The Washington times., 1894-12-23
In THE THEATERS LAST WEEK.

From the financial point OF observation the
theaters last week had their lines cast in
pleasant places, and this usually carries with
It the idea of good dramatic material for the
public entertainment. People, generally,
last week began their Christmas relaxation,
and the consequent outflow from the family
| or individual exchequer. The bright people
on the stage who furnish the best mode of
relaxing the purse strings came In for their
share of The generous Golfers. The induce
ments or seductions OF the week were far
above the average.
At the New National "Dr Syntax," a comic
opera, libretto by Cheever Goodwin and music
| by Woolson Morse, had an excellent run. The
dialogue is good enough and the score while
not containing passage that lives with one
after the fall of the curtain, is pleasing. The
hunting chorus In the first act is sprightly
and spirited and there is something quite
taking in the farewell chorus, with Bertha
WaltzinGer's solo in the last act.
The academy by moonlight and the river
scene, with the boat race, are pretty because
they are realistic All in all, the book and
the landscapes are the best part of "Dr. Syn
tax" De Wolf Hopper Is an invariable guam
Hopper whatever the role, but this is rather
in favor OF the character he assumes
Bertha Waltzinger's musical soprano stands
her In good stead in her part of the perform
ance She has been singing delightfully."- all
week. There is q painful disposition in nearly
all of the American burlesques of English
patricians to overdo the thing. Lord Lawn
tennis, Mr.. Alfred Klein in "Dr. Syntsx," is
no exception to this complaint. Such things
are utterly inconceivabe. because they are
inefably and unnaturally absurd. Ney-
ertheless the more ridiculous and English the
nobleman is made to appear the better chance
is there in nextravaganZa. for the popularity of
the so-called interpreter. There is a wide
line OF demarcation between the humorous
(and even the burles9ue) and Rrotesque.
Edna Wallace Hopper as Merefe Mallew, was
quite clever. In the school which tolerated
"Dr SyntGx' Merefe was not an improha-
bilty.
The whirligig OF time brings around many
changes but there are few more singular
than the one which took place at Albaugh's
last week. From Hagenbeck's circus, with
the antics of The trained animals. to The
Gaiety Girl with the dancing Of shapely
maidens and the grimaces OF comedians, Is g.
pretty long step. 1t was taken, however and
safely too, for the English company drew
large audiences, and to those who 90 10 a
theater to have the senses moved, the per-
formance gave pleasure. The character OF
the piece and the way II was presented showed
very plainly the difference between the En-
glish and American emperament, The plot
| of The Gaiery Girl is very similar othose
which form the skeleton OF Charlie Hoyt's
PLAYS, but there WIS a vast difference in the
manner of development. Hoyts character
sketches are clearly drawn. with their lights
and shadows so contrasted that the effects
desired are apparent to every eye, and the
moral OF the play is emphasized
The English play in question Is tiresome,
the dialogue being more often stupid than
otherwise. and the effort TO present carica-
| lures OF ofwell-known English traits of cnarac
| ter is almost in vain. Still one can see that
| the author and the actors have an idea OF
what they are driving at, but they fail to
| convey their conceptions in the picturesque
| style of their American brethren.
1.-THE Gaiety Girl" may have tickled New
| York for Eve weeks, but she is not half as
| innocently gay or pretty as soms Of our
/ Washington girls. Those o, the company
who are especially good are Fred Kay, Harry
| Monkhouse, Decima Moore, Charles Riley,
and "Cissey" Fitzgerald, who, by the way,
as the Irish say, is ''corker.
| At the Academy Ward and Vokes. Of vaude-
vile fame did good business - apart from
| the big receipts. They are wide awake to the
necessity, the absolute necessity. Of something
new occasionally, and they have discovered
and revealed it in their "Run on the Bank, :"
but more especially in "Percy and Harold" "
in which they are inimisble, because only
Ward aud yokes could do Percy and Harold.
| There is something OF suggestion of the two
| crooks in ''Erminie in Percy and Harold, -
! but the suggestion ceases with the sugCes-
ton. These two funny fellows amused the
crowds all the week and will I'LL their hands
every time they draw In Washington. The
minor merits Of the piece have already re-
| ceiyed attention.
| Messiah by the Choral Society