The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-08-16
TWO MORE THEATRES OPEN.
A NEW AND VERY sROBY MELO-
DRAMA At THE FOUR TENTH S7RRET
"The white Squadron" Makes . Strong.
Miscellaneous Appeal for Popularity
Wang Revived at the B~roadway.

"The white SQUADRON" Makes . strong.
M~isceIinneous Appeal for Popularity
Wang" Revived nj the broadway.
Two more theatres were opened last evening
for the season. In tho case OF the Broadway.
It was a fresh start of the familiar comic OPP
era. Wang" with plenty of new vivacity and
n little new material in the way OF songs.
Jokes, ma elcphautine eambols. Dc Wolf
Hopper and Della Fox were again the leaders
in the frolic. and the revival was accomplished
sriritedlv.
The new play OF the night was Mt the Four
teenth Street Theatre. where The White
SIundron."a profusely illustrated melodrama.
was given for the first time. The author was
James W. llarkins. Jr.. but his pom work was
no greater than the achievements Of the scenic
artist aud the stage manager. IL may
BIO that he had not only written tho
piece. but also devised and con-
trolled tho sights 1t contained and In
that case no is entitled To tho credit OF skill
and ingenuity in materialistic stagecrat. He
had chosen Brazil as the place for his play. and
the recent Congress Of Nations at rio Janeiro.
for the time OF the principal events Tho cli-
max OF the views was that OF the new United
States war ships in tho brazilian harbor. and
IT is presumed that much OF tho careful calcu-
lations for popular success was based on that
one scene. representing our white SQUAD
ron. 1t Ia n question to be determined
whether this melodrnma belongs so nearto
Broadway and so far from tho Bowcry rs tho
theatre selected for its representation. The
first audience manifestly liked it. 1t was n
play OF the good old days pattern. when turgid
romanticisin dominated common sense. and
people did not demand. as. tho majority do
now. that strong dramatic situations shall be
reached without the sacrifice OF probability.
There was ton, much plot in The, Whit"
ticle, and too much. probably, for any consid-
cradle rortion OF tho audience to carry
nMns EiaI sh ' Mss ,h in its i B %sn11fSss' d Tno
eral., a great scoundrel. took, advantage?
Of the Spnortnnity o. 6%risnndage offered
ail-round villain. 4 dozen Of the characters
one OF them became an Ensign in tho United
States navy and brought, a Yankee force down
crushingly on the man OF evil.
1t was in the direct force Of its episodes that
Literature seemed likely to entertain a srea:
for its owners. The assembling Of represent
with insriritins music and Spectacular evolu.
tions by sailors. some of them renl. One act. in
a ruined churchard at night. where an ATTEMPT
was chock full Of the essence of the best melo-
drama. as rated u third to half n century ago.
:ho more e~xacting standards Of to-day. but its
broad effects were clever and effective. This
was by far the most admirable section Of the
piece. and it was acted. carefully ana well. in
Lee. Byron Douglass. William Harcourt:
Alice Fisher. Nellie Vale, Nelson. and
curtain on this third. act was hearty. spon-
taneous. and general. Tho villain and his
chief assistant were hissod by the gallery
quite in the Bowery manner. Even those down
stair folks who. had disdained Mr.. Harkins's
melodramatic devices found that they had
been moved considerably by them. So there
must have been good stuff in THE White