Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-01-29
AMUsEMENTs.

warded for their courage. Clyde Fitch is
daintily satisfactory in all that he does,
and while he has in His Grace de Gram
mont developed plot of some romantic
force, the true charm of the play Is In the
cleverness OF the lines. the shrewdness or
the satire and the completeness OF the
pictures of the people and manners OF the
time of Charles II. The wit is courtly, the
superficial polish and the moral crudities
of the period are faithfully reproduced.
The play is full Of opportunities for an
actor or actress to make lasting impress
sion on the minds of the audience. Many
Of these opportunities are neglected. In
some instances the lines are read with a
care which suggests the best intentions on
the part of the player and a patient en-
deavor to carry them out, but the ready
enthusiasm in speech OF gesture and the
charm of naturalnesS are not always there
The play is beautifully coStumed, and 1t Is
throughout a most conscientious produc-
ton. Mr.. Otis Skinner has long been
important capacities with prominent
dramatic organizations. He is fortunate
in securing play SO we'll written and so
well in touch with the prevailing taste as
His Grace" Mr.. Skinner-WhO is possibly
to be commended for not yielding to a
silly schoolgirl prejudice in favor of Ian
gushing names for leading men-displays
the devotion and care to his work that is
almost sure to win enduring success. The
demands Of role like that of His Grace"
are by no means slight, and Mr. Skinner
was at no time deficient, and was par
ticularly strong in the purely romantic
passages.
New National Theater.-"A Texas Steer
has paid more visits to Washington, and
with more gratifying results to company,
manager and public, than any other of the
many works of Mr.. Charles Hoyt. But at
every former visit Mr.. Tim Murphy, Him
self Washingtonian. has been the central
figure in the play. and to see "A Texas
Steer without him in the leading role was
surprise. Mr.. Woodward, who assumed
the part of Maverick Branler, is a come
dian of considerable merit, however, and
can ca. afford to stand on his own abilities.
His conception of the member from Texas
is different from that of Mr.. Murphy, and
he is more bosterous in it's development
Still, he was well received, and he de-
served the applause given him. The COM
pany Is adequate most of the members
being those who have become identified
with this particular play
Academy.-1f the weather bureau has
anything in stock much worse than what 1t
gave out last night, the theater goers of
thi5 bailiwick don't want to see it. Not
outstanding. at the Academy there was
very nearly full house to see Charles II.
stage Leonard Grover and Clay NJ. Greene's
romantic Irish comedy, 1.-The Vale of
Avoca.' The play is in four acts, one in
ireland and three in America, and while it
L
ments of love and music which will make
it extremely popular as road play. The
piece opens In the Vale of AvOca, at Mrs.
Brennan's Miss Annie Ward Tiffany cot
tage, where Percy Gray (Hugo Toland) Of
fers 1900 for gold mine in Colorado owned
hy the Brennans. Father Dolan (Neill
O'Brien) doubts the propriety of selling at
that price, but Nellie Brennan (AIiss Annie
who has fallen in love with Gray,
insists that he is truthful and honest when
Danny Farrell (Mr. Hopper, the usual good
fairy of the Irish play. appears and sees in
Gray a villain of his acquaintance of thir-
teen years ago, when he left a woman and
a blind child to drown because they We're
in his way. Danny had saved this baby.
Grace they called her Miss Rose Tiffany,
and didn't forget the villain. Nellie runs
away with him to America Just the same
and almost breaks the heart of Danny,
who loves her so. Seven years later, act =,
they are all in Colorado. where Danny re-
stores Grace to ner long-lost papa, finds
Nellie, broken-hearted and deserted, in
unatic asylum, shut up there by Gray be-
cause she was in his way: runs Gray to
earth, or to a Snowbank rather, where he |
IS found frozen; gets back the Brennan |
tain goes down on scene CT comfort
Christmas contentment. Mr.. Hopper is |
very attractive Irish lad with three pretty |
songs, one of them, Darling Nellie" being
a genuine Irish melody. Miss Tiffany is a
Irish woman, Miss Haines |
grows handsomer by her troubles, Miss |
Rose Tiffany is pretty blind girl, Percy |
Gray is an average villain and the various |
cther characters Incidental to the play, in |
Guiding the Indians, are up to the require |
ments, though the Indians need more prac- |
tice. Incidentally there is mine explosion |
IN the third act and the curtain goes down |
on 4 scene that shakes the whole house |
INTO thunders of applause.
Buffers Bijou Theater.-The dfsagreeabe |
weather of last night had no terrors for |
The patrons of Buffers Bijou Theater. and
o,rlt tad Ia mo
roaring farce comedy company in the side |
Show" The farce is on a par with many |
others of like build, being barren of plot, |
but possessing numerous enjoyable humor-
BUS points, which were taken full advan- |
.age of by the strong company. Mr.. |
Mackie has style wholly his own, and fits |
INTO farce like perfect-ftting glove. His |
specialties were encored time after time |
with more than usual warmth. The sup |
porting company is good one, and every |
,ne had a chance to display Individual |
ability in taking specialties. Miss Louise !
Sanford looked pretty, and scored heavily |
Is the parachute jumper, the ascension be- |
ng quite novel and taking. The scenery |
carried by the Side Show" is more than |
usually elaborate, and served to give |
realistic flavor to all the scenes.
In the "Prodigal Father company which |
will play at Manager Buffers house next |
week are two Washington girls-Elsie |
Lower and Miss Thorn. Little Miss Lower |
$ quite an artist, is a great favorite in the |
already been reserved for next Monday
hight for her friends.
Kernans Lyceum Theater.-Gus Hills |
Novelty Company proved a magnet last |
hight at kernan's Lyceum Theater that the |
horrible weather could not draw against, |
md as a result n large audience crowded |
INTO the popular play house. The attrac-
ion is straight variety one. Not weak |
spot was developed in the entire bill, and |
rom the rising to The falling Of the final |
curtain novelty after novelty followed each |
other in quick succession. The act of |
Hacker and Lester, an acrobatic bicycle |
performance, caught the house, and really |
made the hit of the evening. The French |
singing and dancing Of the Les Vouieres |
proved new and taking, and received two |
,ncores. Others on the bill who did good |
work are Miss Alice Montague and John |
Roger West, Willis and Halpin In songs and |
lances, Miss Estelle Wellington, Billy Car |
er, Nelson and Milledge, Swan and Bam-
BARD, Dryden and Mitchell and the great |
avorite, Gus Hill, whose marvellous per-
ormance with Indian clubs has lost none |
# it's drawing powers or popularity. The |
performance closed with a riproaring farce
md sent everybody away with contented |
mind.
The G. G. Course.-Most lecturers Of note
appear more or less times in Washington
VIII Carleton has done so again and again, |
winning fresh 1aurels each time He re-
turns once more this year. and will give |