Los Angeles herald., 1891-10-25
PLAYS AND PLAYERS.

but even that is not billed to appear
before next week.
The shabby canceling of the Sinbad
date is very aggravating. The affair is
doing an immense business in San Fran
cisco, which is probably the reason why
the stage of our Grand opera house was
suddenly found to be too small for the
scenery. If the first syllable of the
name of the spectacle was spelled with
a sd" and an "a' and an "m'' and
ann" the word would suit the situation.
#*~
1t is said that the Owls have dropped
Mrs. Winthrop and sunk into desuetude
The reason assigned is the want of an
"old woman" That is or should be
easily supplied. The best, 'old
women" on the stage are often
very nice young women in real
life, It is OF course hard to find
ANYTHING but the lead or the soubrette,
but if some of the many stage-struck
damsels of the city would take the old
woman role in Young Mrs. Winthrop,
and play it we'll they would deserve,
and would get, higher praise than the
statuesque leading lady or the pet SOU
brette. Manager Lehman would re-
ceive such an applicant with open arms
in fgurative sense of course.
#*x
There are number of theater goers
who will enjoy seeing Mrs. Langtry on
the stage again. She has made a sad
fizzle of her life socially, and she is not,
| oil fhok oot111 ha AooiraI
but she plays one part always to perfec-
ton, that Of a gentlewoman. She walks
and carries herself, and endows every
motion with the qualities peculiar to
the dancing room, and which
not more than two or three
other actresses can we'll duplicate.
There is also about Mrs. Langtry the at
traction which all good sized, we'll pro-
portioned, we'll groomed, healthy women
possess on the stage. 1t is this quality
of size and vigorous physical condition
which has made the demand for tall,
big-legged girls in chorus and ballet OF
/ late. The Levy sisters are striking eX
ample. Mrs. Langtry, to be sure, is not
remarkably tall, but she is ample in all
her bodily points, and looks healthy and
scrubbed and exercised. These quail
ties nowadays atone for many artistic
/ deficiencies.
The writer on dramatic matters for
the Spirit of the Times has the follow
/ ing to say of Madame Bernhardt's new
/ play:
| Giuseppi Giacosa, who has written
new tragedy, called La Dame de Chal-
liant, for Bernhardt, has arrived here to
superintend it's production. The Herald
gives the plot of the tragedy, which is
the old, old story. Act first: Bern
! hardt persuades her second lover to kill
the first. Act second: Bernhardt per-
suades her first lover to kill the second.
Act third: Bernhardt wins third
| lover, who promises to kill the other
two. Act fourth: Bernhardt declares
that she has killed No. l in order to
protect No. 8. Act fifth: Bernhardt
dies, as usual.
The Florence-Jeferson company is
playing The Rivals at the Garden
| theater, New York. Mr.. Jefferson, of
course, is Bob Acres. Mr.. Stephen
Fiske, the able writer alluded to in the
above paragraph, scores Mr.. Jefferson
for rewriting the play to suit his own
requirements. OF the performance Mr..
Fiske says: The general cast of The
Rivals at the Garden theater, could
hardly be improved. W. J. Florence,
looking younger than ever, is the Sir
Lucius: ". F. Owen, the Sir Anthony; +;
handsome Jack Barnes, the Captain
Absolute; Mrs. John Drew, the Mrs.
Malaprop; Viola Allen, the Lydia-all
capable, all experienced, all familiar
with the traditions of grand English
comedy. But, although Mr.. Jefferson
puts his name first on the posters and
in the cast, the star of the performance,
next to Florence, is Mrs. John Drew,
who improves with advancing years,
instead of deteriorating, and, having
always been perfection, now gilds the
refined gold of her Mrs. Malaprop. She
is repaid for this as Mr.. Jefferson used to
pay Mrs. Ellington, who was too strong
for him as the shrewish wife of Rip Van
Winkle, when he played it in England.
Elegantly costumed and carefully
placed upon the stage, The Rivals
would be worthy OF the Comedie Fran
caise if it were acted in its integrity and
Mr.. Jefferson's part subordinated, as the
author intended. Everybody honors
such old actors as Florence and Mrs.
Drew, who maintain the artistic excel
lencies of the past in the face of our fin
de steele audiences. But it is not hon.
| OFdDl6 W Try 10 buTH Dn6TlQdQ'S 8 comedy
into modern farciality by making Bob
Acres Nat Goodwin, Dixey, De Wolf
Hopper, Evans and Hoey, Barry and
Fay character, and to engage company
of genuine actors to cover up the decep-
tion and extenuate the transformation,
SO as to catch the dollars of the lovers of
the legitimate. AS old John Gilbert
suggested, Sheridan ought not to be
twenty miles away from the performance
of The Rivals.
x*x
Henry James's play, The American,
has proved fiat failure at the Opera
Comique in London. Mr.. James should
not have selected subject about which
he knows so little. Mr.. Howells will no
doubt write a statement showing that
the failure was due to the density of a
public which persists in reading Dick
ems, Scott and Thackery.
DRAMATIC NEWS NOTES.
Mr.. Thall is now acting as the treas
urer of the A Parlor Match company.
Charles H. Day has been engaged by
Lederer to manage next seasons tour
of Incog.
Sam Mott, the well.known manager
and agent from San Francisco, arrived
in town last Sunday, his first visit in
five vpara