The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1895-12-28
COMING TO THE THEATERS.

Since Tim Murphy took "A Texas Steer
by the horns for himself he has apparently
given il a new impetus toward success.
The play opens weeks engagement at
the Grand Opera House Monday evening,
and will no doubt be received with more
hearty laughter than ever before, though
the piece has been here often enough to
have somewhat chastened the enthusiasm
over its bright points.
1t seems, however. as il satire on Amer
lean politics, like good wine, improves
with age. Hardly year passes that does
not add some new significance TO the sar-
casm that fills The scenes. For example,
the speech of the colored ''gemman" describ-
ing tie trials OF an Of1iCe-seeker in Wash
ington seems continually 10 Come like a
revelation of tie absurd conditions created
by the spoils system, and it is always given
a round of applause as hearty as If ii had
been made on theStump.
On the social side, too, the satire gains
additional vigor from tie vagaries Of every
city's 400" and when the Texas states
man gets down to the Ioinf where be is
moved to remark that on American son-n-
law is good enough for him the galleries
applaud the sentiment to the echo. 1t is
a happy thing for dramatic author TO hit
off a topic that is kept fresh not by re-
writing his remarks, but by the living wit
nesscs of 6O,00O,OGO people to the just
ness of his original conception.
"A Texas Steer" can never fail to MAKE
a hit so long as the American people are so
careless with their politics and SO good
natured over their failures.
The supporting company is very evenly
balanced. and could scarcely he improved
upon. Miss Dorothy Shcrrod as BOssy
Brander is more than satisfactory in % part
which is not exactly easy. The part is one
that can easily go too far toward slanginess.
but it is 10 Miss SEerrCd's credit that her
BosSy is uniformity wOmanly and sweet.
Wallace jackson as Brassy Gall, Charles
Allison as Fishback and Charles Lallock
as Capt. Fairieigh Bright are all well up
in their roles, and make the comedy go
With rush. The three Texans, Yell,
Bragg and Blow are wei hit OF by Messrs.
NARROW, Adams and Marley. The whole
company is in perfect touch with The per-
Torrance, and are working with good
will to make every performance success.
Richard Mansfield returns to Washington
next week, and will on NJ onday night, al the
- Lafayette Square Opera House, present
for the first time here his new play, The
Story of Rodion, the Student" This play
is founded on Dostoyevsky's novel; Crime
and Punishment" The adlpter, Charles
Henry Meltzer, has done his work with con
siderable dissection and ing s IT,,
: densation of the whole book, be has Sc
lected half dozen OF the principal cpl
{ sodes in the career of his hero. He is said
to have by these means secured great prOIni.
Dence to Rodion, and provided a compact,
significant and ineligible drama. Rodion'S
: career is traced from the moment when he
is first impclled to the idea of murder by
his sense of unjust suffering, to the com.
mission of the deed itself, and through the
period of remorse, which ends in bis final
confession and surrender. at the sugges
tion and interccssion of the girl, whose sad
fate had furnished one of the chief motives
of his act.
The preliminaries of the murder, the
crime itself and the escape of the assassin
three acts, showing the remorse of the muir
derer, his futile struggle to guard against
self-betrayal. the terrible fascination that
forces him to revisit the place OF the h0ni
eide, and his final breakdown, under the
influence OF the woman he loves, are re-
ported to he OF q much higher character,
and excite deep interest.
"The story OF Rodion, the Student" win