Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-25
ADJUSTMENTS.

IT'S reception at Albaughs Grand Opera
House last night was such as to show that
there is no danger Of popular disappoint-
ment. The performance is of the kind
that is so dear to the average theater
patron. 1t idealizes what in everyday life
is commonplace, and makes heroes OF peo-
pie who are perhaps too little remembered
In the busy affairs of the work-a-day world
The play is well mounted, Mr.. Herne. the
author, taxing the role of Nathaniel Berry,
the lighthouse bee per. The cast through
out is so competent as to prevent cheap
ening into insiridity of the dramatic eff
fects. The points of the play have been
wrought out with delicacy and modera-
ton by the author, and the members of the
company are given opportunities to do i'm
pressive work with little temptation to
bombastic platitude Miss Grace Filkns
has, in the part of Helen Berry, a part
which presents her to the audience in
mCst happy manner. shore Acres is
plainly destined to enjoy a prosperous
career, and is undoubtedly superior in au-
thOrship and presentation 10 many speci-
mems of the idyllic drama which have
found appreciation.
New National Theater.-One Of the most
successful eXtravaganzas of recent years
is "1492," which h. f.. Rice's company is
producing at the New National Theater
The piece is built on the familiar lines of
burlesque, and the performers. from the
comedians, who occupy the center of the
whose artistic missions are to passively
decorate the scene, are competent in their
respective fields.
Academy-"The Two Colonels," a pasto-
raj of Vermont and Virginia, a new play
by VIM. Richard Goodall, received it's mi
tial production at the Academy last night
and was accorded a warm welcome by a
good audience. The plot of the play in
wolves northern and southern colonel a
Vermont youth and a Virginia maiden, a
handsome widow and two lovers, and the
villain. who is righteously downed in the
third act. and disappears. This same viii
lain, In the first act, steals certain bonds
from the bank in which he and the youth
are employed, and the youth Is charged
with the theft. His father, the Vermont
colonel. casts him off, and he is taken up
by the Virginia colonel, then visiting in
Vermont, and he finally marries the Vir-
ginia maiden, a reconciliation follows with
the Vermont contingent, and all the ELI
gfble parties in the cast are happily mated
The play is in four acts, and ends in the
third, but the fourth, which is a beautiful
piece OF stage scenery, explains the end
ing, and is one of the best If not the very
best, of the four. The first two acts, in
Vermont are the weakest, and they might
very satisfactorily be boiled into one
Either that or much of the sentiment,
which is superintendent and more wordy
than powerful, should be cut down. How
ever 1t is done, the play should be COM
pressed into more incisiveness. The pecu-
liarities of the Virginia and Vermont char
acter, as embodied in the two colonies and
their surroundings, were clearly and most
satisfactorily differentiated and presented
even to the small details, and there are
many excellent and original lines
Mr.. Frank Morjaurt's Col. Sloan of Viz
ginia was a strong character and most
popular with the audience. II ,cent was
rot always to the manner b.. but he
lnnl nd 10 1T To hA Lott n
Steele's Col Whitaker of Vermont was
typical in manner, voice and spirit. Miss
Edith Crane as Mrs. Clara Thornton is a
beautiful widow. as Miss Crane is beau
tiful woman, and. barring little too much
laughter. made the part extremely attrac-
tive. So also did Miss Georgia Welles pre-
sent the young girl. Charlotte Sloane. Mr.
Walter Thomas Ralph Whitaker had more
acting in it than was needed, but he did
well. The comedy parts of Mr.. Golden and
Mr.. CASTOR pleased the audience. Mr.
Jackson's Theophilus of color was elabo-
rate. The entire company was called be-
fore the curtain at the end of the third
act, and the author was asked for a speech,
and responded briefly but feehngly. The
stage settings were good throughout, but
the last scene, in Virginia, was almost a
picture.
Buffers Bijou Theater.-"The Stowaway,"
one of the most thrilling of melodramas,
was seen at Buffers Bijou Theater last
night by large and delighted audience.
the chief of which is safe-breaking act
by two genuine ex-cracksmen, Spike"
Hennessey and kid Mccoy. They do
their work in the most cool and apparent
ly cautious manner and hold their audi
ence in rapt attention as they give an OBJ
ject lesson in professional safe burglary.
There are realistic scenes in the play,
notably that representing low London at
night and that of the yacht success. The
piece is we'll staged and has some excellent
mechanical effects. The company is an UNI
usually good one, all the members being
especially adapted for the parts to which
they are assigned. Included in the cast
are Harry Booker, John DeGez, Willis
Granger Miss Helen Bell and Miss Rita
ONeil.
Kernan's Lyceum Theater.-Weber and
Fields are well known in this city, and the
speciality company they presented at Ker-
mans Lyceum Theater last night was one
of the best that has been seen under their
management Castellet and Hale made a
decided hit in their character work. as did
also Fake and Seamons, the musical come
dams, and John L. Drew, the Irish aristo-
crat Weber and Fields themselves were
very funny in their sketch. entitled THE
German Senator's" The event of the even
ing. however, was Lottie ellison, who is
called the little magnet" in her new
songs and sketches. She completely cap
tivated the audience and was repeatedly
encored. In the program were Mcintyre
and Heath, black face comedians; James r.
HOey, female lf1peTSOHdtor, WHO gave his
latest idea Mamie, the Flower Girl"
1.-THE Messiah."-M copies of '"The
Messiah" have been printed and sold than
Of any other musical work, by any other
master, in any country in the world. This
alone is a sufficient attestation of the I'M
ending popularity of this great choral
work of great composer. Its solo num-
bers and chcruses are familiar to all
music-lovers, who seem never to tire of
listening to them, especially when pro-
duced by artists of the highest class and
by so thoroughly efficient a chorus such
as is comprised in the Choral Society. The
annual Christmas performance of this ia
vorte oratoric, on Friday evening, at Con-
vention Hall. will be thoroughly satisfac-
tory in every respect. The prices are very
moderate. with an ample number of seats
at 20 and 10 cents. and the audience will
rival, if not exceed, that of last seasons
performance.
Calvary Baptist Church.-The Christmas
cantata at Calvary Baptist Church this
evening promises to be fine affair. Santa
Claus, Mrs. Santa Claus, angels, shep-
herds, Faith" Hope" and Charity"
Goddess of Dreams and Of Love" and
brownies and fairies will all be there