The evening world., 1895-01-26
THE TWENTIETH CENTURY GIRL.

Oh. Sydney. Sydney Rosenfeld-yot
who were once 90 bright. so clever
so joyous and no satiric! IT'S we'll fol
you that you stood last night before ar
audience OF friends, at the Bijou: thai
you were not new and untried. and
that the people had faith in you. other.
wise. my friend. you would have been
booted and jcered when you had the
temerity to step before the curtain. I,
was like adding insult to injury. Al
the end of the second act we hoped that
we might never look upon your agree
able face again. Yet you came and
bowed and scraped. Just as though you
really believed the audience wanted to
see you. Oh. Sydney. Of the tarnished
brightness!
As a matter Of fact 1.-THE Twentieth
Century Girl has all its brightness in
Its title. 1t is about as dull, as witless
and as inexcusable an affair as we have
had for a long time. Messrs. Canary
and Lederer are not responsible for its
failure. for they have done all they
could by way Of supplying an excellent
cast. pretty dresses and appropriate
scenery Ludwig Englander has also
done his share satisfactorily, for the
music Ii catchy and neatly turned. 1t
Is Mr.. Rosenfeld's book that works the
mischief. As he Is the general over
hauler Of other peoples manuscripts,
can he not be induced to overhaul his
own? I have always been one Of his
admirers. and l hate to tear down an
idol.
In "The Twentieth Century Girl' Is a
mannish woman, who is not bit funny.
She Is supposed to 30 in for politics, to
smoke and to ape the manners of a
dude, and she does 1t, but somehow she
does not provoke the ghost of a smile.
Her guardian, who wishes to cure her.
attempts to do so by donning some of
the garbs of woman and posing as boy
spinster. but he Is vulgar rather than
amusing, and nothing occurs to enter
tain an enlightened New York audi
ence. Then there Is Michael MacNa-
mara. tiresome character very popular
in the one-night-stand farce-comedy
companies. and German professor,
another horse-play role. These people
wander on the stage during the three
long acts. They never say an amusing
thing. and 1t was sad to see clever actors
and actresses SO deplorably wasted.
Ire cast was a most creditable one.
The new lessees Of the Bijou must be
congratulated for that. Miss Minnie
Landes and Miss Edith Howe have
voices. far above those usually
heard In rough-and- tumble farce-com-
edy. and Edwin Stevens is a genuine
Poor Stevens was never less
fortunate than with his part i'm 1.-THE
twentieth Century Girl" 1t simply
swamped him. Miss Helen Dauvray Is a
clever comedienne. hut she should be
wise enough to avoid singing, for the
reason that she has no voice. Her part
was that Of a damsel twenty-three years
Did. ] will say no more. John r. Kelly |
and AL II. Wilson have their admirers
among the vaudeville lovers Of the city. |
II those admirers see them at the Bjou |
Kelly and Wilson will have to look out |
'or new patrons And poor Sidney Drew,
l most entertaining young man-hs lot |
was a woful one. He was about as un-
happy as Miss Jennie Weathersby, an
artist In her peculiar line.
The role that Miss Cissy Fitzgerald de-
clined was given to Miss Lillian Thur
gate. who did very well. She lacks Miss |
t1tzgeralds grace and Is inclined to |
romp. but she Is a nice little lady. and
she deserved the roses that Miss Cissy. |
In an ecstasy Of irony. threw her from a
box. ALAN DALE.