, 1892-01-17
NYM CRINKLE WRITES.
The Famous Dramatic Critic
Discusses Theatrical Events.
NEW YORK PLAYS AND PLAYERS

copyright. 1882. by American Press Associa
toni
NEW YORK. Jan. 6.-There are three Of
four Merry Andrews in the amusement
world who walk over the people with i'm
perious tomfoolery. They are jolly moderr
juggernauts, and | ought to say the people
throw themselves under their wheels witt
a mad fealty to fun that is almost pagan.
De Wolf Hopper is one OF these, Dixey
used to be, and Francis Wilson is another
You may, II o please, put Mr.. Harrigar
into the same category.
These men play the court jester to the
public, and none of them is so specially en-
dowed to do it as Mr.. Francis Wilson, WHIT
has Just produced at the Broadway theatei
an expensive and glittering masque, which
he calls The Lion Tanner"
And here / ought to say in n parenthesis
that theatrical entertainments run like
dynamite disasters, in cycles. The prin
ciple OF sympathetic imitation governs the
character of plays. After somebody dis
covered the skirt dance every playwright
bent his material to that focus. After Mr.
Howard had produced Shenandoah" the
entire play constructing ability of this
country centered itself on war plays.
Just now somebody has struck the idea
OF putting II circus on the stage-tent
lion tanners and sawdust. TIL Academy
of Music has been converted into IA cirque
Street parade, double trapeze, paper hoops
animals and clown are now rooted for the
winter under the protecting egis of the
drama, and the parade becomes "a play.
Prestol The moment Mr.. Francis vii
son got his Lion Tanner" on we saw it was
the same attempt-the same spangles, the
same sawdust, the same hoopla-but all
swimming in the deceptive ~mayonnaise oil
opera, just MS the other arena at the AcRd
envy swims in the olive oil OF drama,
But throughout this ragout is til,
piquant flavor of Francis Wilson like the
pervasive capsicum. To say that he ever
for one moment attempts to act would be
poignant injustice to the purpose and pre-
tense of the Merry Andrew. He does bet
ter. He skylarks. He has tied the choru,
to the caravan and reinstated Mr.. Merry
man and the monkeys, and if you will only
accept his ~postulate that it is opera, every.
thing goes swimmingly and music gets
the benefit of n masquerade.
THE Lion Tanner" was the theatrical
success of last week. The big Broadway
theater creaked and snapped with the
pressure of people, and after all Mr.. Viii
son is the ~postulate. The people 20 to see
him I'LL the shining interstices of this
merry mob with Francis Wilson. He may
be called the cement that holds the cere
mony together. A kind OF unformulated
idolatry rcigns when he appears, and the
people begin to throw themselves undel
his tomfoolery.
That he can make the disciplined hear
glad is doubtful, but the popular heart l.
not disciplined. 1t is content to be di
verified, and | suppose you ave heard tina
Barnum swayed the hearts of his country
men with II hundred old cages in II lin,
properly lit. He used to say; Let otheI
people make their laws. am content t
make their programmes"
The form of entertainment so resplen
IDENTIFY shown in THE Lilo Tanner" il AND
has been for II long time the form that
catches the multitude in this city. Mr..
Harrigan has built a temple of his own
out of it. Miss Lillian Russell stands like
an oriental goddess in the front OF it, hold.
ing her pink skirts up SO that we can see
Opera" emblazoned m her black stock.
ings. A few men like De Mile and How.
ard and Mr.. Gus Thomas are honestly
trying to write plays, but they are up in
the parlor with the lights turned dow
and the shutters bowed, entertaining /
few invited guests, while Hoyt and 10
seph Arthur and the rest of them are hav
ing open rouse in the kitchen with tn,
servants.
Mr.. Harrigan, who has just furnished
new variation of his old themes and called
it the Last of the Hogans," shows sign
of being frayed nlongthe edges of his imag
nation. The last piece could not escape tn
imputation OF being warmed over. Som
Of the scraps were recognized AS havin.
been on the table before.
But | am bound to say that the table wa
beautifully garnished. The candelabr,
was Respondent. and the town having rs
sembled to see the new piece reminded M,
Of II funeral ut the Little Church Arount
the Corner. where nobody has time to thinl
Of the deceased, for everybody is too bus
counting the flowers.
Mr.. Harrigan is the INVENTOR of the hap
py device of amalgamating the Niger ant
the Irishman. His patent makes Stepher
Foster and Dion Boucicault walk the eartl
in Il perennial vaudeville.
II you think the folk songs OF the planta
tion died with Dixie, &C and hear Mr.. Dav'
Braham still pouring them out. II yor
want to see all the ebullient cussedness o
negro minstrelsy doing the double shufl,
under the banner of the indigenous drama
go to Harrigan's.
II you want to see the immemorial Irish
man OF the Fourth ward outside of tn,
Fourth ward, you have got to visit thi
asylum for him.
It's astonishing how the town revels il
the menage, when the animals are safel,
Gagged behind musical bars.
A good many other fellows nave tried I
keep the grave of minstrelsy green, an,
wandered of into paresis. Mr.. Harrigal
alone stands radiant in the cemetery an,
makes the ghosts go round.
Somewhere up in the chair of the tempt
there is Italian opera You can hear som
of the strains of the "Trovatore" and tn
prophetic leaking through journalism
But the doctrinaires call it Abbey opera,
and the Wagner critics, as a rule. preten,
to be very much astonished when you tel
them there is opera in town.
The name OF Patti also glimmers in tn
week n the season reminds me of
swell dinner at which everybody eats tui
tie and pate in impatience and waits 70
Chauncey Depew.
Why shouldn't we call Patti an afte
dinner donnaf
OF course I'll go up like everybody els
to the Metropolitan malt house before sh
goes and let her hypnotic me. She,
shake her saucy head instead of her voice
and roll her wicked eyes instead of her to
note, and show her plumage instead {
her ramage and wink at a high C., an
we'll all swear we heard it.
Patti deserves well of the coming genei
alton. which would never have heard {