The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-02-06
ASCOMEDY AND MELODRAMA
~rHE BUTTERFLIEs AVID go Wo-
MANS VBNGEANCE" DIFFER.

comedian. and Henry Guy Carleton as writer
OF clever com edles. The best efforts OF Mr..
Drew and Mr. Carleton were combined with
positive success in The butterflies" last
evening at Palmer's: aud yet there was not
much that was new in the WORK OF either actor
or dramatlst. The author measuring and fitting
the abilities Of the PLAYER had provided A role
calculated to engage him more fully than any
other In which he had been seen. The come
dian. thus happily placed before brilliant
and responsive broadway audience. acted
with every possible incentive TO Guido him
self. and. as a consequence. II was an oc-
casion OF marked approval for him. The
character which no assumed was that Of an
i'm provident young gentleman and heir who
rescues girl from the surf and loves her like
poetry but Ia dunned by his creditors like
prose. and so there Is n mixture OF romance
and reality in the mum erous Incidents In which
he figures None OF them Is OF drarsAtic con
sequence. but all are piauant and amusing
and rs Mr.. Drew treats them with that breezy
eentlity which has made his fortune on the
stage. they make excellent entertainment.
There Is much more than John Drew and his
role in " The Butterflies" The ten speaking
characters are all OF account. not only in IL
Illustrating the adventures OF the spendthrift
hero but on their own account as typical and
diyerting individuals. For Maude Adams to
enact In her gently incislve and delightful
way. there IL the girl whose life the
captivating ne'er- o-well saves. and who is
the cause OF his ultimate reformation.
The courtship scenes between these
two are neatly written and adroltly performed.
But very much as Miss Adams had won sig
nal triumph year before with Mr.. Drew
in "A Masked Ball" so hitherto OBJ
scure actress Olive May, gained much
distinction last night by means OF Jolly
part enacted with delicious humor. Miss
May represented frank. jovial. warm
hearted and high spirited daughter OF an Ill
bred millionaire making q match for herself
and matches for others-with an unctious
jolity that pleased the audience nightly.
part also acted excellently was that OF " self
made man" ungram IN atical and whols-s ouled.
wealthy volator OF refined social usages and .
strict observer Of conscience's dictates Harry
Harwood embodied those characteristics In
| the familiar person OF the unpolished capt.
talist whose family has high social aspira-
tons He figures In the slight plot Of the play
controller Of his estate. and the deviser OF
| ways and means to check his eXtravagancea
th %S Sis own loving saerfce on behalf OK
his sweetheart and happy end Is reached
| without resort to improoaoiity.
| This is a pleasant, natural and very enter
taining comedy, presented in the best style
known to the advanced arts Of the stage The
They are rOplete with comic and sentimental
happenings in effective Attenuation and con.
satirise that Subject. But VIII not some
| to the stage please TO write a piece in which q
| few virtues are possessed by devotees OF
t ssfin Gnq mr. Caeton has aimed
his arrow At some Of the modi;h fG les o, the
| old missile and the same old target.
| At the American Theatre last night return
was made to meodrama. the form OF enter
tainment which first opened this theatre and
held its stage for a long time From the re-
| ception accorded to a "A Woman's Revenge"
last nights offering. the indications are that
| this playhouse is again supplied with
play which will remain proltably.
Henry Petit was the author whose
| work was tried. and It was the last
bit OF stage writing Of his life. As In the case
| OF this theatres first success. the scenes were
| laid In England. and in the beginning num-
Der OF familiar characters wero introduced.
| A pair OF spoony lovers were old friends I'M
mistakably. A young woman Just attaining
her majority and coming in TO her
| fortune. the son OF her guardian who vainly
| sought her love. barrister without brief
and an adventuress who endeavored to
| compromise the latter-these, too came
sut then eha their
| OF other English melodramas was at no time
eHS HsU5s "a. ss S ,ns
minutes Of the act Threatened to re-
each zach other and to play at cross, ,pur.
poses in the time-worn way. But suddenly
hs ps Sd thu
hearts came to an understanding SO complete
n max. ." When the, curtain again came up i
showed them In their home year after their
tween tH man and wife which Parted them, and
were the work OF the same plot H who TIED si
w We're Tse Serious ' enough thereafter. and eul-
%h1ss the HUSBAND GS"rt sGSS ' sSs ws
PS;it one mas the r!sSs H. jSSses -,
the pen and witness stand, and above it a gal
lery IN which stood spectators, The C oddly
pied: Here were dozen white; wigEed
were turned squareIy to the audience: Calls
| for witnesses were repeated by several court
as no make one his OF voice sound a: com;
Ing from some distant room: With an
nht1 EePt the interest stransd The little child
| OF the prisoner was witness. and her tsstimo;
oy THs ISsi Typs on the witness
| stand. to aid in convicting the innocent wo-
IL is seldom that melodrama 10 In the hands
slgippsd iR scenic way The g setting 81 the
| bit OF sea and a wooded and rocky shore
| for background, and was handsome thing;
| Another garden scene was shown In the third
| act and Il and several Interiors were excel
lent. The shifts we're made IN seYeIal
| the remained up and added effectiveness was
gained thereby, Frank Morris and Minnie
| seligman were tho husband and vile whose
| separation made possible most OF the plays
| incldsnts' Miss Seligmans part gave her on
| portunity TO exhibit great variety OF emo
| success. but in many passages she used
| such low tones that IL was very diffieut
| fellow throughout. OF Villains there were
| three rather large proportion OF wicked
| folks hut a still more unusual feR-
| ture was the fact that each OF
| them wore good clothes. The low-down.
| sneaking tool who is commonly an as
| sistent TO naughtiness in such plays. was re.
| placed by a solicitor who dressed neatly and
| didn't once display three days growth OF
| beard He was depicted by Arthur Law
| renee and carefully. Ada Dyer was an