The record-union., 1893-03-07
ADJUSTMENTS

A good first night audience at the
opera-house last evening witnessed the
production of the mixture of melodrama
and comedy made famous by Lotta's YER
satility, entitled the Little Detective"
1t will be repeated tonight. If Jennie
Calef chooses to announce that she will
undertake to play anything in the comedy
line ever written from the time OF Susa-
rion, nearly 1900 years ago, down to the
farces OF the unplaceable Hoyt, we shall
not question her capacity. This little
woman has for ten weeks appeared with
out night of in no less than eighteen
widely differing roles, and mainly of
humor, and III every one has made hit.
1t makes no difference that she is not of
the greyhound order OF women, and
that bounteous good nature has made
her nearly as broad as she
is long: she overcomes such trif-
ling obstacles as that by the force of
her genius and the rare quality of char
acter that enables her to get close TO the
sympathies Of her auditors. She takes
them into action with her and thor
oughly works them into the play so that
the on-lOoker comes to think that he or
she has been half-partner in Miss Calef's
stage-work. She was so successful last
night as The Little Detective" so won
the audience TO disregard the obstacles
| to her complete Disguise that she was
called before the curtain TO bow her ac-
acknowledgements by a round of applause
| that was prompted by the hearts of the
people. Miss Calef as the Little Detect
i've appeared in six characters. The best
was that OF the Chinaman; as clever a
personatIon as one may wish to see. As
Mrs. Gutteridge she gave this generation
an idea of what the hoop-skirt Is on a
short woman only she fearfullv exagger-
tod hnt = CHI ort-ill IL
.hoop-skirt as worn in 1861, without any
eXaggeration at all, she will greatly more
succeed In creating a sensation. AS
Harry Racket she was very good
and as Mrs. Gammage she did as
clever a bit of work as anyone
should ask for. Lotta was the
better boy but she never could have
come up to the notch Jennie cuts as the
old woman, the Chinaman and the young
swell. There was plenty of singing in
all her parts, and in one she whistled an
air capitally. Waldron was little in the
shade OF Miss CaleFs prominence in the
play, but what he had to do he did well.
Hallet proved that he is quite as versatile
as his admirers claim, and Snow stepped
into yillainous role with an ease that
led the audience to hate the rascal whose
title he wore with hatred born of admi-
ration for the art of the actor. One of the
best things of the evening was the
tough" character act by L. +. Nam
nary. 1t was artistically coarse and
slangy and Bowery. Miss Nannary was
the heroine, with little to do, but she did
not let it DRIFT her into the background,
Miss Wells and Miss Lingham were
equal to difficult emotional roles, and Mr.,
Hess proved that he has a right concep-
ton of the bearing of a detective in plain
clothes. There was some pretty scenery
and q sensational boat and water scene.
which, however, needs more care To
make it work smoothly. The play is a
strange mixture of the gloomy and the
humorous-an eXtravagant yellow-cov-
cred novel story, but it is frame for the
Little Detectives skill which is the point
and chief light Of the piece.
Seats are selling at the CIunie Opera
house daily for the Lilliputians, engage
ment at the Metropolitan on Friday and
Saturday. These little people had great
success when here before; they come
now with special scenery, more dwarfs. a
ballet and TWO new plays. and are every
where by the press applauded for their
cI6VerneSS and muSical caDacjtv