The evening times., 1896-12-18
COMING TO THE THEATERS.

Neil Burgess, as odd Miss Podd'' Will
inake his initial bow at the Columbia The
ater Monday night. This Is the rev play
that Alice L. Ives has written for him,
of which reports speaklvery highly az an
amusement purvcyor Of the highest order.
The play is IN four acts. with all the scenes
bal one laid III Simsbufy, among the green
hills of Vermont.
The central figure in the pla is Penelope
Podd, Mr.. Burgess, New England spins
ter, bustiing, warni-hearted and self-sacri-
ficing, with a strong sense OF duty. She has
nephew, Eben strong, with art aspira-
TONS, which she has encouraged TO the ex-
tent of pinchinS herself financially that he
may take a course OF study in Boston. She
d. cides, in order to make both ends meet. to
take summer boarders; and with the ar
rival of some city folks comes Laurie Car
roll. pretty and young city heiress, whom
Eben at once proceeds to fall in love with.
With this the plot begins.
Miss Podd, in a charitable moment, has
taken in and sheltered young village
girl who is under n cloud, and when Ned,
Laurie's cousin, a dusEing young city chap,
discovers Lefty in Miss Podd's home there
is a scene. She. il appears, sometime before,
had contracted a secret marriage with
Ned, bat owing to the conditions OF will,
which diSiuhcrits the young man, he darcs
not acknowledge the fact before he is
twent y-fiye. He means to be honorable.
but being in deadly fear of his mother
learning the true state of affairs, endeavors
10 get Lefty away. She begs to remain.
as Miss Podd had been her friend.
Among the summer boarders is one Oba-
diah BIRD, inventor OF flying machine,
and Miss Podd trifles with the machine
with disastrous results. Her weI-mrant
but mistaken desires to right all wrongs
and make everybody happy result in her
mixing up things to such an extent that
instead OF happiness she brings the direst
misery to all concerned.
The third act brings Miss Podd to Ros-
ton in search of her nephew, where she ar
rives Just as the fashionable Mrs. Rocking
ham is entertaining society with pink
tea. Here she succeeds in shocking the
guests and still further complicating mat
tiers, while she puts the innocent professor,
who has accompanied her, in highly en-
barassing position.
An incident in the second act will be
race Introducing a bicycle scorcher chased
by a running horse. In this production as
in ''Thc County Fair several mechanical
devices patented by Mr.. Burgess will be in
troduccd to give animation and life to the
picture. The play is said to be fairly bust
ling with funny lines and complicated as
well as startling situations. Mr. Burgess
is very enthusiastic over his part, which he
declares to be one of the best he has ever
had.
Miss Ives knowledge of the Yankee char
acter was demonstrated last season in
| 1.-THE Village Schoolmaster." This alone
should be sufficient guarantee that Pen
elope Podd will be Yankee spinster OF
the pure type, with Mr.. Bur CESS in the part.
All of the Hoyt comedies have been pre-
| sented in this city al one time or another;
and none of them have been found wanting
| in those qualities which go to make up an
l,irh or.
| among the play going element will find
| much TO recompense them for visiting the
| theater. III
In his very latest comedy, called "a
| Contented Woman. which will be pre-
| sented for the first time in this city at the
| New National Theater Monday evening, Mr..
| Hoyt has turned his attention to the wO-
| man politician and other individuals who
| go to make up that motley throng known
| as "off1ce- seekers" A wife, in a moment
of piQue, consents TO- run against her own
husband as mayor Of Denver, and each has
| a political headquarters in the house, from
| which vigorous campaigns are carried on.
The wife Is elected, very much to her own
| dismay ,as she only wants revenge and not
| office, but in the end ~ Saved the RESPONSE
bility by the discovery that she is not of
| age, and consequently , not eligible under the
| statutes to direct tbS dffairs of the city.
After her exciting political experiences she
comes to q belief that II the women are
| willing to trust their husbands with their
love and happiness they might as well give
them the guardianship OF all other matters.
| Caroline Nickel Hoyt, the beautiful and
talented wife of the author, will play the
leading role in the piece, and in her sup
port will be such popular favorites as Will
liam H. Currie, Frank Lane, Max Freeman.
VIII H. Bray, Ed Garvey. George Ober.
| Amy Ames, Madeline Bouton, Sallie Nickel.
Magaret Mcdonald, May Stuart and
| others.
The company provided by Klaw and Err
anger to produce ''In Gay New York.
bears evidence in its personnel of unusual