The Washington times., 1894-11-18
4 WEEK IN THE THEATERS.

OF course the Bostonians were the leading
feature of the past week in the theaters.
The box receipts for the engagement must
have been enormous. for the National was
crowded nightly, and after Z O'Clock it was
impossible to secure seats in the orchestra.
After all is said Jessie Bartlett Davis and
Gene Cowles were the stars. Barnabee
makes the fun, but they make the music. and
the vocal abilities of Caroline Hamilton, Nc
Donald, and Sheehan are not of the supremely
superior sort.
A mistake was made when "a Maid OF
Plymouth was put on. Any one would sup
pose that experience had thoroughly demon
strated the utter innity of the piece and the
absolute impossibility of its interesting any
one. On the other hand, "FatinitZa" is al
ways good and is great favorite here.
1.-The Great Brooklyn Handicap" drew
poorly at Abaugh's. Miss Ives play is really
a meritorious production, but the cast and
the scenic arrangements were neck and
heck in finish of fiatness.
Why, oh! why, Percy Winter. did you allow
the programmes to make you the stage man
ager of the thing? Didn't think OF the repu-
tation?
However, Manager Allen is sure to revive
under the magic touch of Hermann, whose
none.
''Fantasma," which drew we'll at the Acad-
emy of Music last week, is one OF the class OF
plays that are we'll described as spectacular
extravaganzas. The plot is the least i'm
portant consideration in their construction,
and resembles nothing more closely than the
cadaverous horse that had a doz5 good
points-to hang hat on. In "Fantasma"
mortal beauty is in the tolls OF marine
demon, who is eventually foiled by the good
Offices OF a sea queen, or tho fayorlng fairy.
The action takes place on land and under
the sea. As in ''Al Baba." the Devils Auc-
tion," and others, what Is lacking in dra-
matte interest is supplied by the gorgeousness
of the scenery and the comedy part-a lineal
descendant of the fool in the legitimate. The
idea in the construction Of these plays, ii so
they may be called. is to put fairy tale on
the stage, and the wave OF the grotesque,
the fantastic, the gorgeous, and the impossi-
BILE is set in evidence the more successful the
result. The scenery in 'Fantasma," and
especially that in the Demons retreat. and
in the palace of the Ssa Queen, is among the
best that has been witnessed in Washington
for Z long time. People like TO see this kind
of performance, just as they like TO read we'll
illustrated books.
Memories OF Lotta were brought into mind
last week by the performances at the Buffers 8
Bijou Theater of Pawn Ticket 210." There
are few actresses whom the amusement pub
lie would like 10 have before them perDetu
ally but Lotta was one whose art WAS So fin
ished and perfect, whose humor was so spon-
tautaueous and brilliant that one never tired
OF her. If she could purchase youth again
with her millions what pleasure would be
in store for the coming generation. They'll
never have one like Lotta. Amy Lee, who
played Lotta's part in ''2I0." was for seasons
the rough soubrette for Ned Harrigan dur
ing his most successful period, and she is a
clever and pretty woman. Her mother, Mrs.
Watkins, plays in the same company.