The record-union., 1892-12-31
MUSIC And THE DRAMA.
New York Treated to a Pure aud
Wholesome Play.
Strange to Say 1t Made a Decided
Hits If L Were You'' a Distinct
Failure-Ada Rehan as ''RosaIfnd''
-Keene "OPENS a Acknowledgement
Stage Notes.
Stage Notes

stage Notes.
A. T. Dunlop, writing from New York
under date of December 24Jh, says:
The only new play in New York on
Monday was J. NJ. Barries' The Profess
sor's Love Story produced for the first
time, on any stage. at the Star Theater,
by that versatile and accomplished de-
hneator of character, L. ). Willard. The
manuscript is said to have been in his
trunk for some time and was hurriedly
put on TO fill out the last week of his me-
tropolltan engagement. The haste of its
production was, however, not visible, and
the pure, wholesome and, altogether, de-
Hghttul play, made an unexpected and
tremendous hit; in fact so strong as to as
sure IL whole seasons profitable run
IN New York, if Mr.. Willard had thea
ter.
Another play, not seen in New York.
was After Twenty Years. described as a
thrilling war DRAMA and ended sutfi-
GENTLY thrilling to thrill the most thrill
loving lovers of the melodrama. 1t was
done at Niblo's with young Edwin Mayo
as the star.
Tuesday, Marion Manola and John Ma
son-who call themselves The American
kendals', presumably after Ezra Kendall
OF The Pair Of Kids fame-appeared in
comedy at Hermann's Theater. If I
Were Hou,' a dramatic nightmare by VIM.
Dung, served for the tiasco, which be-
came so painful on Tuesday evening,
that most of the people went away after
the hrst act, not to return. Those that re-
manned never before saw a more curious
or puZznng composition than this play.
II L Were ou' is lncOnSequential and
lrrevelant talk about Irritation, "a trivial
theme at best, but showed under and
buried out OF sight by the astounding
plentltude OF words which the disap-
pointed audience was trying to solve. 1t
IS distinct failure, and so are the loving
couple whose pictures are distiguring the
DEAD walls OF Gotham this week, Marion
leaning her Iove-sick head upon Johns
shoulders. A short play called the
Army Surgeon which illustrates a
serlo-comlc visit of q Confederate sur
geon to Yankee sweetheart was clev-
erly enacted by Adeline Stanhope and
Stanlslaus STANCE, the author, and is the
only part of the show worth seeing.
"A revival of AS You Like 1t was also
effected at Daly's on Tuesday evening
with Ada Rehan in her portrayal of Re-,
saIlnd, and John Drew very much missed
III the part of Orlando, which had been
assigned to Arthur boucher. The cast
IN other respects was almost the same as
when this play was given before on
Days stage, the pictorial effects of
scenery and costume had lost no beauty.
and the renewed entertainment will fiji
a week pleasurably. OF Mr.. Boucher,
the best that can be said is that he Just
escaped failure and from his acting, so
lar III America, he is sure never TO WIN
success. How the clever doctor could
have engaged this hard and wOodenv sDec-
linen OF an ungracetul English amateur
to take the place OF John Drew is past
comprehension, but then who does com
lnN Ii, 81, Il.
ager ?"
THE SKIRT BALLET.
The historical connection between the
skirt and the academic dance has been
quite recently completed by the attempt
to adapt an entire ballet to the modern
mode. The daughter, indeed, bids fair
TO eclipse the mother. This will seem
sacrIIege to the orthodox who hold bv
great names; but when we look a little
closer into the artistic relations of the
TWO, we may lind reasons for thinking
otherwise. Probably none of those who
remember Taglioni and the dancers of
her day Will admit that any modern
Efforts can, for moment, be COMPARED
with theirs; nor am l disposed to main
tain that they can. But that Judgment
applies quite as strongly to the modern
ballet as TO the skirt dance. If the latter
is unclaSsical, the former is simply ugly.
An attractive spectacle may be made Of it
by grouping and colOring, but the indi-
vldual dance is monstrosity. The same
thing has happened TO this art that once
happened to singing. The real object
has been lost OF, and mere difficulties
made an end in themselves. The aim of
a modern baIlerina is to compass strange
teats OF muscular endurance and aero
battle distortion. To stand for minutes
together on the tip of one toe, and to gy-
rate the other leg in a circle at right
angles to the body, maybe Magnitude.
but 1t is not dancing. The effect is pain
full. The academic dance has, in short
been for some time decadent art The
skirt dance, developed and perfected
may very well replace the older stvle
with advantage, and it looks likely to do
so. l exclude, of course, the disgustinrlv
vulgar dance of the French girls in the
BLACK Crook and the equally SUGGEST
i've dances at the music halls. There are
the five positions or alphabet-the COM
blnatlon OF two or more to make word
the stringing of words together to make a
sentence with the aid OF the other move
ments, the exchange, piroutte, balance,
etc. 1t is all purely classical. The only
difference is that more freedom is al
lowed, and less stereotyped rule fol-
lowed. The result is purely classical
too, in perfectly competent hands. AS
with singers, everyone is i'll a hurry to
get on the stage ana make money. A
dancer can be turned out in a twelve
month and many are. That is long
enough for business-just at present-but
it certainly is not for art. However, in
this, as in other things, hard work is
bound to tell in the end. Immaturitv
cannot command the market long, ard
competition may be trusted to winDow
out the best and make for Improvement
On the whole. the new school seems to
fnufar he
mere craze of the hour.-Dunlop's Stage
News.
KEENE's LATEST Opening"
Thomas W. Keene's reputation as a
Mascot for opening theaters has evidently
gone forth, but the latest is they want
him to open hotels as well, and as con-
sequence he was asked to open a new
hotel the Keystone, and it is a beauty
i'll Joplin, Mo-, Monday, December 18th.
In order TO do this, arrangements were
made for him to give one Of his mastery
performances of Richelieu that night at
the Opera-house, SO that he might be the
guest in the hotel and the first name on
the register. All guests We're refused for
three days in order to accomplish this
end, and SO the book is opened Thomas
w. keene, from Staten Island, n. Y"
A magnificent audience was in attend
ance at the performance composed of the
representative citizens of the State. At
TRUTH STRANGER THAN FICTION.