The record-union., 1893-02-18
music AND TEE DRAMA.
New Plays Before Audiences of the
Great Metropolis.
Oscar Wilde's Picture of London So
ciety Shows 1t to be Very Bad
Lot-General News of the Stage and
Stage People.
lg from New York

A. P. Dunlop, writing from New York
City under date of February 1lth, says:
William Gillette's Ninety Days pro-
duced at the Broadway Theater on Mon
day, after weeks delay, was the only
new play produced this week in Gotham
1t is one OF the best spectacles ever seen in
THIS country and is book ed for long run
The story told is of New Yorker who
dies, leaving large fortune TO a country
cousin, subject to the condition that she
marrles the son OF his dearest friend.
Ihls young man is a missionary in Bur-
man, ana thlther the young woman and
two friends go in search of him. The
DEAD mans sister, who is the next heir,
endeaVorS to prevent the marriage, but is
| toiled, and at the end the heiress brings
Dack her missionary in triumph. Around
| tnls Mr. Gillette has woven network of
adventures, running through seven acts,
and surrounded each with striking pretty
scenery, any one of which seems strong
enough to carry any production of this
kind.
Lady Windermere's Fam first pro-
duced in Boston last last week, served on
Monday to open the regular season at
Palmer's Theater. 1t is the work of
Oscar Wilde, and distinctly a society
drama. The skeleton in the closet is the
central point upon which hinges the
Whole action. Upon this groundwork
mas Deen reared, with remarkable skill,
superStructure of caustic wit and brilliant
perslflage which never permits interest to
lag. The lines of the play are almost in
Varlably bright, and il Mr.. Wilde has
shown in his treatment of the theme that
he takes superficial view of the
motives which sway modern society, he
mas evidently determined not to allow
ms audience to forget that the external
pollsh is finished and artistic, whatever
may be the iinner feelings Of his charac-
lers. Mrs. Erlynne, brilliantly played
by Miss May Brooklyn, is the
central figure. She is an adventures,
but the mother of Lady Windermere, and
thls TACT is only known to Lord Winder
mere who supplies her with vast sums of
money, in order, as he thinks, that shemay
re-enter society. Scandal-loving friends,
however, tell Lady Windermere that her
husband Is an ardent admirer of Mrs.
Erlynne, and urged by noble prohigate
who processes to love her, Lady Winder-
mere leaves her husband and child dur
ing a ball at her residence. Mrs Erlynne,
who has been invited to this ball by Lord
Nlndermere against the wishes of his
wife, finds that Lady Windermere has
gone, leaving letter to her husband and
follows her to the rooms of Lord Darling
ton, who returns shortly after both
women have entered his apartment,
bringing with him a party OF friends, one
of whom is Lord Windermere. Both the
women are in hiding, bat Lady Winder-
mere's fan is discovered and Lord Win
dermere is about to search the rooms
when Mrs. Erlynne advances from her
place of concealment, claiming that she
took the fan from Lady Windermere' s
house by mistake. Lady Windermere
takes advantage of the diversion to make
her escape unseen. During the play Lady
WlIdermere does not learn that her hus-
band has been giving her mother money
to save her from disgrace, and she firmly
believes that Mrs. Erlynne has saved her
solely on account OF the generosity of her
nature. Neither does Lord Windermere
learn why Mrs. Erlynne was in Lord
Darllngton'S rooms. He believes her a
guilty woman. Mrs. Erlynne, however,
becomes reconciled to her admirer, Lord
Augustus Lorton, who was one of the
party in Lord Darlington's room when
she was found there, and everything ends
well. The play was splendidly acted
throughout, and Will undoubtedly have a
long run, but with due respect to Oscar
Wilde and London society, be it said
that there is not a redeeming character in
the play, not one parsonage for whom the
auditor can feel single thrill of pity.
Even the wife who believes herself
wronged fails to elicit sympathy. If
London society is such as Mr.. Wilde
pictures it, 1t is very bad lot indeed, and
the only purpose the play will achieve,
beside the weekly royalty to the author,
Will be the more intense dislike of Amer
leans for English people in general and
the smart set in particular"
THE MACKAYE sPECTAToRIUM."
There have been hints from time to
time that Steele Mackaye had originated
Il plan for presenting the events inti-
mately connected with the voyage of
discovery of Christopher Columbus, and
in that presentation would give the public
many surprises i'll the way of fine inven-
ton and art never seen before in the line
of dramatic production. Just what these
plans are, or what the novel features
will be, has not been told, as it is feared
that unscrupulous plagarists would be
only too glad to appropriate them, and
rob the inventor of the results of his
labor. 1t is rumored, however, that me-
chemical skill, electrical ingenuity and
artistic ability have all been laid under
conscription to make the presentment in
every way worthy of the event it is to
commemorate and of the gentlemen