Los Angeles herald., 1891-07-12

regnum OF the theatrlcal seasons, Klnd
of tropical doldrum, during which the
russell sails flop against the mast in
sweltering sun, while the mariner seeks
any shadow available for rest, and the
good ship rocks lazily on emerald tinted
pillows. There is scarcely a break of
news from any quarter, and none will
come until the creakIng and banging
that belongs to our national celebration
OF independence has fixed and gone.
Dear old Broadway is empty of profess
sionals, the theatrical exchanges are no
longer crowded, and even the pool
rooms, where actors congregate, are de-
serted. The only hustlers about town
are the litho. and printing agents, and
from what they say every town, village
and hamlet throughout the country will
next season be pasted with more artistic
and twice as gorgeous wall paper as has
ever before been slapped on wall or
fence. Mansfield promises to keep the
Garden theater open during the en-
tire summer and has withdrawn Don
Juan. which could not be boosted
into success, for the plays he
produced last season, and the bill will
be changed two or three times week.
During the last week it is doubtful if
Don Juan drew more than $50 each
night. Wang, Apollo and The Tar and
the Tartar are doing good services for
their respective theaters, and their man
ayers have joyfully commemorated their
fftieth performances this week by SOU
venirs. Apollo has never been success,
and would have been bounced from any
other house but the Casino, with it's
roof garden and steady patronage. De
Wolf Harper is not the bufoon in Wang
that he usually makes of himself, and
Della Fox is really the star that draws,
but nothing near the phenomenal"
business the management unblushingly
advertises. Their souvenir pas minia-
ture banjo with a tiny thermometer
running up the handle. The Tar and
the Tartar is the only comic opera, and,
on the whole, the best of the three sum-
mer snaps, all doing we'll enough to keep
their doors OPEN" --.,
COLONEL AYERS ON SHAKESPEARE.
A correspondent OF the Times, in the
issue OF that paper of the 7th inst,
makes the following discriminating
criticisms OF one of the lectures of the
anonymous course:
Among the notable entertainments of
a dramatic nature in this city last week
was the lecture delive red by Colonel
James J. Ayers, of the HERALD, at I'm
manuel church on Wednesday evening,
the 24th ult. The great pressure of
prevented the publication OF such COM
ment as the nature of the occasi on de-
served.
Tha t<,1A 10 bav n,
with Shakespeare and His Contempora-
it would be handled with the deftness
that only deep student Of the Bard Of
Avon is master of, but the selections OF
the great masters dramas which were
rendered came to the fine and intelligent
audience as something of revelation,
for it was not generally known that
Colonel Ayers is capable of reading
Shakespeare with all the dramatic fire
and action of a professional.
His rendering of the scene between
Hamlet and his mother was given with
rare grace and feeling, and the sum-
mons to surrender in Henry V. would
have done credit to any actor on the
stage. But, most pleasing of all was
the colonels reading of the soliloquy
and dagger scene from Macbeth. 1t was
most excellently done and the comment
was current among the listeners that
the lecturer had a buried talent and
would certainly have made his mark in
a calling other than journalism.
Outside of the reading the subject was
treated in scholarly and intelligent
manner, and while the contemporaries
of Shakespeare were noted and COM
mented upon, the especial feature OF the
lecture was the orators reference to the
master poet, and the comparative place
he held among the writer's of his time as
well as their appreciation Of his genius.
The colonel's peroration was a most
pleasing and beautiful reference to the
immortal bard's lasting place in the
worlds literature. M.
THE LIMITED MAIL
Managers McLain & Lehman an
nounce the engagement of the Limited
Mail, beginning next Thursday. The
play is called realistic comedy-drama, co
and is said to abound with very effec-
tive mechanical effects. The story OF
the play is as follows:
Fifteen years before the opening scene,
an express train is wrecked at Redwood.
A little girl baby is discovered in the
wreck by the station agent, who is i'm
plicated in the affair, and adopts the
child. The first act introduces the waif,
now almost grown to womanhood, who
assists her adopted father in his station
duties, and is known as ''The sweet
manipulation of the wires." Charlie
Morton, the conductor of The Limited
Mail, is her lover, and
wealthy mine owner named John
Giddings is the conductors rival. During
quarrel between the suitors. Morton
is struck by Hawkins, one of Giddings'
tools. From the effects of this blow the
conductor is stricken with brain fever,
at distant point on the road, and Gid
dings, who has the old station agent in
his power, takes advantage of his rivals
absence to press his suit vigorously.
Nellie, rendered desperate by his perse-
cution, DISCUSSES herself in Jim, the
messenger boys clothes, and escapes by
leaping aboard the vestibule car on The
Limited Mail, the train crossing the
stage at good rate Of speed The next
act, several weeks later, discovers Nell,
still in disguise, employed as night op-
orator at Floodwood Cut, station in
the mountains. Giddings comes here
with his ally, Hawkins, for the pur-
pose of wrecking and robbing The
Limited Mail. Jim. the station
agents little nephew, and O'Reagan,
the Irish section boss, while passing
through Floodwood Cut and tunnel that
night on handcar, strike the obstruc-