Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-12-02
OLD FAVORIThS SING
The Barnabes, Karl 4 Macdonald Com
pany 10 Be Here This Week.
ROBIN HOOD AND KNICKERDOCKERS.
These Operas to Constitute the Repertoire
Poor Old Uucle Toms Cabin" "
Shakespeare on the Stage.


Barnabee. Karl "a MacDonald's robin
Hood" Company will be the only attrac-
ton In town this week. 1t will fiji an
engagement at the Academy tomorrow,
Tuesday. and Wednesday. Whenever the
above-named management stand surety
for anything in a theatrical line. an ar
tistic product may certainly be rehed
upon, and this engagement should prove
attractive and interesting to lovers OIL
music "a well as the regular theatre
goer. A good opera company strs up
Tho ,ruaIcal atmosphere as does no other
kind Of musical excitement. Peopie no
toriously prefer spending their money
where they can see as well al near
where glistening costumes. absorbing ara
uatIc action. not to mention fashions
presence. combine in brilliant ehsein-
bic. There is something intoxicating IN
an operatic performance which Is absent
at concerts. The human element enters
into II largely, and human passion IL
more in evidence. The opera, them IL 'ne
fayorite diversion of all sorts and condi-
lions of men and women.
"Robin Hood" Will be presented TO-
morrow and Tuesday. There Is no more
delightful comic opera before the puphc
than this masterpiece of De hoVeii am
Smith. Wheresoeve- music Is appreciates
there will be found the solos, duets trloS'
uuartettes. sextettes, and octettes from
"RObin Hood" 90, Promise Me- mas
been sold by music publishers by the ten
thousands OF copies. So has 81.
SwithIn's Bells. Drown october Ale"
Nine Tailors, "Ths Anvil Song"
"Neath Greenwood Trees" the Trouba-
dour serenade, the comic round, 80. See
the Little Lamkins Play" the tinkers
chorus. and innumerable others. Ana
aside from these distinct and Individual
feature numbers, there Is wealth
ensemble music of equal catchiness. But
the music is not al there Is OF ROBIN
Hood" The libretto IS an excellent
comedy by itself With the sly old
Sheriff of Nottingham as n central hu-
morous figure, and such capital material
as the famous fat Friar Tuck. Little
Johns jovlal band OF Sherwood Forest
outlaws. Robia Hood, Maid Marian.
Dame burden, Annabel. and Guy of Gis-
borne. 1t was inevitable that so clever
a man as Mr.. Smith should write an
exceedingly funny book. And then, too
while the ear Is being thus Toasted, the
eve will be attracted by three sets OF
elaborate scenery, comprising the Mar
ket Place in Nottingham, Sherwood For
est. and a public square In Nottingham.
while the picturesquen7 OF the foresterS
in green and the villagers in their bright
costumes adds greatly TO the enllVenlnS
effect. The cast which includes the FOL
,lanvt
Tones, Basil Teston, Louis Casavant,
Ienora Cousens. James Nicholas, Ross
David, Helen Rainsley Agnes Stone, and
Maud Timer, will be supplemented by
large and efficient corps and line or
chestra.
THE Knickerbockers," which will be
presented at matinee and evening per-
forruances on Wednesday. treats In whin>-
steal fashion of the neighborhood wars
OF the New Amsterdam Dutch and the
New England Puritans and weavers INTO
the story romance or rather double
romance concerning a Puritan damsel ana
Dutch gallant and n Puritan captain ana
the daughter Of the Dutch Governor. Inc
Dutch Governor is an historical parsonage
being none other than Peter Stuyvesant.
who ruled the Dutch colonists about the
middle OF the seventeenth century. He
is the comedy figure in the opera. and Is
an Incorporate dealer in mixed meta
phors. which makes his language dis
tinctly lgugh-producing. He Is comedy
tyrant, and delights TO issue proclama-
tiuns every other hour in the day. Ills
faCtotum Ia another historical parsonage
Antony Van Corlear. the trumpeter,
whose memory is embalmed in Washing
ton Irving's Knickerbocker history. An
10 all In
and imagnes that every girl in the Colony
is in love with him. fancy In which he
Is very much alone. as the damsels do
not care for him at all. The story opens
with the announcement Of the approach
ing marriage of Hendrick Schemerhorn
to the Puritan girl Priscilla, over which
mesalllance the Dutch are much con-
cerned. Following this Miles Bradford.
the Puritan captain. ventures into New
Amsterdam to see the Governors
daughter, Katrina. whom he loves
and who recprocates his passion. Miles
interposes I'm favor OF a young British
officer. who IS being beset by q crowd Of
Dutchmen. and upon the Englshman
making his escape Miles is denounced as
spy. Hcndrick. who is an old friend Of
Miles. offers to provide a disguise in
which the Puritan may escape. this being
nothing less than n gown or Priscillas.
Antony overhears their plan and reports
it to the Governor who pounces upon
Priscilla, believing her to be the spy In
disguise. \ trunk abandoned by the fee-
ing Englishman is found containing seine
uniforms. and Priscilla Is made To don
one Of them, in which she. modest Puri-
tan maiden, Is very uncomfortable, but
inasmuch as Miles IS still In danger II is
decided by them to continue the decep-
ton until the reckless lover can make
good his escape. Out Of this condition Of
things grow numerous laughable Incl
dents, complicating the affair Of the
young people and hopelessly estranging
the Governor and his efficient CORDS. OF
course the scheme IL unmasked at last
ard Miles barely escapes. lie returns
however ct the head Of the puritan
army. and the Governor is forced 10 &C
cept his terms to maintain peace. The
terms are double marriage. which ends
the piece in proper fashion. The charac-
ters are clean-cut and striking In add
ton to these already mentioned are the
Rulgomaster, and young sailor named
Jim Snydaur. who afterwards becomes
captain Of the New Amsterdam Cadets
The route lists OF the theatrical week
lies disclose the interesting fact that there
are no less than three organizations travel
ling over the country presenting that
very tircsome and wholly absurd drama.
Uncle Toms Cabin"
The fearsome wocd-cuts with which
presentation copies OF Mrs. Beocher
Stoves narrowing tale were embellished
in the early seventies will always hold
their own among the treasured memories
Of childhood. How viiely printed and
worse bound the book was. but how
thrilling were these Illustrations! one
in particular, the holding OF the pass
against the ugly slaye-hunters, was really
superb. Tho fighting Quaker was, no
doubt, an anatomical curiosity, and the
pass, stony track on bleak hillside
easily to be carried by rush Of three
or four villalns-was not proof against
even the criticism of a child; but the