The sun., 1894-09-11
NEW PLAYS OF A MONDAY.
THEF WERE "TBE DErIL's DEPU-
TY" AND "ON the BOWERY.O

FteceS-kOstcr ~ Htafs COncert Hall
Opened Again for the wlnter Season.
Another Of the Broadway theatres succumbed
last night to the tide Of comic opera which
promises to inundato them during the autumn
months. and Francis Wilson at Abbey's The
tire completed what he called the Triangular
operatlc compliment with his speech at the close
OF the second act. Mr.. Wilson's frst performance
was attended with the same lavish evidences Of
success which started on his two predecessors
in the field this year. But he aimed higher than
either and his real success apart from the
meaningless applause which has become
a nuisance of first night performances
was propurtiOnHtely greater. The performance
was personal success for Mr. Wilson and the
stage manager, the company by which he was
surrounded contributing save in one case. very
little either vocnlly or dramatically to the
pleasant impression which the Devils Deputy"
made. The singing, as a matter of fact. was
consistently below even the mediocre standard
that has come to bc accepted in comic opera,
and the artreSses In the company, except in the
their dresses beCOmingly, and, rs their gowns
were all in exceptionally good taste. this was not
The text Of Air. wilson's new opera is credited
by the programme to. Cheeyer Goodwin, al
derstood that he was entitled to credit Tor
some of the dialogue. As the quality of the
work would never suffice to cover one writer
must he nicely divided.
The llbretto has an Intelligent story. however,
and this Is generally kept in view and supplies
abundant opportunities for picturesque scenery
and costumes. The words of the. lyrics
prising contrast to the sentiment Of the music.
There is at present entirely too much of the
nate length, and there are good things enough
and still leave an evenings entertainment.
But as II stands, the opera moves spirtedly,
its story IL good. and its scenes are
picturesque. Beyond this the authors have done
actor. who lad. Of course. all The talk that aimed
at fun. IL was rarely what he said was anus
Ing, but the manner always was.
The music Of the new opera Is pleasant
throughout, written with slight variation from
the familiar style of the viennese school, but in
iarity. II covereG a wide range in its attempts.
descending from an ambitious chorus, in the
tended to nothing more ambitious than the
most ordinary Jingle Of the music hall. The
Of the second act. and the serenade to waltz
time in the same act will probably become its
most popgaT There are pr tge ,Ss
another a her OF the vienna 40 opcre as, and Chorus OF
tractively introduced. But there Is very little
in the score that impresses one at first hearing,
and no evidence that the music will ever enjoy
the popularity of the work which first made
Jacobowski known in this country.
who meets an OPERA 'H Singer in o the dress OK
devil and believes that he has come across the
genuine thing But ,s he i good devil and his
the story of the opera. He does II for his own
purpose, of course and these involve incidentally
beiiieve that the innEeeper is he MIR. Wilson
acted last night with more OF the spontaneity OF
hs ss dai e hs
manner and the quaint comicality Of voice and
utterance, that made him famous in bis old
ing performance than his work either in
Ths Merry Ths reed 9oSh l@a
the appearance of effort and his humOr Is spon-
taneous and not mechanical there need be no
and showed that the humor OF Cdicd,lr is not
Mr.Wiison has never been more amusing than
he was in the duet with LorentO in the first act,
in his efforts to sing at the command Of the
princess in the second act, and throughout the
Lulu Glover was an agile assistant to Mr.. VIII
son, and when she has learned to he less We
was with the audience last night. Misses Adele
Rtchie and Maud Bliss were admired figures
tributed m ted only to itr spectaculSP % success % R6ys
Thomas is tenor who acts intelligently and
sings in a voice OF not particularly pleasant
costumes. particularly in the first act, were un-
usually attractive in color and design. and they
were worn by unusually cOmely female
chorus The woodland scene OF the second act
was a charming picture.
II Mr.. Steve Brodie's saloon is as bad as II was
painted last night in the play "On the Bow
cry" in which its proprietor made his first
New York appearance as an actor, Its
license should be taken away at once.
But the stage Is liberal, and, perhaps,
the Excise Commissioners didn't make such
mistake as the play would indicate. The play
was perpetrated on an audience, large one.
too, at the Fourteenth Street Theatre.
The bills say that II Is realistic
scenic production written by r. y.
Stephens" The people in the orchestra
seats regretted that the obese villain OF the play
had not got in his fine work with the author.
He was persistent, malicious, vindictive,
cigarette smoking villain who wore y misht
frock coat with satin faced lapels.
Mr.; Steve Brodie claims TO have jumped from
who believe that he did; II was a big drop il he
did, and i was good training for his experience
Il s'S may Srs BE- said " that Mr. Brode enc is pas as
good singer as he is an actor u Mr.; Brode's
the stage It might have been worthy OF some
attention. But in Act H. Scene =, Mr.. Brodie.
ssJdpg behind the S%r n mis- nea sh abdS
After serving a "workingman's friend" he
waited for the glass and thoroughly cleanscd
BRIDES patrons in the gallery; il only
standing beside the free lunch. conveying pigs
knuckles 10 his mouth with one hand. whilc
with tie Otner ne uUtfcu tlthels lot MS DtntUt.
they could have forgiven the clean glasses. But
they didn't, and Steve Proliewore address suit in
the last act. II was strange,
A to the play itself. in which was introduced
this distorted picture OF BOwery saloon,
strange is a mild word. There was a lot Of I'M
going TO sing the song my dear. old mother
loved sort OF business about II, and the
ingenious way In which spccalties were
Introduced furnished the ma part OF the
humOr- 10 the people in the orchestra. Mr. Bro
die sold drinks all through the second act, which
was located In his BOwery art gallery, and the
purchasers OF them talked familiarly about the
Island" There was local color In that.
When the curtain went up ON Act Ill, the
BROOKLYN Bridge. II was ON a holiday
apparently, for no one was going tn
Brooklyn but the villain. The heroine was
pitched on the bridge. Mr.; Brodie arrived
In time 10 say ~ win save her" and To dive
after the young woman. The scene changed,
and Mr.. BTodie, with his feet caught in some
uneasy green canvas waves and holding the
heroine, was seen working his arms In the air
like windmill.
II was as realistic as the clean glasses in his
saloon earlier In the play. Hardly had lac land
ed the young woman before her lOug-lost
father happened to walk down the pier