Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-11-05
ADJUSTMENTS.


nouncement Of seabrooke in comedy. after
such a long and successful career in comic
opera, drew large audience to the new
Lafayette Square Opera House last night.
Mr.. Seabrooke's work pleased everybody.
He is clean and clever in his comedy work.
and does not resort to clownishness to
make his points. Occasionally in the play
last night there were touches reminiscent
Of the isle Of Champagne" and "Tobasco."
and one almost expected to see Mr.. Sea-
brooke step down to the footlights and
sing. But those were funny touches, and
the recollection was not unpleasant. Mr..
Seabrooke had a difficult task in working
without any extraordinary costume and
makeup, but as he Is a natural comedian
he did his work easily. The play itself, "A
World of Trouble" is rather light, and too
short to make full evenings entertain
ment. The authors, the Messrs. Paulton.
endeavored to cover the history of three
hours with about two hours of stage ac-
tion. and the result, while brisk as long as
1t lasts. is a bit disappointing. The play,
accurately named a farcical comedy, deals
with the "mix-up" resulting from mutual
misunderstanding between loving couples.
1t develops quickly, but drags little In the
second and third acts. Mr.: Seabrooke IS
fairly well supported, Miss Ffolliott Paget
taking the leading feminine role with her
usual excellence. AS the suspicious wife
who hires detective to clear up the mys-
terry surrounding her husband, and thus
making it worse than ever, she does some
good work. Others in the cast are Messrs
Edwin Nalod, Ray Fairchild. VIM. Herbert,
Adolph Jackson, w. H. Mccormack and
Thomas Oberle, and Misses Matte Earie-
who Is exceedingly funny as tragic claim
ant-Daisy Lowering, Isabel Hasiam and
Jeanette Lourie.
Aliens Grand Opera House.-Miss Marie
Wainwright is extremely popular In this
city and the estimation In which she is
held here was evidenced by the large ana
discriminating audience that assembled at
Aliens Grand Opera House last night to
greet her in a new play, His Puritan
Wife, The work is by Mrs. Florence
Schoeffel, and she has drawn a strong char
acter in the part of Elise Dunbar, in which
Miss Wainwright is seen to good advan-
tage. She is a neglected wife, who finds
that her husband is faithless and who falls
a victim to the wiles Of a man who has
known her from childhood and who was
a friend of her husband. Mr.. Dunbar's
suspicion, when he discovers that his wife
has been following in his footsteps and has
taken his own advice and consoled herself
with another love, falls upon Arthur Len
nox, a modern knight Grant (N1r. Geoffrey
Stein), who is the one real good character
in the piece and there is a challenge, which
is not accepted because the young man is
too good a friend of the Jealous husband,
and finally all the guilty ones become con-
science stricken. The wife and husband
make mutual confesSion-the curtain falls
upon the reconciliation of the Dunbars.
Miss Wainwright has an opportunity for
some forceful acting, which she improves,
and Mr.. Stein, Washington man, by the
way, does some graceful and natural act
ing. Miss Russell has some good scenes
and Mr.. Hartwig realizes the character of
the gentlemany villain. There were some
bitches last night due to the newness of
the people in their parts for it only
the third performance of the play.
New National Theater.-Mr. Digby Bell is
one of those upon whom the public relies for
its entertainment. He is not an experiment.
al quantity in the theatric world. In what
ever he does there is sure to be liberal
Sprinkling of humorous demonstrations,
physical and more or less intellectual, which
are peculiar to himself and which play pa
irons have over and over again Endorsed
with the dollars and the applause which
combine to produce success. Nancy Lee
is the title of the nautical opera in which
his managers present Rim this season. 1t
Is not ponderous in its ambitions but it
gives the comedian room and permits the
display of some pretty voices and attractive
comic opera millinery. Josephine Knapp is
songstress of good style and vocal quality,
and Clara Jewell Della Stacey, Laura Joyce
Bell, David Lythgoe, Gus P. Thomas and
others make up cast in which there is
much to commend both lyrically and in the
comedy Nancy Lee" will not attain to the
celebrity of an American "Pinafore," but it
is likely to be a popular vehicle for Digby-
Bellisms and lightly-turred melodies.
Academy Of Music.-A large audience well
coined Kate Claxton in the familiar play of
THE Two Orphans at the Academy of
Music last evening, and as Miss Claxton's
company is a good one, the presentation was
one which was thoroughly enjoyed.
Kernan's Lyceum Theater-There were
not seats enough at Kernan's last night to
accommodate the crowd that welcomed
Gus Hills Novelties, and it filled the aisles
to overlooking. The performance was a
clean variety entertainment. Those gro
tesque dancers. Fields and Salini, opened
the program. Gus HILL with his popular
club swinging act. followed and the SOU
brette, Bonnie Lottie. took but moment
to install herself a favorite. The musical
Gardeners, with Little Dick, the diminutve
drum major. were entirely satisfactory
and Gray and Conway, as the Dutch Du-
gans, were funny. Fred. H. Leslie intro
duced his wonderful dog circus and as
climax sent his favorite greyhound over a
hurdle fifteen feet high. McCale and DAN
fels did a startling knockabout act, and
Lew Hawkins contributed monologue
that pleased. The feature of the evening
was the wonderful exhibition of Mile
Eugene Petrescu, who performed the most
astonishing feats of Misunderstanding ever
seen here. A roaring afterpiece. THE 10th
Century Barber" closed one of the best
shows of the season.