The Washington times., 1895-03-12
AS THE CROWDS COME OUT.

The numbers of those who took the
Peaceful Valley route and dropped in on
mother" last night at the New National
| Theater, must have been especially graft
flying to Mr. Sol Smith Russell and his popu-
lar company. Among those who saw the
the beautiful play was Mrs. Cleveland, who
was in a box with Mr. and Mrs Thurber.
| The drama is too well known to need any
special comment, and the capabilities of
! Mr.. Russell'S company are fact and rigid
! condition equally familiar to most theater-
! goers. 1t can perhaps be said however,
/ that tne idyilic charm of Peaceful Val
| ley" increases with its age. The leading
/ motives ofthe play belong to no country and
! no people; they would find responsive echo
/ anywhere, move the heart just as strongly
! and deeply in one land as in another.
The rugged and uncompromising hon
esty of Hosea Howe, Mr.. Russell, is nothing
uncommon among the children of nature.
/ How Mr. Russell conveys to the audience
/ that characteristic is quite another thing.
Therein lies his conSummate art. Mr..
Russell is both the type and the artist.
The Virgil Rand of Miss Harriet Ford
| was well acted. Her graceful manner
! and sympathetic voice are grateful acces-
SORES to an intelligent conception OF her
! part. Miss Stella Boniface as Martha
! Howe serves to point the moral and adorn
the tale. Hers is an old story, but some
! how these stories must get into the average
/ and exceptional modern play Miss Kate
/ Ryan made an acceptable Phyllis Howe,
tiers look only perfunctorily into the Shakes
pearian mirror. They serve as narrators
| OF the tale that is told.
| 1t requires only good eye and receptive
| ear to follow the chain-lightniDg action and
| 4 I'll Is.1l l..
now on at the Academy of Music. ANY given
! function OF The massive brain is not needed
! to secure clear conception OF what one sees
and hears at this play. The author took a
position far beyond the bailiwck of the ordi-
nary critic when he indited the piece in which
| respect the playrigh ht has had many success
| full predecessors.
| The fact is the play Is descriptive of things
| and people who rattle on and around at the
rate of the earth on its ayis-a thousand miles
an hour. They are exactly up 10 date, keen,
! shrewd. and squeezing the last drop out OF
| the elixir of red-bot Life.
| People. including critics. who travel on the
| limited express have neither time nor oppor-
! tunity to make a critical examination OF the
scenery. That is exactly why the play is a
| good play of the good kind, whose special
function is to anuse with the grotesquerie OF
! human nature There IS music and song and
! dance and bnffoonery aud practical jokes aid
oddities enough in it for half dozen plays
Among the clever people in the company
are James T. Kelley, the Office boy; Mr.. Harry
! Porter, the yoangi Bowery tough. and Mr..
! Frank Gardiner. in his grotesque dancing.
| Dir. William B!sisiell. the ticket broker is
the leading man OF the company. There. are
! twenty-five people in the cast who have
more or less to do with the extravaganza.
|
4 = Airy Fairy nillfan Russell danced on the
/ IT
| night and everybody pitied poor little hus-
band Perugini, wherever he may be. She is
| the same Lillian, AMI apparently age cannot
/ stale or experience wither her drawing power.
Lillian cannot act and can sing very little.
| She also screws her pretty mouth sdewise in
| attacking her head tones, just as she always
! did
But Lillian is absolutely and undeniably
| pretty. While she retains her petite regu-
| larity OF feature and frequently consults the
scale (not the vocal one, by the way, sha
will always be the American comic opera
/ queen.
/ Richie Ling, the new leading tenor, is n
young man.of manly proportions and manly
movements. Moreover. he has n sweet voice
and makes very pretty love to Miss Russell,
otherwise La Perichole.
Digby Bell has probably the smallest
/ chance he ever had TO show his ability as a
comedian. He is suffering from the usual
condition that confronts an ex star in u one
! star company.
Ofenbach's brilliant opera bouffe, LA
| Perichole," although little stale from much
usage of its pretty arias is perhaps as good
a choice as could have been made for Miss
Russell for short tour.
! The audience was large one.
| La Perichole" will continue for four
nights.
An exceedingly novel attraction, 'The
Tornado is being presented ut Buffers Bijou
| Theatre 1t drew well last night, and prom
! ises to be one of the most popular produc-
tions put on at that house for some time
| The impressive grandeur of the tornado
scene is something remarkable The old
! homestead with its outlying buildings and
| its grand traas are ali swami awav hafora thu