The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-01-19

Grand-"The Little Trooper,

1t would De no nara TASK 10 guess Thai
]. Cheever Goodwin and William Furst
went to the French for 1.-The Little
Trooper" Della Fox's aptly styled vaude-
vile operette. that opened at the Grand
last night. 1t is of the French Frenchy;
from the chic mademoiselles that rule the
Bon Marche in the first act to the coterie of
Hussar officers with ~infammable passions
ready to carry off the first pretty woman
who happens to visit the barracks in the
last act. While French soldiers may be
good and brave fighters and all that, one
rosy-cheeked girl in camp is enough to de-
moralize discipline in a regiment. So it is
In THE Little Trooper" The mixture of
comedy and sprightly- music gives the
opera a very attractive dash and the witty
lines with their broad French suggestive
ness, of which there is little attempt at
concealment, is sauce to the palates of
passe bachelors and provokes giggles and
shy winks on the part of the women.
came .The Little Trooper" did not have
a great run in Paris. 1t was ninted that
is caviare enough for the United States
taste for several years to come. Among
the many bright lines there are some
French bon mots no doubt, lifted bodily
from the lfbretto of Raymond and Mars.
The critic is reasonably certain their full
meaning was not always caught, except
and they roared. There are other bits of
comedy work, principally by the inventive
lie AllSSll dit 1MdIlG 1Gi6SlE lldL Suggest
a famous story told on Faust and Mar
guerite. Yes. 1.-The Little Trooper is plenty
broad; thank you, for indianapolis. Al
the adapter, Cheever Goodwin did the first
part of the work, and became
50 s9rnes slow oy THAT the is manuscript g1eana, w wss
rushed it through in short order. There
is enough to the story to maintain contin-
of the characters. and yet all
is treated as lightly as vaudeville.
cite. who is Della Fox, and who follows
her soldier husband, Emile Duval, out of
jealousy and takes the PLACE in the a huss sas
not put in an appearance. The situation
furnishes much amusement to the audience
because of Clairette's sex being. unknown
to any of the soldiers save a Joking old
officer, Gibard, done to a nicely by Jeffer-
son De Angels. She turns the camp up
side down, as she says. fights a duel with
a sergeant and finally is to be shot for as
other than her husband. Then she cleverly
masquerades, appearing in her true char
acter, while the real new recruit turns
her stellar role. took the house by storm;
being encored out of verses u~ntrammeled
by any one in the cast to hog the stage
Della Fox showed what she could do when
once let loose. She laughed, and scolded,
and raved, and gurgled, and always had
the keenest attention, but really it seemed
a triie second hand when so much of her
playing was openly directed toward a GER
tain box, where a party of men-about-
by her " attention. AS clapirette. Miss na1 Fox,s
admirers were many in the crowded house,
and her favors might have been more gen.
De Angels and the sergeant played by
Ed Knight have a quaint duet in the last
great appreciation, It certainly bears
French earmarks. Miss Fox has a little song
with z Daisy" refrain very PRETTY
went out of the theater whistling. 1t is
thrown in like a fragrant pousse cafe after
Captain Duval, is, of course, a strong mem
Der of the cast and his singing was a rare
many songs that bring her prominently be.
fore the footlights in prima donna import
ance and her voice is not wholly satisfying,
but she was pretty enough as the amorous
mistress of the Bon Marche and was an
excellent foil for Della Fox's extravaganza.
ter drilled both in voice and movements
than any seen here this season. The cast
follows:
Emile Duval, captain Thirteenth
| Gibard, Jefferson D'Angeiis
Michonnet. lieutenant. Charles ]. Campbell
Benoit, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS c.. Wheelan
Jules La Tour, colonel....charries DUNCAN
Mathiide Lowell. proprietress Of
the Bon Marche..............Vill Villa Knox
Octavie, forewoman of the Bon
Marchie.. Celeste
virginie, salesgirl ......... Hattie williams
| COdrlie, EUGENE NfcolSOn
Ninette. salesgirl. Levinge
Lady. s~alesgirl. uncomfortable Cuthbert
Clairette Duval, Emile's Della Fox
Miss Pfafnin's Grievance.
Miss Theodore Pfaff1in, who has been a
professional singer now for several years.
| and who was born and raised in this city,
tells a story of slovenly mistreatment dur
ing her recent engagement in the East with
| the Ysaye Concert Company. She returned
to Cincinnati this week, after finding it no
/ Ioncrar noccihlo- 4 a Loan IL oonnoA4l.---l4l