Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-03-15
MISS HELYETT'S BOW.

An Amusing Play From Paris With Clever
Actors in the Cast-The Cadi Full OF Bill
Nyeisms-Pauldlng's New Melodrams
Staged With Beautiful scenery-An the
Plays in Town Criticised.
The operatic comedy "Miss Helyett, +"
adapted from the French of M. Boucheron
BY David Belasco, the music being by Ed
mond Audran, was given its first perform
ance in Pittsburg at the Alvin Theater last
night. 1t is peculiar piece, neither comic
opera nor comedy, and perhaps it may be
best likened to an American farce comedy
translated for the Partisan stage and then
re-adapted for ours. In the process the
humor has taken on an unmistakably
Gallic flavor and plot of some amusing
complications has crystallized. As to the
motive. there, is no denying that it is
suggestive, but the ofensiveness of
the suggestion largely depends upon
the individuals imagination. Mss Hetuett
simply tells her father, and the audience,
that she fell down a mountain side, landed
upon projecting bush, and while her attire
cued by an artist, of whose identity she Is
ignorant. She and her father agree that she
must marry her savior, and the story of
the play is her attempt to find the
''Man of the Mountain" She suspects ev-
eryone but the right man, who happens to
be the one she loves In the original French
the suggestion of naughtiness was probably
broader
TIE Musical Part OF the Play.
The play as it was done at the Alvin last
actors cleverness. Tho music was murdered
cruelty. The orchestra did not appear to
understand the score, and could not always
agree with the singers as to the choice of
key-but the blame is hard to assign. Mark
Smith, one Of tho best comic opera
artists arts alive played the artist here hero
]. W. Herbert in act II. was the best rom
dered as 1t is the best musical number in the
piece. The final duet with Helyet.. in which
pretty His other numbers were mangled
by the orchestra. M. A. Kennedy, a come
d1an whose nervousness Is q Joy forever,
hardly has chance to show his powers as the
tubby Englishman who makes love like
calf to Relvett, but his courtship was softly
funny. The moralizing Quaker, who quotes
unique proverbs 1t every turn, and cloaks
worldliness with a sanctified air, is an old
figure on the burlesque stage, yet as MI.
novel humor. some Of the proverbs
Saore % BE the Weeks eGs tensqs is
cologne, to be shifted, not swallowed" and
Marriage is place of punishment where
some people are condemned to stay long
IL
can get" are sample proverbs, and they
caused the heartiest laughter of the evening.
The burlesque Of fiery Spanish matron, and
incidentally of La Carmencita by Miss Kate
Davis was extravagantiy absurd, and ar
tistic too. Miss Laura Clements voice is
powerful, sweet, and well-trained, and all
her work was artistic, her last song being
especially effective. George Lyding also
sang well. He has pleasant tenor voics.
Mrs. Carter's Looks and Acting.
The title role was taken by Louise Leslie.
Carter, who startled New York last season
by making a hit and her first appear
ance on the stage. at the same
time. She is slender, little slip OF
Srsns eyes and crown ef fsly naiyy
that is deeply, yet really red. She is hardly
what you would call beautiful woman, yet
she is distinctly attractive As the Quaker
maiden in the plainest Of plain clothes, and
really Helyett's, Mrs. Carter always looked
the charaQter thoroughly. Her acting, how
ever, is arnateurish still. and her very clev-
erness in little details of comedy told too
Ing. II she could get rid Of the stiff
ness, which reminds one of me-
chanical toys, her close imitation
of the original Helyett would be much more
great deal in Two years. The rest of the
company. including some very pretty wo-
men in charming dresses, was quite equal to
the work. Finally a word again as
if it commenced near the end Of
act I. That long preface of high kicking,
roundabout kicking. dancing and more kick
ing, without spoken word or scrap of intel
ligent action is enough to damn better
play.
A large audience laugheda q great deal last
night at "Miss Helyett" but did not go into
ecstacies over it. 1t was a cold, cold house.