The morning times., 1896-12-13

hT.fNNhN 'sS--N hhitS s'ui AS''tu>'
COLUMBIA- Local entertain nments,
varying each evening.
A MOTHER taste OF the Orient this week
Il i'll The Geisha.'' The piece seems 10
have achieved a success surprising
that OF any Importation in half
dozen years. 1t was put on at Days
early in the season and played continually
to packed houses. Several weeks OF ROAD
time were cancelled, but tie out OF town
managers demanded the evident gold mine,
and Ada Rehan demanded her home stage.
Under the circumstances q peculiar com
promise waseffected. Thcoriginal "Gesha
company was sent on the road; second
''Geisha'' company was formed to play
alternate nights with Miss Rehan at Days.
New York not only accepts the confusion
OF musical with classic comedy, but packs
the theater to see "a number two com
pany as regularly as 1t dld TO see the
original. Tomorrow night we snail see
the original company.
Tie songs Of Tine Geisha' read delight
fully They have the tripping character
associated with the pattcr or Japanese
maidens' dainty feet Moreover, they have
sense and delicious hunor. A score timed
to their rhythm cannot help being consist
entity characteristic. The two acts, the tea
house Of ten thousand joys and the chrysan-
theuun fetc disclose world OF promise
for gorgeous effects.
Our dear old friend, Uncle Nat, returns
this week to the National, with his beauti-
ful story of "Shore Acres Herne's play
stands the test of endurance. For five years
it has held undisputed the prestige OF being
the finest American realistic play. Sir
Henry Irving confirmed this opinion when
he saw "Shore Acres and beSougRt Mr..
Hcrne to bring the play TO England. We
| hi
drama is a perpetual delight, though there
would be a patriotic pleasure in hearing OF
| the deferred triumph for an American
play in London, which he would surely
make.
The Academy shares with the Lafayette
the novelties Of the week. Here VIII be
seen for the first time Ignacio Martinetti
and Frank TanneliIll, jr., in their comedy,
| .'IUe Nancy Hanks. Iris Is not n hoTScE
| play. 1t Is named after a gold mine
which was named after Lincoln's mother
| Tomorrow evening cups and saucers OF
Nancy Hhnks period will be given to
| the ladies'
The Grand presents Fitz and Webster
| In their long popular comedy, "A Breezy
Time, Tie lil ,Uu divides the week be-
| tween two stirring melodramas and Ker-
mans Lvceilta has VANITY FaIr'
The Columbia is without a regular at
| traction this week This is the week
| before Christmas and managers find it
| the jonah week of the season. Mr.. Met
| Zerott will take advantage of the open
| time to put in the ornamental iron work
| and otherwise finish his pretty theater.
| n NE of, the the cardinal principles OF
| stage craft seems to be unknown or
~ at least. a dead letter with the effer-
lTeScent Mr.. Harry B. Smith and the
efrusiyc Mr.. Reginald DekOven. Stat
| OH N no hriafnSf i'm.
| ciplc is Don't promise one thing and give
another An audIpnce's expectation mas
| a great deal to do with its enjoyment.
| When we go to see Mansfield we are
nervcd for the creeps; IL Nat Goodwin af-
fectcd us in this way we should be disap
| pointed. We expect TO laugh when De
! Wolf Hopper is on. Bcerbohm Trees humor
is tragic When a light comedy comes
along the public is content with nluc
| people and no special scenery.
| They pay the same price to see opera, but
look to the prot lection of an unwritten law
for a chorus of half a hundred and excessive
| elaboration in scenery ana 4, ,;Iirs When
French play is promised the best New
! England comedy eXtant brings a feeling
| of resentment, and SO when you 90 for
| American comedy and get nonuescript
| pathos the feeling of recalCitrancy is just
as pronounced. Mr.. DeKoven promised a
| Chinese opera in The Mandarin Backed
| by reasonable expectation from a man of
his alleged SENSE of proprieties and the
blessed memory of the fitness OF things in
The Mikado'' and THE Pearl of Pekin, y
we expected to see an opera in theme and
| temperament Chinese. There is where
general disappointment came in. Aside
from the title, the first thirty-two or so
| bars of the overture, the scenery and the
| costumes OF the male chorus, the opera
| might have been any old thing. The music
| n u1 To and la1ip -
| of kind, but they were not Chinese kind
On the strength OF their own intrinsic
values they would have passed muster
but they fractured the hopes built on d
promise. Doubtless as much money was
spent on each dress in THE Mandarin
as On each one worn in Halt King
but even the rags OF Wilson's canaiil6
We're glorified, because they were appro
pirate. This matter of dress and atmo
sphere was an objectionable fault, be
cause the same amount of money spent
with Judgment would have netted artist;
results. Mr.. De Koven is a composer Of
resources, and he showed in his over.
ture that he understood the motifs o
Chinese music, but he deliberately deserted
them. He is not only to be forgiven, but
praised for the quality of reminiscence
| which peryades his work. There is al
exhibition of peculiar shallownessin launch
ing this criticism against composer.
| The m ore nearly lie approaches the glo
ries of Robin Hood, 1.-The Fencing Mas
ter Rob Roy" and The Algerian" tn,
more glory be his. We look for an au
thor's individuality in his writings,
painters distinctive touch in his canvasseS
an factors charm of personality in his char
acters; why not musician repeat himsel
in his music? But Mr. DeKoven owes il
to US to be Chinese in 1.-The Mandarin" ;" a.
he was pastoral in Robin Hood" Scotch
/ in Rob Roy and had charmed US witt
the adroit repetition of the Moslcn pra yel
motif in ''The Algerian" Constancy is
jewel. So
HWO well-known professional. women
| have the same second choice Tht
| women are Jessie Bartlett Davis and
Eugenia Blair. The first choice is
their art. not to mention their hus
bands, and their second is their farm The
priina donna has a chicken farm across tn,
Indiana inefrom Chicago; across the Mary
land bridge, near Benning, is Edgemore. Tho
country pla cc of the actress. Judgingby the
fragrance of the house and peep into the
l