St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-08-24


The Mabel Snow Spectacular Burlesque com
pany produces for the first time in this city
the Partisan sensation adam and Eve"
IL
Hoyt's Midnight Bell'' was well tempered
to the spirit that imbued the large audience
that witnessed its initial production at the
Grand last night. 1t is comedy largely of
the order of the other Hoyt plays, with which
the public is more familiar. There is a vein
of humor running through it that catches
the audience and holds their sympathy-but
it is more the humor of situations than the
humor of the dialogue. Now and then the
lines sparkle with originality and wittcsms,
but it is a severe task to put upon the play
wright to avoid stale jokes. But the situa-
tons are excruciatingly funny. and the COM
pany is pleasingly artistic and painstaking.
Unlike most comedies it is in four acts, and
for this reason the author of 1t claims for it
the dignity of Legitimate" because, for
sOoth as he puts il, q farce-cOmedy is always
confined to three acts. The denouement is
electrical. and so sudden and unexpected in
one particular climax that it leads the the
audience on in breathless expectancy for a
like surprise, but, it must be frankly con-
1essed, that climax is not again reached.
The scene when Ned Olcott confesses to the
the crime that his uncle has been charged
with is the point in view Ned is the teller
in the bank, and his uncle, Squire Olcott, the
president. Stephen Larabee, the cashier,
charges the president with the robbery.
There is but one known key to the safe,
and that was i'll the possession of
the president the night of the robbery When
the arrest is made Ned, filled with the graft
tude that his uncle's intercession in des-
perate love affair had melted, suddenly
springs to the front, and, tearing up the war
rant proclaims himself the real robber. The
scene is such complete surprise and so novel
that the auditors applaud with a spontane-
GUS burst of enthusiasm. Of course, the
cashier is the real culp rit. and the plot is I'M
rayeled little by little, leading up to the full
revelation, and everything ends in sweet bliss
and three happy betrothaIs George Rich
ards as Lemuel Tidd, deacon, selectman,
sheriff and general town functionary, de-
picts the quaint Yankee with realistic tact,
and divides the honors with Martin Trip
the country boy who is always in mischief,
Miss Ethelin Friend, the Dot Bradbury of
the play is chic and pert, and the author
illustrates her lines with the brightest wit of
the comedy. and the company, as whole,
has unusual merit. "A Midnight Bell'' is a
success artistically is the public verdict
Is
Our familiar friend, 'Ole Olson support
ed by a most capable company, made his
bow before a large audience at the Metro
politan opera house last evening. The plot
OF the comedy is not very deep, but serves as
groundwork for the scenes in which the
raw Scandinavian immigrant passes through
many amusing situations Ben Hendricks as
the amusing Ole, who has ben en- dees
kontry Won yare fem mont and sex wake, u
kept the house in one continual roar of
laughter and proved himself to be a clever
dialect comedian. Petite and pretty Alice
Evans, who will be remembered for her
| excellent work last season as Baggage,
| i'll HoYt's "a Brass Monkey, bewitched the
! audience by her pert manner sweet singing
and dainty dancing. Miss St. George Hussey
is the most amusing and volatile Irish char
acter actress who has ever appeared in st.
! Paul, and the gallery occupants simply
! yelled themselves hoarse in redemanding
her singing of Irish topical songs Louise
Halbee, as the prosecuted heroine of the
play, is painstaKing actress who will be
seen in the future to greater advantage than
the limited opportunities she had last
evening Adequate support was rendered
by the rest of the cast, and the sweet sing
ing of the National Swedish quartette, com
posed OF Fraueins Marie Sohlberg, Hedwig
| Lidstram, Jennie Moreins and Amanda
Petersen, formed one of the features of the
evenings entertainment. Those who desire
to spend pleasant evening and laugh heart
ily should certainly see the amusing comedy
at the Metropolitan.