The evening world., 1894-04-06
JUNGLE MILLION" ON TRIAL.
Matinee Performance Which Was
Not q Howling Success.
Mark Smith Engaged for "14O2 ~
other Theatrical News.

There was a trial matinee perform
ance at the Garden Theatre yesterday.
and, according to the programme, 1t was
for the benefit of the Fresh-Air Fund
of the Wayside Workers. A play called
..Uncle Million" by James Mortimer.
author of "Gloriana," was essayed, and
It is not likely that 1t will be heard of
again. There were one or two good
people in the cast. and the setting vas
handsome. but the pay itself proved to
be one of those talky affairs that read"
well and act badly. 1t was described
as a new comedy Of character" founded
upon the French of Barriere and Copen-
du. The character sketching, however.
was not conspicuous. The story dealt
with the veXations Of a rich old man
with Il large crop of relatives in the
shape of nieces, nephews and cousins,
all anxious to secure as much of the
old mans wealth as possible. They
talked u good deal, however. and did
very little. A young woman, much ad-
dlcted to slang, undertook to And a wife
FOR the old man, and finally succeeded
in securing for him a comely young
woman. The old fellow proposes to her
and is accepted. Then he is told hat
she likes him for his money only. and
breaks off the match. After which, with
UluCU lIItlcNdhl htIolSIl ne ueGlutS "
marry her. The relatives are highly
disconnected, and the only CLEAN OF
humor in the play OCCURS at its close,
when they have been told that the uncle
has suddenly died from apopleXy. In
the midst OF their quarrel for the allot-
ment of his wealth he enters, calls them
harpies and brings the long drawn out
play to a close. There are three, acts
fortunate insistence. AS q curtain
raiser, done into one act. "Uncle Mill
ion might find a purchaser. AS an
evenings entertainment 1t would be
~lamentably insufficient. The old million
aire Is said on the programme to be II
State Senator. but he might be anything
fn earth. The programmes
rows played this part, and did as much
with It as possible. Miss BIjou Fernan-
dez was the matchmaking ingenue. she
rs a quaint and charming-looking girl.
with a self-possession that is rare in
such a child-for she is little more.
Charles J. Bell also did exceedingly well,
and 30 did Miss Lillian Lawrence and
I. ]. Lawrence.
Mark Smith has been engaged for the
'14s2' o company next season. It is
whether he Will play Columbus
or the Daisy Queen OF spain. About a
remembered that he attired himself in Il
clean shave and a decolette gown, and
made a hit as the prosecuted heroine in
Sydney Rosenfeld,s travesty OF The
Crust Of Society"
r. d. MacLean, who used to star with
Marie Prescott, has emerged from his re-
tirement In West virginia, and declares
bett from playing "The Gladiator" the
tragedy made famous by Forrest and
Mccullough. MacLean claims exclusive
ownership, Of the play. having purchased
He says that nobody shall play 1t but
himself. He considers the dignitied trag-
edy improper for the prize-ring actor.
That very precocious young gentleman
known as Aubrey Boucicault is said to
be writing n play for Rose Coghian, of
whose company he is still a member.
In the. play will be q strong part for
himself, that of an Indian boy. What
sort of a character he will construct
for John 7. Sullivan is not known. Cos
sip has 1t that Aubrey and John do not
get along very VEL togdtaer' but GOSSIP
Mr.. Sullivan is far too shrewd a man
and too good an actor to attach much
Importance to little Aubrey Boucicault.
The play is said to be n dramatization
of Told on the Hills"
c.. T. Darcy, the author of I'm OLD
Kentucky" has, in an ecstasy OF proud
%Hnt s1nGy rk been IN T ,Tn nsnt some Of h ma'G.
drama. In his opinion, the alert Amer
can demands naturalness, truth, SIN
cerity. If he does not get these, he does
not return to the theatre, and the play
is withdrawn. oh, sclf-satisied Daz"Hi
Wheta about the ~pickanninies, and the
horse race, and the scenic accessories
Of I'm Old KENTUCKY Where would
1.-THE naturalness. the truth, and the
sincerity of the mclodrama have been
without EN-?
Mr.. Dazey's collaboration in the new
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