
lana consolidated MinStrels will play a
return date at the Metropolitan Theater
has occasloned most pleasurable anticipa-
tions among local admirers of Billy EN-
erson, many of whom were prevented
seeing the company when it appeared
here month ago, because of the rush at
the boX-offiee on the date of that appear
ance. The show made such an emphatic
hit on that occasion that Manager Hall
was not slow III arranging for the return
engagement, and the worlds greatest
minstrel organization will ACCORDINGLY he
here next "Wednesday eveninn An,ii