The Washington times., 1894-12-30
Richard Mansfield.

OF play that Is not play as for one that ad-
heres to the three unitles OF time, place, and
circumstance, providing, of course, that the
melodramatic and the gag are worked to
reasonable. but more often to the irrational
extent That proyiso is usually found well
developed in the modern dramatic text.
King Lear and Macbeth speak of a storm
and act 1t, but Of late they put the storm, the
tempest, white caps. lighthouse, wrecked
vessel, thunder and tightening in one blast of
rage and fury before the eyes of the roaring
multitude. But that is only an aside, and
has nothing tc do with the Office receipts
certainly not last week.
Theater-goers were treated Christmas week
to three plays new to Washington, Rices
1892, - "Shors Acres" and the. 1.-Two Col
onels.''
ashore Acres" was at Albaugh's and drew
crowded houses A sufficiently extended
notice of the play has already been given, so
much so indeed that there is nothing to add
to it. The play is beautiful in conception
and artistic in treatment One is particularly
struck with the intense earneStnesS of the
persons of the drama. There is an exquisite
finish in every component of the play. The
ilnsion is perfect, so perfect that you i'm
agine that you are witness, walking and
talking, with the honest and simple hearts
about whom Mr.. Herne has so sympathetic
ally written. This is high praise, but it is
amply deserved 4
Rice's successful "1492i tested the capacity
of the New National to its full extent. In
fact, anything that appears under the man
agement OF Mr. Rice seems to obtain the most
pronounced success in the burlesque field.
OF course. there is no plot in ''1492." Plots
! are rarely necessary to burlesques, but there
was plenty of fun, nevertheless. Edward
Favor took the star honors in the comedy
work. His method is graceful and unas-
suming, and he has the possibility of be-
coming prominent comic opera artist.
Theresa Vaughan secured an unlimited
amount of encores for her singing "Age can
| not wither her, nor custom stale her infinite
variety She looked not year older than
sweet sixteen, vet she must be-, but let
that pass. Suffice 1t to say that our grand
fathers often speak In reminiscence of seeing
Theresa in her young days.
The mounting of the piece was magnifl-
! cent; in fact that is detail that MIR. Rice
never omits to make elaborately monumental.
In the 1.-TWO Colonels'' there Is room for
adverse criticism. There is but one effort
in it. and that is not in new direction. The
Rebel Colonel as a type of an old social re-
| gime is not startling theme. He is, of
course, type of certain civilization but the
Colonel of the 1.-TWO Colonies" is not such a
creation, or rather representation. The fa-
miliarity of Mr.. Goodall. Confederate
Colonel with his domestics is a familiarity
without dignity, and becomes travesty
rather than the truth. 1t is not conceivable
that any iSoutberner (the true test) would
recognize Mr.. Goodal's Colonel as q repro
duction OF familiar species of the universal
| genus OF Colonel.
| There is besides terrible let-down of the
dignity of the part OF the Colonel's niece in
| her acceptance of her lover. The action of the
niece in this passage would do infinite credit
to the most fantastic vagaries of soubrette.
| The unexpected excursion OF the Southern
belle into this field Is certainly startling, II