Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-09-04


nOt in maay seasons Las New York city
had such generally duh and unintercst-
ingly oolorless theatrical 0peniug as the
present one
The production q which attention has
been most forCihly directed Is The Ken
lucky Colonel, which had its promier "a
the Union square theater. The interest
manifested ia THIS play was greatly al
tribufsble 70 the fact that ~ was a dram
stization Of the novel ~ Opio Read the
humorist. a. 70 the unusual Circumstance
that IL WAS enacted BY the nearest ap-
proach u an 'all star cast that has been
seen IN New York fOT many days hekse
Rankin, Fre-ieric Bryton Mr. and Mrs.
Sidney Drew. Robert Fischer. barry c.
Stanley ard Ciarence Handysi6es certainly
ought 70 make play ~ y there IS any
go in 81 and the faoa thar '1Ae Kentucky
Colonel dragged along YEARLY = the best
evidence pnoducbie that good acfoTs can
not make go0d play 0us u a bad one.
IL would be remarkable II there were no
good bits IN The Kentucky Colonel"
There are but these GASES only serve %
bring into more dazzling prominence the
enormous waste Of plautueiuous desert.
and TO enphas Ee the insignihoanoe a The
pnny little ribs q character ketchipg
monotcnously on their siuless courses
The Kentucky Colonel" is either al ar
tistic failure or 81 inartistlc success D. -
certainly not dramatic OF literary gem
IL lacks sometbing-in fact, most things
and theonly well defined impression " hich
IL leaves upon The auditors senses u the
odor Of mint iuiep CT the aroma 81 teddy.
The play j. unreal, the characters are over
drawn. the comedy lines are forced, the
heavy speeches are blatant. The Situations
are stilted and the "curtains" are thor
oughly inartstic, while az a character
study the play Is an sbsundity. the rldlcu-
lous dialect attempts contributing con-
spicuously 20 this end
The Kentucky Colonel" may possibly
be whipped into a money winner, bat
seriously doubt IL, for there is lot sufficient
literary merit 10 please the occupants of
the orchestra chairs. enough blood and
thunder 10 compel the admiration OF the
gallery contingent, or the proper quota n
lovesick keroics 10 wiring tears from either
the fre9uenters q the back rows Of the
FIRST balcony CT the matinee girl
Two Irish plays have recently been pro
duoed ia New York CITY, Killarney" at
the Star theseer, with Katie Emmett as
the heorine, and Nora Machree" az the
,
The concensus OF opinion seems 20 be that
Killarney f. goo5 play in It's way, but
that il dcessl = weigh much
Sadie seaman and her play NAV be
summed up 10 almost the same words
They win both give satisfaction & those
for Whose patronage they cater
A farce comedy. "The kid." by Henry
White and Laurent Howard n Brooklyn.
seems 10 have made distinct h.t on the
occasion % its initial presentation Do HsF-
lem. IL Is Of course merely humorous
thread containing q few knots o. enable
the stage manager TO introduce pretty girls
and interesting specialize.
Mrs Ge0lIrcy navisy Chapman. who
was shot and Dangerously wounded by
searvsnt the rnnle purse ~ Ter donontod
husband viz probably adopt the stage ~
profession. Uuike moss beginner who
have been thFssi iHlo prominence hy
series of uuf.El1u1fe C.rCr instances. and
have dfiffeu thertaftfr favard the foot
lights. Mr. Chapman Gaae nof eKpfct -
eclipse CIV Mcfr1s sI 81 cuae ia feet,
che 6oes not cvenaciarn ttaf stc vii ever
become a great ftsr ehe cuIf declares
that u she Las enusah dranatic ability a.
enable far, witA clns-Itatiaus work and
hard sfu8v. - master she dramatic aft.
she VIII solae day get ~ fi.f sop af che iad-
der Mrs ChapuAans rtf friiI- appear
ance VII ~ maze ~ trei pefarufucs
Of q one "a play % Pre-. ers Iventv-
/ third Street tbsstrr ir tae naar future
u she siorit not aurIr 40 g. tr own go
pectaucHs gu that oroasior. 81 BE- vi-hin
tie pos tdlilios ttsf she may the0 and