Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-03-13
THE LENTEN STAGE.
a GLIMPSE or coTHAIaIc GASES
FROM THE RICHMOND SAHARA.
what Richmond People VIII See and What
They wont Sec This weeh-6oss'p
About Travellers TO Mecca ofThsspis.

Perhaps this city is not ne dullest place
OF its size in America just now, but u IL. at
least, sufficiently so. The recent incoming
OF the Lenten season has given TINS DITCH
snd.mortar village by the falls Puritani-
cal quietude that Is appalling 10 DONE
mians like We writer. who love the ner['-
ment Of the fiddle and the physical AN'
prt there are others besides Bohemians
and genteel providers Of the night who ieei
This ouietness very :keenly. preSulnv
that the large number of people who don't
know a bad thing when they see u COIN
monty called the theatre-going pubhc
wish that Lent would take oack seas stu
not fill mo the orchestra-chairs. so 70 speak.
perhaps MIR. Thomas Leath and Mr.. James
Branch. of the Theatre. and Mr.. Cahili, OF
the Academy. also wish that Lent was past
and gone. Perhaps the helmeted guardians
of the city's peace, who patronize tnesths-
aires so literally, JOIN IN the general WISH
for the passing Of Lent. and consequent
increase OF theatrical attractions.
TEE BURGLAR.
The only attraction for this week ia, for
tunately. q good one. 1t is Gus Ihomass
weli-known play The Burglar" wnlcn
will be produced at the Theatre next ffl-
day and Saturday nights.
several occasions, and the story is familiar
10 ali of us. Still, 1t is an old friend, ana
n good one. and will doubtless attract
many people to the Theatre. The plot has
ali of the sweetness that cbaracterizes Gus
Thomass dramatic work, and there are
many pathetic scenes. Take 1t all IN all, IL
is charming play.
The production will be gwen by stroh.
COMPANY. headed by Mr.. A. 5. Lipman,
the forcible and clever actor, who has been
identified with the role of Bill Lewis. the
burglar, for several seasons past.
NEw YORK Is I'm IT,"
Now il we were only promepading
Broad&ay, with Madison SQUARE on the
rieht and the Fifth-Ayenue Hotel on the
left. and a copy Of Pulitzer's paper IN our
hands. what a programme we might ar
range for the week We would have the
following attractions to select from
Francis Wilson in the Lion Tanner at
the Broadway, Uncle Celestin" at the
Casino, Vaudeville at Tony Pastors, p mr.;
and Mrs. Kendall at Palmer's. Blue
,Jeansn at the Fourteenth-Street Thea
tire: "Incog" at the Rijou Theatre. Dr;
Bill" at the Windsor Theatre, Tuxedo
at the Park Theatre. Merry Gotham" az
the Lyceum Theatre, J. X. Emmett at the
Standard Theatre, W. II. Crane at the star
Theatre; "Gloriana" at Hermann'o Inc
atre, 1.-The Country Circus" at the Acad-
emy. "The Pitou Stock Company at the
Union Square Theatre, Nat Goodwin at
the Grand Opera. House, A tripto China
town. at the Madison Square. =" The Eng.
lish Rose" at Proctor's, The Forester"
at Daly's Theatre. Richard Mansfield at
the Garden Theatre.
| don't know what the rest of you would
do, but for my part should take IN The
Lion Tanner" or perhaps irp 10
Chinatown" These are attractions that
one can follow without any exertlon
beyond the slight muscular movement
caused by the insertion of hand into q
trousers pocket and the extraction OF
dollar-and-a halt therefrom.
NED ALFRIESDs SUCCESS.
Genial, iovial Ned Alfriend has made
hit In New York. His plays are III demand.
and his name occasionally strays into the
nevspapers-and what more does play
wright WANT He IS now closely allied
with Augustus Pitou. the well,known
manager, and is collaborating with that
gentleman in the production of new war
drama called Across the Potomac" This
play will be produced next season by one
of Mr.. PitOu's fine stock companies, and
number of realistic and startling effects
are promised.
William II. Crane has put in rehearsal
new play written expressly for him by Paul
Potter, formerly dramatic critic of the
Herald. 1t is called the American Minis
ter" Mr.. Crane Is to play the part OF an
American Minister In Rome.
1t is said that j. NJ. Hill offered Marie
Tempest $500 per week to head the cast of
Smith a DeKoven's new comic opera,
which is to be produced at the Union
Square Theatre this spring. The offer was
declined. Miss Tempest wants 5000 for
every week that she sings. 1t Is evident
from this statement that Miss Tempest
made rough guess of the supposed value
of the earth.
SOMETHING ARTISTIC.
The artistic treat in New York this
month was j. II. Stoddart's temperance
as the old copyist in One Touch of Ma
ture" at the Sorossis Philanthropic Com
mittee's benefit.
The piece is old-fashioned: the dialogue
artificial the humor strained. But the
one great opportunity afforded for fine act
ing in the part OF the old man who reveals
himself to the daughter he has found by
a scene within scene, as it is grasped by
Mr.. Stoddart, makes one forget and for
give the antique defects OF the play.
That Characterization. crowned by that
magnificent exhibition of pathetic JOY,
brief as it is, is a liberal education in act
ing, and proves once more that young
hearts can learn much from old heads
particularly when they have as much in
them as there is in MIR. Stoddarts.
-MAscoTIc KNIFE.
The knife with which Signor Valero at
tempted to kill his rival In GARNER" last
Friday night, a week ago, once got him
into trouble in Seville. Valero bought
the knife from Spanish smuggler, who
was being carried of TO Jail by the Gus
toms officers. 1t is a ferce-looking
weapon. with an omlnous creak IN opening;
In Carmen, as in "Cavalleria Rusticana."
the little tenor acts with great vehemence of
power and Castillan fire. While singing
the part of Jose once in Seville he drew
out his knife. whipped it open. and made
such ferocious rush at his rival in Car
mems affections that the projects wife.
who occupied the stage box, tainted in
horror al what she believed an actual muir
der, whereupon the project called gen.
darme and sent him to the tenor's dressing
room with instruction to seize the weapon
as an instrument entirely too real for
stage purposes. Valero refused to sur
render the knife, which he considers his
mascot. He was thereupon arrested and
brought before the project. and 1t was
only on his proving that the edge and
point of the murderous- looking blade had
been ground perfectly blunt that he was
allowed to retain the smuggler's weapon
and use it In his subsequent performances.
THE NEW DANCE.
The popularity of Uncle Celestin" re-
mains as firm as in TIE beginning of its run
al the Casino in New York. The Lenten
season seems to possess no terrors for this
clever vaudeville. The houses continue
to be crowded. and laughter reigns SUI
preme. During the long run of this at.
traction in PARIS a series of novel
entertainments were instituted on the
occasion of the twenty fifth. fftieth
and seventy-ffth performances. The
lights, programmes. and favors were all OF
one color, and the interior decorations OF
the boxes and foyers were made to CORE
spond. Rudolph Aronson proposes to
adopt the idea here and make the CelestiI
gala nights somewhat different from those
in the past. The new serpentne dancer
has suddenly become the rage, and hel
part of the entertainment commands at
tention from the audience.
Minnie Renwood has had one of those
golden opportunities which sometime;
come to the patient waiter. Loie Fnller's
insistence on doubling of her salary in
Uncle Celestin" left Manager Rudolph
Aronson only one alternative. so h,
tells us. and that was TO allow tht
confdante of Lawyer Hayes to go hel
way. Miss Renwood, who is known
in private life as Mrs. Frank Be
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