The evening times., 1895-10-22
AS THE GROVES CONE OUT.

AS THE CRONpS CONE OUT.
Mr.. Stuart Robson presented his Govern
ment Acceptance to a fair sized audience
last night at the Lafayette Square Opera
House for the first time in this city. The
play is built on entirely new lines and
there are some sit ua ions surprising to
the theater socr. ~ - ~
Mr.. Robson plays the part of an cleo
trical genius who Is fooled in both his
love and profession by the william until
the last act. The william gets his just
deserts however, ut least one takes IL for
granted, as he does not appear again after
everything has been sDloothed over.
Mr.. Robson played in his usual easy-go
ing style, and impersonated the young
Gordon, who thinks hat more homes are
ruined by cookbooks than by drink"-to
the utter disgust OF Miss Potter, who has
diploma from the cooking school Mr..
Howard's Bromdage, the william, is
nice piece of work, and the characters by
Crypt Pa!moni and j. L. Wooderscn were
pleasing features.
Miss Fachon Campbell made all that
could be expected OF Mrs. Thomas Kings
ley AMI the other ladies were all good in
their respective parts. The play, partic-
ularly in the third act, is full of new
electrical dev ices which produce, sur
pris ing effects upon the audience and
the scenery, mostly carried by The COM
pany, is effective.
The attraction at the Bijou this week is
Frank Harvey's new melodrama .Sips
of the Night" produced by an excellent
cast, headed by Frank Harrington. A
large audience was present last night, and
although the company was late in arriving
in the city, and the curtain did not go up
until a few minutes before O'Clock, the
play had such an excellent effect upon the
crowd that nobody left his seat until the
curtain fell upon the last act.
The production in well staged. and the
scenic effects are something out of the
ordinary The scene of the play is laid
in England, and it / S an unusually exciting
melodrama, tinged with an occasional line
of bright comedy
Mr.. Harrington gives an excellent per
formance of the role of Harold Thorne and
he is ably supported by u company includ-
ing. Louis Glover, who makes a very clever
william: Ed. j. Buckley. jr., Gustavns Ba-
kcr, Phil NJ Mccarthy, Bertram Hood. John
Price, Charles. Susie Wells, Lillian Price,
Florence Marion and Beatrice Glover.
The comedy work of Phil Mccarthy is
very, very funny, and his songs evoked
storms OF applause.
Messrs. Davis and Keogh perhaps never
sent IA stronger or fmore exciting melo-
drama to Washington than ''On the Mis-
sissippi," the latest and one of the most
successful efforts of William Haworth,
which is the attraction this week al tire
Academy of Music.
lt is very interesting performance, brim
full OF marvellous escapes and timely arrivals
with just enough comedy now and then TO
make things pleasant. fair-siZed and
most appreciative audience was present
last night. and "OD the Mississippi" was
thoroughly enjoyed.
The plot of the play. as its title suggests,
is laid on the Mississippi River, through
Tennessee and at New Orleans, and the
theme. although rather old one, is Just
the kind that never fails TO take with the
lovers nf melodrama.
The scenery is of rare beauty. and from
the brush of John II. Young. Mr.. Robert
McWade, ir., assumes the leading role uf
Grant Sherwood, a secret service detective
'Hawkshaw" character, and eyokes
much applause from the lower floor as
well as from the gallery gods by always ap-
pearing in nick of time to prevent some
disastrous work of the heavy villain.
The character of Billy Dean. the sheriff
of Marion county, is played very acceptably
by Mr.. Alfred Beverly, and Henry Hans
combe gives a very creditable performance
of the part nf the adventurer. The difficult
role nf Marie Earnet. an adventures, is
played to perfection by Miss Valerie Ber-
gere, who, by the way. has a very catchy
French accent. There is in this, in all
such plays a genuine pickaninny band,
which adds greatly to the pleasure OF the
evening.
Mr. Cha rles B. Ward author of "Aud the
Band Played On Paradise Alley" and
many other popular ditties, appears in the
second act and sings quite number of his
sentimental and comic songs.
Hoyt's "A Black Sheep of 'a4 has
changed its coat. This bright, witty and
sparkling farce was presented to a well
filled house at the National last night.
With the addition of new chara cters,
new specialties and bright lines, Mr.. Hoyt
has brought back the "Sheep" better than
ever. The audience laughed from the time
the curtain went up till it fell at the end
of the last act.
The plot hinges on Hot Stuff, an Arizona
"bad man." who refuses to accept the
fortune left him by his maiden aunt
because it necessitates his return to civ
ilzation and the effete East.
incidentally there is stranded theatrical
company. an Arizona editor who collects
his subscriptions with a shot gun, and
several tenderfeet who are liz Tombstone
on business.
Specialties are scattered through the en-
tire piece, and some of Mr.. Harlans songs
were especially well received. Jos. Frau
kan made an excellent villain. He win be
as the designing apothecary
in "A Temperance Town"
The chorus. as is usual in Mr.. Hoyt's
pla vs., sang extremely well. In fact, all
those who enjoy n bright, clean, laugh
able farce that will drive dull care away
should spend an evening with "A Black
Sheep"
Fully four thous and persons were trans
portcdlast night TO ante-belium scenes of
plantation life in the South. The great
as ssembly visited '.Black America" at Con-
ton Hall and surely never before did an
attraction booked for a whole week draw
so large and enthusiastic an audience on
its first night. 1t is fair to presume that
S i'm the street at the entrance
of the great hall will be at a premium the
OF the week.
'Black America is simply plantation,
with its unique, inimitable, entertaining
and grotesque features faithfully presented
by negroes from the cotton section
There are three factors in the entertain
dancing and fun. The inn
portance they play in the spectacle is
in the order named.
Every song that ever broke the stiffness
of oranges ccnted air was repeated last
night with the tame artistic naturalness
that characterizes the negros spontaneous
vocal ability. So natural, TO sv Get, so un-
like anything ever given before ON a Wash
ington stage were the exercises last night
The best singing was by all odds com-
prised in the choruses. With the excep-
ton of Miss Bessie Lee. an artistic soprano,