The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-12-27
CHRISTMAS WEEKS PLAYS.
mrs. JOHN DREW AND ELLEN TERRY
Nv FINE PERFORMIN CES.

~ FANb
The Tn ,iI-h Actress In Nance Oidaeid''
md the AnerIcs, Actress IN The Hoad
TO RnIn - Reveals and Coutinunnees-
ss'ntent Applied For" Piccs OF Resiisr
Mrs. John Drew and Ellen Terry the
ono on Monday and tho other last evening.
distinguished themselves by introducing
clearly defined and delightful characters 70
New York audiences. Mrs. Drew achievement
consisted Of compelling us to accept Wiio'o
Warren in Uolcrofts half-lorgotten comedy.
Tho Road TO Ruin" as n worthy companion
to that highly regarded acquaintance. her
inimitnblo Mrs. Ma'dDrop In The Rivals"
Tho Holcroit play has not been performed in
this city In many years. and Mrs Drew
herself 10 nearly the only justiaca-
ton for tie revival now. for It 10 OBJ
solete in style. and qualification OF
curiosity Is about oil tho pleasure to be OBJ
tanned from Il. Mrs. Drew's own performance
ia good entertainment, with or without regard
to the lne Illustration which II gives OF old
fashioned acting In od-iashloned comedy.
She makes OF lVdoo Warren conscience.
less. shallow designing. couuettish mntron.
engaged in q scarcely agreeable attempt to
eaptivnte young man, and yet contrives to
keep such woman in tho good will OF the
audience by means OF outright skill In
humorous rendering OF tho unpromlsing mat
for this week at the Fourteenth Street. Ellen
Terry appeared last night at Abbey's in all the
guisss assumed by the heroine OF Nance Old.
field" short piece In which. IL will be
remembered. an actress undertakes to olsen
chant u greonroom wooor by shocking him
with various bits OF Characterization. Tho
vivaclous and accomplished proficiency OF
Miss Terry.enables her to get quickly into and
out OF these brief roles TO impart distinct in
Nts.- l. .A..N
used to call q protean performance with bril-
liant success. The rest OF the Irving bill con-
sisted OF The Bells" with Mr. Irving In his
weirdly psychological part OF the conscience
stricken murderer. This Is the final week in
the Irving season, and 1t Is to be nlled out
very attractively with repetitions OF PLAYS al
ready seen here. save that olivia" will he a
novelty tomorrow night.
Edwin s. Belknap gave what he den minated
q "monomime" Mt the Lyceum yesterday
afternoon. 1t was a one Tau ,Tantomime en-
titled Tho Rendezvous" and was deftly per-
formed by Mr. Bclknap. but with no novelty.
1t had two characters In the first scene n
woman completed her toilet for the street.
wrote and despatched letter. and then went
out. presumably for walk. Her fixing OF
her hair and DOMINIC Of her outer garments
wore represented with minute fidelity. and
inc spectators UeCRne uHlusCuly lHIeTeSlcu.
In the next scene the man to whom the woman
had sent tho letter was shown at his toilet In
the same elaborate manner. but. naturally.
with less engrossing effect on those who
Watched his procedure. cumulative dramatic
interest would be served by n reversal OF those
two parts OF The Rendezvous" bat even
then It Is to be feared that the perform
ance would not rise 10 convulsive intensity
OF impressiveness. for when tho rendezvous
Ut was n supper for the man and the woman
was acted out by Mr.. Belknlp 1t proved to be
OF no consequence at all. The actor was ex-
tremely adept In the use Of his hands. In which
one could all hut see the various things that
they pretended to use at the two toilets and at
In facial expression; but no hal little pro-
iiriency In walk pose. or free gesticulaton. |
fasco Tor Mr.. Belknsp He was artistic in his
silent dolnEs. and he also t9ld comic story
s"rmod veil Guaisd for u psTor or pat i M
entertainer
In the shit OF plays for Christmas week Har-
lem gets at its Opora House tho beginning OF
Tho ProdiGal Daughters" tour That big |
hO.se-race drama Is Givon with the stable and
turf scenes exactly as they wore during the |
long season at the American. with substan- |
italy the same company and with popularity |
that cannot fail at the north end OF the town. |
The other Harlem theatre. the Columbus is |
merry Win tho IhughteT OF n Nlgnt NJ the |
Circus" into which Nellie McHenry Is throw |
ing herself with her accustomed good humor |
and heartiness. and In which her company us |
sists in giving good show OF farce and NHlIde- |
VILE Eighth avenue has - The New South " Tor |
the hrst time THE Grand tDnera HOUSE. besides |
dsnce, at tie American. Thanbe Davies and |
Joseph Grlsmer are still the soldier-copvict |
s1d md the ,Sfy%rEsthS,te southern laiy in The
quite WILDLY enough to bo understood and en- |
(oyed by any. audience. The entertain ments |
sTRe Coanciilors Wife, at "G the IEa mnire..
Pslmers, The Princess Nisotinea at the ca.
sine. A .TeWprranee Town" at the Madison |
smy 81 Music The Proisssors Love sso HS' at
the Garden The S G0TnsT GroSGry at the Ger
America" at the Metropolitan Opera House.
Several OF those things viii end with the year.
haven't should heed the last calls Of the man
ayers
Three Broadway theatres have revlvals Of |
plays not long absent from our stage. The
pieces in question are A Trip to Mars"
" Robin Hood" and Shore Acres" Niblo's
is reopened with tho first namei entertain
mont by the Liliputians. whose show OF their
dlninutive selves In a spectacular environ
ment has holiday sp!rlt'and is quite as enter-
taining as eyer'bsfore. That talented and COM
plete comic opera company, the Bostonians. Is
giving Robin Hood" delightfully."- at the
broadway and demonstrating Incidentally
over any other In the De koven Sc.
riss The important members OF the nOta-
biz strong organization are at their
best. In both singing and acting and the Quilt
Of scenery and costumes has been freshened.
Shore Acres begins at Daly,s after the short
apse since il ceased at the Fifth Avenue and
In a line condition. for James A. Herns is in
good order katherine Gray is recovered from
Al illness, and George Wilson has returned TO
the East. On SUNDAY last The Sun published
the fact that in story, characters. aud incl
dents Shore Acres was, essentially tho
ate James L. Murdoch. In a letter Mr.. Hsrne
saws:
In reply permit me % say that shore Acres would
lave Tad no mean.nz' twenty years agn. and there
ore could not nave Deen wTltten at that titus IL
loi an AccIentit IL growth. lI II. friend Hen
cal once sail 90 my work IN gsueTA-"ths culnna, |
on 81 native tsleu; Epsned thirty OF
NEE The treat - nInlsTn IhnughI "a all l.
Eatd NeTatlspL shuT1 ACTeA IL, IN NA way. con
Ibuitdn - NerAtisU In dramatic ART. lie theme.
a sioTy-t has n" plOt-lncdrnts and char
etrIA-sith the exception Of the lighthouse scens
nd THE scrne OF the fisherman Ia stOrm-n- |
i'isnts that nave been used In plays without /
lumber time uut ~ mnd--weTe evolved by me and |
ave q" prototypes IN any other play tar As know
he absolute neSnsHs evidenced In the treatment Of
hs simp.s story-in iis atnIosphsrs an! purely lora