Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1893-01-08

New YORK, January THE newness
of the week consists in the very success
fu production of Joseph r. Grismer's
comedy drama, THE New South" at
the Broadway Theatre. The story is
original, well written and skilfully con-
structed, and wholly out OF the path
| traversed by the current slave and war
plays. 1t made an unqueStiOnable hit
and served well to introduce Mr.. Girls
mer and his talented wife, Phoebe Da-
vies, both stars OF the first magnitude
west of the Rockies, but strangers to
| Eastern playgoerS. Both achieved per-
sonal triumphs. Every dramatic critic
that visited the Fifth Avenue Theatre
| on Monday seems to have carried a
knife with him, for on Tuesday morn
ing the Baroness Blanc was slaughtered
| in a manner beautiful to behold. She
appeared in q dramatiZation Of Dnmas's
''La Demi Monde" adapted by herself,
with the aid OF Miss Mollie Sheridan,
called Deception" 1t was magniti-
Gently staged and the Baroness was
royalty gowned, but with these two ex-
ceptions the critics failed to discover
anything else worthy Of praise, and
the Baroness was cut to pieces, limb by
| limb, in the nine big dailles and the
seven evening newspapers, with the
weekly press yet to be heard from. The
play also comes in for a good deal Of
happening, and take it all in all, the
production received such a unanimous
slashion as has not been given a play
during the present generation. In spite
of this, however, the Baroness Is quite
as good as was Mrs. Langtry or Mrs.
James Brown Potter or Mrs. Leslie Car
| ter, when they first began, and she pro-
poses to continue right along just as IL
nothing had happened. Minnie Gale
Haynes appeared on Monday as Rosa
| lind in "As You Like It," and although
! il seems hard to say unkind things of
this young woman, who evidently means
well, it is evident that she can never
convince any one that she belongs to the
real collection Of stars. Her RoSalind
is weak and in every way unsatisfactory.
What a saving OF money it would be to
Minna Gale-Haynes' husband hacker II
she retired TO private life and the
study of ockology. The third series OF
old comedies at Days Theatre oD Tues
day was THE Bellies Stratagem," ar
ranged into three acts and modernized
and embelllshei In DR.. Augustine Days
best style. 1t was accompanied by
oue-act play by Miss Clio Graves, called
''The Knave," but this piece lacked
great deal o. what is requisite for es'
TEEN. 1t was OF most peculiar flavor,
not so much medieval as funereal. It's
dialogue was of the sort that is con-
demned by being called ''clever." Gym
icismS strung together like necklace
of paste diamonds are not particularly.
fascinating. With a compilation of ex-
tracts from Heine, La Rochefoucauld
aud Voltaire anybody can write in this
fashion.
There were tidinRs Of JOY FOR some Of
the theatrical army OF unemployed in
upper Broadway yesterday. Digby
Bell, it was announced, had secured
new hackers and was recognizing his
forces for q second tour. The news
spread quickly and was confirmed at
Simmonds & Browns Dramatic Agency,
where one Of Bells admirers said:
BELLS friends have from the first
been amazed TO account for the Chicago
tiaScO. He is extremely popular In this
city, and ii It had been known that he
was in pecuniary distress he could have
had plenty of assistance. A few days
ago couple Of Wall street men who
like the comedian put their heads to-
gether and agreed to furnish the capital
necessary to reorganize the company.
They have deposited a generous sum in
the treasury, and yesterday the agents
began to engage singers for the new
season. The intention at present is to
start out in about fortnight.
'sThe new deal, believe, will be sd-
vantageous to Bell. He has been I'M
fortunate in having begun as star I'M
der embarrassing financial circumstan-
ces, but that is not an uncommon ex-
perience with comic-opera ventures.
Mr.. Hopper had his share OF tribula-
tions before he reached the goal, and
Mr.. Bell could hardly expect smooth
sailing from the frst. It is an undeni-
able fact that for the very week which
witnessed the collapse Of his first tour
the gross receipts were surprising large.
II it hadn't been for last summers