Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1892-09-05

not in many seasons has New York city
had such a generally dull and uninterest
ingly colorless theatrical opening as the
present one
The production to which attention has
been most forcibly directed is 1.-THE Ken
lucky Colonel" which had it's premier at
the Union Square theater The interest
manifested in this play was as greatly at
tributable to the fact that it was dram
atization of the novel by Opie Read, the
humorist, as TO the unusual circumstance
that it was enacted by the nearest ap-
preach to an "all STAR cast that has been
seen in New York for many days. Mckee
Rankin, Frederic Bryton, Mr.. and Mrs.
Sidney Drew, Robert Fischer, Harry G.
Stanley and Clarence Handysdes certainly
ought to make a play go if there is any
go in it, and the fact that 1.-The Kentucky
Colonel" dragged along YEARLY is the best
evidence producible that good actors can
not make good play out of a bad one.
1t would be remarkable if there were no
good bits in "The Kentucky Colonel"
There are, but these oases only serve to
bring into more dazzling prominence the
enormous waste of platitudinous desert,
and to emphasize the insignifcance of the
puny little rilIs of Misunderstanding
which trickle through the play babbling
monotonously on their aimless courses.
"The Kentucky Colonel is either an ar
tistic failure or an inartistic success. 1t is
certainly not dramatic or literary gem.
1t lacks something-in fact, most things
and the only well defined impression which
it leaves upon the auditors senses is the
odor Of mint julep or the aroma of toddy.
The play is unreal, the characters are over
drawn, the comedy lines are forced, the
he NtIp
are stilted and the curtains" are thor
oughly mar. istic, whls character
study the play is an absurdity, the ridicu-
lous dialect attempts contributing con
spicuously to this end.
THE Kentucky Colonel" may possibly
be whipped into money winner" but
seriously doubt it, for there is not sufficient
literary raerit to please the occupants Of
the orchestra chairs, enough blood and
thunder to compel the admiration Of the
gallery contingent, or the proper quota Of
loycsck heroics to wiring tears from either
the frequenters Of the back rows Of the
first balcony or the matinee girl.
Two Irish plays have recently been pro
duced in New York city, Killarney at
the Star theater, with Katie Emmett as
the heorne, and Nora Machree" az the
Peoples with Sadie Seaman as the star.
The concensus Of opinion seems to be that
Killarney" is a good play in its way but
that it doesn't weigh much
Sadie Seaman and her play may be
summed up in almost the same words.
They will both give satisfaction to those
for whose patronage they cater.
A farce comedy, THE Kid" by Henry
White and Laurent Howard, Of Brooklyn,
seems to have made distinct hit on the
occasion Of its initial presentation in Har-
lem. It is Of course merely humorous
thread containing a few knots to enable
the stage manager to introduce pretty girls
and interesting specialties.
Mrs Godfrey Hawley Chapman, who
was shot and dangerously wounded by
Searvant, the male nurse of her demented
husband, will probably adopt the stage as
profession. Unlike most beginners who
have been thrust into prominence by Q
series Of unfortunate circumstances, and
have drifted thereafter toward the foot
lights, Mrs. Chapman does not expect tC
eclipse Clara Morris all at once. In fact
she does not even claim that she will eyel
become a great star. She only declares
that if she has enough dramatic ability K
enable her, with conscientious work anc
hard study, to master the dramatic art
she will some day get to the top of the lad
der Mrs. Chapman's first public appear
ance will be made at a trial performance
Of one act play at Proctors Twenty
third Street theater in the near future
If she should not come up to her own ex
pectations on that occasion, it is within
the possibilities that she may then and