Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-01-19
NI0BE A GREAT HIT.
A Clever Comedy, Well Acted by Miss
Coe in the Leading Role.
LARGE HOUSES AT THE THEATERS.
The Still Alarm and the Pay Train Catch
the Gallery Gods.
DIR. BILL BOTH SHOCKED ANB PLEASED

In stPvgmalion and Galatea" the coming
TO life OF a marble statue is the romantic
motive, and infinitely pretty is the train of
ideas which it starts. In 'fNiobe" the same
transformation is treated humorously, and
the result is very laughable. The clever
ness of the piece, however, chiefly lies in
the preservation of the quaint beauty of the
story with all the fooling. 1t is not a mere
burlesque of pretty legend-it is
rather a fantastic modern version, in which
Niobe is all laughter as tits said instead of
all tears, but yet a lovely and lovable
woman, a Greek beauty translated from the
Athens of Socrates into the New York of
Mayor Grant. Harry and Edward Paulton,
the authors have built a very amusing, in
nocuous and novel piece. As the play was
given last night at the Duquesne Theater, it
evidently owed a large amount Of its success
to Isabelle Coe, who played Aiobe with
remarkable grace and sweetness.
Tire story of the play is this: Peter limos
Dlslu New York life insurance man, has
taken charge of marble statue of Nio6e
Ldcyiad1sS, which had been dug up in some
Grecian ruins for a friend, Mr.. Tompkins.
Niobe is set up behind a screen in the parlor,
and a IiDesman of an electric lighting COM
pany ties his wires, which he is LAYING in
The electric current passes into the statue.
and gives it life. NiObe steps out and terri
fies Mr. Dunn, upon whose neck
she falls Thinking lie more
credible than the truth Mr.. Dunn tries to
pass off NioJe, who is simply Greek woman
of :, 900 wears ago and nothing more, as the
new governesS. The complications that
succeed this mild deceit are very funny,
,and they fill three acts. 1t all ends in
Nio5e's vindication as sure-ehough resur-
rection of the original petrified wife of
Amphion, and in her meek acquiescence to
marriage with the art enthusiast who had
purchased her as statue. The ending is
the weakest part of the play. 1t would be
much better to have Niobe fall in love with
more cause, and at greater length before the
audience
Miss Coe to begin with, looked charm
ingly pretty as Niobc whether in the plain
Greek peplos of white or the loose morning
gown of . governess. The statue is as mod
esIlv draped as can be, and Miss Coe is to
be credited with good taste IN not making q
display which the opportunity might tempt
some women to make of a beautiful form.
II is not easy to imagine what Niobe should
do or say under such singular circumstances
and the Paulton's have wisely dipped
very sparincly into mythology. NiobeS
ignorance Of the world as it is
TODAY, and her wonder az all she sees and
hears, is conveyed very consistently by
Miss Coe, whose statuesque attitudes and
poSturing generally are always suggestive of
Greek statuarv, and of course ALWAYS beauti-
fui. The charm of Miss Goes embodiment
Of tie weeping beauty pervaded the play,
and the audience recognized the merit of
her work by a very hearty curtain call on
the second act
The other characters are chiefly fragment
airy and incidental, some of them fortunately
so, tor the company is not stupendously
strong. George r. Edeson as Mr. Dunn, is
funny, but hardly realizes the humor of the
part. Clever Charles Coote is funnier, but
his chances are not very numerous in the
character Of rather needless young man.
Margaret Fitzpatrick looks the she-dragon
oi a sister-in-law very thoroughly, and
pretty lit lie Jessie Storey plays the siangy,
but nice girl, whom dramatists seem deter
mined shall be taken as an Amer
ican type, with a winsome vivacity
worthy of a larger field. The rest
OF the women were quite competent
But why, Oh, why does Revel Germain
make up as an italian organ-grinder in his
Sunday clothes? Does he think art en-
thGSiasts must necessarily be red-cravated
1rights?' And 1t knocks all the heart out of
a sympathetic audience to see poor Niobe
turned over to such a monster in store
clothes. y Biobe who wonders whv men
hide their legs in hideous trousers would
flee In horror from such creature as this
TompEisS.
The scenery, three different views of the
same room, is ingeniously pretty. The
audience welcomed 'sNiobe" with hearty
applause.