The Washington times., 1894-08-26
THE THEATERS NEXT WEEK.

On Monday night AT the Grand opera HOUSE
a preliminary week of high-class vaudeville
will begin, introducing artists of international
reputation, including Alcide Capataine, ''the
perfect woman" This charming young lady
will, it is said, surprise Washingtonians with
her wonderful ability. Other important feat
ures OF the programme are Wood and Shep-
| pard the great musical team; Bonnie Thorn
ton. the music hall favorite; Ford and Fran
els, dancers; Sapphira, Middleton and New
ton, Baggesen, and Columbia Quintette Club.
| The original Living Pictures" will appear
| during each performance. The entire enter
tainment will, it is said, be the best ever
offered in Washington, and Manager Allen
will have the opera house bright and attrac-
tive with, new decorations and light effects.
"yirginius. the hero OF Sheridan Knowles
| poetic and pathetic tragedy, holds to-day as
warm place in the popular heart as he held
when the chief exponents of the part were
Macready in England and Forrest in America.
| The play has been in existence nearly sixty
| years, and so broad and deep and fundamen-
tal are its lines, actual are the sufferings it
represents, 30 tender its love passages, and
so purifying in its influence. that no one can
! doubt that it will find place among the
| classics of the stage.
| Mr.. Robert Downing is one of our repre-
|
whose success has been continuous during
| the years of his career as a star.
"VirgInius' is one of his best known and
best liked representations. In it he presents
combination and "a form indeed that moves
the feelings. delights the eye and stirs the
blood as few stage characters have been able
to do. Miss Eugene Blair, who plays the
opposite parts TO Mr. Downing in that excel
lent actors repertoire, Is known far and wide
for tho beauty of her face and form, ard it
| must also be acknowledged that Miss Blair
has unmistakabe talent for acting and
great tragic force. Mr.. Downing will also
present during his engagement 1.-The Gladia-
tor, Damon and Pythias, ''Ingomar," and
''Richard the Lion Hearted"
Commencing tomorrow night Clevelands
minstrels will begin weeks engagement at
| the Academy of Music. and it goes without
saying that his present aggregation will at
tract attention, as il is made up of artists of
| established regulations. Leading with the
famous Billy Emerson, whose funny special
| ties have Sc; the entire continent laughing.
! the company includes Lew Benedict who will
! speak on things in general, and he must be
/ heard to be appreciated, for his sayings are
! filed with that quality of humOr that pro-
| yokes laughter which has the true ring The
vocalists are Banks Winter. William I. Muir
! ply. David Eilenberger, Will Holbrook, Will
! lam Ackley, Harry st. George, Frank Scott,
| and John S. Nolan. The inimitable burlesque
| artists. Harry Constantine and Billy Lyons,
! will be scene in q sketch entitled, The Stage
| Strucks Domestics" The premier comedy
| musical artists, Thompson and Bunnell, will
! be heard in a musical act which is said to be
| entirely new. The Crawford Brothers, eccen-
! trio dancers and singers, will try to keep the
| audience in happy mood while they are on
the stage. The dressing of the vocalists and
| the comedians in the first part is something
new, in that they represent the style OF robes
! worn by the courtiers who surrounded the
throne of Ferdinand and Isabella. A novelty
never before displayed in connection with
minstrel performance is the stage setting of
| the first part. In the rear of the stage n pan
| oramic representation of the various buildings
! of the Worlds Fair, together with many of its
most prominent exhibits is carried on giving
the first half of the entertainment a back
ground IN keeping with the spirit OF 1892.
The Big Four Specially Company will be
| the attraction AZ the Lyceum next week This
| organization is composed only Of high-Driced
! vaudeville artists, especially selected by Man
ager Herman for their eminent positions in
| their respective lines and each of the ten big
! acts is full oI comedy and novelty A stronger
| aggregation OF stellar stars would be hard 10
! imagine. Smith, Martin, Haley. and Sparks
| the Big Four, head the list, followed by the
| National Trio Frank Bryan. Nellie Forester
and Gilbert Moulton; Fake and Semons, in
| musical comedy act, introducing many unique
| and original Instruments; Johnson, Riano,
! and Bentley, in their own conception; Masand
and Marba. acrobatic wonders; Senator Frank
! Moran, who will deliver few pertinent
! marks on the tariff and principal topics OF
! the day; the Fonte-Boni Brothers, Italian
| duetists; Whitman and Davis, the travesty
| stars, in their laughable farce, blue Jeans"
Miss Kitty Nelson, champion buck and wing
Tna lido ,y-fTh ~,
| Big Four's funny afterpiece, entitled "A Hor-
ribe Night" During the engagement there
| will be matinees every day. Miss Clara Beck
with, the charming water nymph, will con-
| tinue her exhibitions in the summer garden,
Buffers New Biiou Theater opens it sea-
son tomorrow night with Darkest Russia"
| which last season met with such success
| at the Academy of Music. The play,
while in no way bordering on the sensa-
| tional or melodramatic, is described as
! depicting the scenes. incidents and auto
! cratic administration of the Russian empire
All strata of society is represented, ard
| every characteristic peculiar TO the land is
! strikingly illustrated The author. H. Grat-
| tan Donnely, is said to have cleverly utilized
| the materials afforded in the history of mod
ern Russia TO weave a story of love and in
| trigue which hold interst to the end. Many
| OF the episodes and climaxes are stirring and
| the play Is replete with those spectacular ele-
ments which pleasingly impress the imagina-
| ton. The comedy element enters largely in
the dialogue. and we are told that vein of
merriment, bubbling with pleasing pleasant
ries, ever holds the audience in a happy hu-
NOR. cast of over twenty people tell the
| story.
Great attention has been given to the
mounting and staging Of the play. The
scenery, costumes, and accessories are said to
| be not only beautiful but accurately correct,
and are strictly Russian in every detail.
''The Passing Show comes to the Grand
Opera House direct from the Casino, New
York, for the week of Sept. 8. This will be
| the regular opening of the fall and winter
season at Mr.. Aliens theatre.
In ''The New Paul Kauvar," which comes to
Buffers Bijou Theatre Monday afternoon
Sept. 8, Labor Day, there will be number Of
novelties that are sure to intensity the inter-
est that this great play has always held
among lovers of spectacular drama. Aside
| from the many changes in scenic and me-
| chanical effects, there will be introduced
distinct novelty in the French Grenadier
| Quartet, who, during the action of the play
will chant all the popular French war songs,
and in the last act will sing in English the
celebrated French national air "Ihe Mar
selaise.'