St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-02-12
CORBETT AT THE GRAND.
The Champion PugiIist as an AM
bilious Actor


bilious Actor.
One of the most attractive novelties
that the present theatrical season in this
city will offer will be the appearance at
the Grand opera house this Sunday
evening of Champion James J. Corbett
in his new play called "Gentleman
Jack" The play was written by Charles
L. Vincent, dramatiSt Of envable rep
utation, and, in the main. tells story
of Jack ROyden, gallant young col
legian, who is ever ready to side with
the weak. The scene in. the first act
presents the college campus at Payne.
Jack is the hero of his classmates, and
the best all-round athlete. The william,
or rather Jacks rival, becomes envious
of him on account of the formers SUI
perior qualities of many kinds. This,
together with the fact that both ROyden
and his rival are suitOrs for the hand of
the same girl, serves to keep up the
feeling of hatred to the end.
Act second discovers Jack Royden
employ ed in the bank of his enemy'S
father. His rival succeeds in making
Jack the victim of plot, and the col
lege hero become S self-accused of theft,
and is discharged from the bank. The
third act presents brilliant scene on
the roof of the Madison Square garden,
New York city. The once popular
champion of Payne has become profess
sor of boxing at a New York Athletic
club. His rival, having concluded that
the sure way to win Jacks sweetheart
is to reduce ROyden to the level of de-
feated pugilist, therefore employs
celebrated English prize fighter to chal-
lenge RoYden, after first having insulted
him. This offers reasonable excuse
for introducing in the next two acts
Corbett at his best, as the next act
shows him Ill his training quarters.
Here COrbett, while punching the bag.
gives the audience an opportunity to
judge as to his remarkable qulckness
OF movement. OF course the browning
climax of the play is saved for
the last act. In this act. one of the
most novel and realistic scenes that has
been presented Oh the stage, even in the
present period when stage realism runs
rampant, is shown. A faithful repro
duction of the ringSide of the Olympic
club at New Orleans is pictured. 1t is
on the eve of the great battle between
hayden and the English champion. The
regulation sized ring has been roped off,
anxious and excited spectators crowd
about the red-f1annel covered ropes at
every hand, bets are offered and taken
by over-confident prophets, and even
the ticking telegraph instruments are
introduced to make the scene more
faithful, ~ The referee steps into the
ring, and announces the rules of the
club and the great attraction OF the
evening. He is shortly followed by the
English champion, and moment later
the once-idollzed champion of Payne
trips into the arena after HIM
Then begins what writer's ELSEWHERE
have claimed the most exciting, lnterl
esting and altogether novel scene eve
introduced into play. 1t takes severa
rounds before Royden succeeds in con-
quering the tenacious Englishman,
which is finally done, and ROyden's
sweetheart returns to him while his
rival is simultaneously crushed forever.
Assurances are given that everything
in the entire play is of most refined
nature, and probably no better evidence
Of this feature could be offered in proof
than the fashionable audiences that
have witnessed performances OF Gen
tleman Jack" in the metropolitan COM
munitieS whure the play has been given.
Corbett is big handsome fellow, with
a face and disposition Dubbling over
with bUoyancy and good spirits, and as
gentlemanly and considerable since be-
ing crowned the acknowledged cham
pion of heavyweight pugilists of the
world that he was when earning his
living with his pen as paying teller OF
the Nevada National Bank of San
francisco,