The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-12-11
It Harrigau's. Ho is short and agile, with

at darrlgan's- Ho Is short and agile, with
boyish, innocent face and the voice Of the
true urchin of the street. Mrs Yeamans
Is in her old place as Cordelia, and johnny
Wild-of the mournful eyes and the asth-
matte voice-again portrays the woes of
that irresistible negro Simpson Primrose
For all its years of diSuse 'The Mullignn
Guards Ball" has gathered no muStness.
HarrlSnu'S pen has touched IT up in mo-
mcntS where il Nigh, otherwise have de-
noted aSr. and with the familiar songs of
Braham to complete the old charm the re-
rival may be said to have been brilliantly
successful. 1t is designed to follow it in
due course with other earlier plays from
Harrigan's pen.
The new Manhattan opera house is this
week devoted to comic opera. 1.-The Isle of
Champagne" II fiippant rather than witty
affair, but dressed deliberately, framed in
handsome scenery and distinctly aided by
the presence ut the head of it's cast of
Thomas q. Seabrooke. This young come
dian has had wide and varied experience,
but seems ut last to have found his true
sphere
The music of the opera is by Gnstave a.
kcrker, and the libretto is the Joint work
of Charles Alfred Byrne and Louis Harri-
son. The motif, it must be confessed, is
quaint and novel, relating rs it does to
have never drunk anything save cham
pagne. An accident brings some water
literally into their midst" and then there
is topsy turvy state of affairs just about
whimsical enough for n modern opcra
lbretto. Mr.. Byrne's pen has often been
used in work of this sort, and there is no
trace of uncertainty in the text of 1.-THE
Isle" Mr. Harrison has doubtless sup
piled most of the puns and slang express
sions which are noted. Seabrookc's per
formance undeniably suggests that De
Wolf Hopper has been his model, but he
is far more agile and less laborious in his
comicality, and he is IL decidedly pleasing
singer withul
The company is uncommonly numerous,
though it has no prima donna like Lillian
Russell and no soubrette like dainty Della
Fox. Mr.. Seabrooke, it is quite plain, does
not desire that any other than he shall
dominate the opera. He is to hold the
Manhattan's stage ut least six weeks.
There has been much talk of season of
grand opera ut the new theater to open
late i'll January, but the truth seems to be
that all the contracts made TO that end are
SO elastic that if The Isle of Champagne"
is liked well enough it will stay until
spring. This business of arranging long
runs, by the way, requires the foresight of
seer and the skill of n trained diplomat.
The Biiou, the Lyccum and the -Four
teenth Street contribute to our new theat-
rical matter this week. The Lyceum in
particular has come forward Interestingly
as the scene of the first performance on
any stage of Il Sardou comedy, "Americans
Abroad" 1t is n pretty eloquent tribute
to the energy and during of our managers
to lind that even Sardou'S pen is not he
You'd the bidding of American capital The
ii 4
for the Iyccum. and it is acted with adj
mirabe skill and care by Daniel Froh-
mans stock company. Georgia Cayvan
and Herbert Kelley are in the leading
roles. as usual. The story is international
III scene, and the love element is prominent
The Bijou's novelty is "A Society Fad"
which aims to satirize certain social fol-
bles, such as the genealogical tree the i'm
pecunious lord the private detective, the
parvenue. the valet, etc. To say that this
is conventional farce comedy" with its
usual adjuncts of skirt dancing topical
songs, and contemporaneous slang, is to
describe it sufficiently. The affair is no
worse than most of its predecessors. 1t is
merrily acted. however, by the Russell
company, which lately gave expression to
that strange piece called THE City Di
rectory." Amelia Glover, the dancer is
far the most pleasing and graceful mem
Der of the troupe
The Fourteenth Street has really eff
fective sensational play in The Ensign"
by William Haworth, once an actor, but
now fertile and hopeful playwright
This drama deals with the capture of
Mason and Slidell on the high seas, and is
distinctly patriotic and stirring with it's
pictures OF naval interest. One view, that
of II man -of-war. is notably accurate. Mr..
rG ut ha Stnr ir nj I,I,,
this week. 1t is a pleasure to record that
he has won signal success, and that his
audiences are large and enthusiastic He
is ably assisted by his leading lady, our
own Marie Burroughs.
j. AUSTIN FYNES