The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-11-29
rms WEEK. ON oUn srAeE.
Five Plays New TO Us ana Some Iuterest-
ing Revtvnlp 60 n, Seen.

ing Revivals 20 he Seen.
This week is remarkable at our theatres for
It's abundance of novelty. Five plays not yet
seen In this city aio to DO performed. Two
companies from London are to DO introduced.
A comedy Of the past IL to DO revived with n
favorito actress in II. There are other attrac.
tive changes of bill In both drama and vaude-
VILE. A good lot of familiar Entertainments
are continued. Persons with memories moro
acute than their d~iscernment, and who are
prone TO lament over an imaginary deRenera-
tion of our stage, are invited TO compare the
quality Of our theatrical amuscments thiR week
with those of any ''palmy" week In their rec
objection. Our plays are better in stagecraft
and morals. Our actinK Is not less meritori-
Gus. Thero is little to denlore and much to
enjoy in what is going on at our theatres.
We are to get at the Knickerbockor to-mor-
row q company and a play with which the tho
atre now being built In London for II. Beer
bohm Tree is to be opened three months hence.
Mr.. Tree has planned to devote tho interven-
Ing time to an American tour. and FIVE weeks
of it will be spent in this city. The piece with
which he makes a beginning here is THE seat-
of the Mighty" dramatized from Gilbert Par
kor's book by the author, who says that, ex-
ceptinE a first act, In which he has tried to set
forth the nature and motives of tho charac-
ters with tho clearness necessary for the stage,
he has followed tho printed story. which lie o
romance of the sieEo of Quebec. and the con-
quest of tho French In Canada by tho English
under Wolfe. Tho extraordinary Individual
In this tale Is a natural son o: Louis XIV. a
desperate and relentless wooer Of an unwilling
maiden, and a hateful per secutor OF her nc
cepted lover. That Is the part which Mr.. Tree
assn mes. The players who have come across
tho Atlantic with him arc led by Kate Rorke,
an actress of repute In London. The imported
costumes and scenery are said to be fine, and
Mr.. Trees stagecraft Is always good.
Arthur Bourchier and Violet FanbruGh have
been here separately as members of dramatic
companies. but since then they have come to
distinction In London as the leaders of Mr..
Bourchter's own organization at his Royalty
Theatre, where fashionable favor has been ac-
corded to them. Several plays have had n
vogue there, and now they come back to New
York with these pieces. bringing their stage
companions along. They begin at the Bijou
to- with the The Chilli Widow" a
comedy with farcical tendencies in the Paris
ian manner. The French original is Bison
and Cares Monsieur 10 Directeur," In which
a shrewd and fearless widow substitutes her
self for n pursued wife, and in that euise re-
ceiNcs the attentions of n roue. Tho ENGLISH
version lie localized 10 London. MIR. Rourchier
plays a Government official, who is habitually
gallant to pretty women, and who desires to
be introduced TO the bride OF his priggish
clerk. II Is essential TO the couple'R welfare
that the officer should be cajoled. and 90 tho
widow, impersonated by Miss Vanbrugh, takes
mp the merry task Of fooling with him In place
Of the circumspect wife.
William ii. Crane, a thoroughly American
comedian. who has made folks laugh a..greAt
deal and cry a little. makes his annual pro-
duction OF a new play at the Fifth Avenue.
This one is called "A Fool of Fortune" 1t Is
the work OF Martha Morton. who has sue
ceeded several times in providing a congenial
character for Mr.. Crane to enact. This time
she has given to him a Wall street Spectator
to depict. The man is away up in fortune at
the outset. having won very heavily in the
game OF chance with stocks, and later he is
away down in poverty, his luck having turned
against him. Finally. his struggle to regain
wealth for his loved family's sake is success
full. and he dies with the achievement. He
has been "a fool OF fortune" That is a prom
Using story tO.mako Mr.. Crane tao hero of. and
we may reasonably expect n good result. 1t
Is atleast a certainty that the p!ecc will be we'll
presented. Mr.. Crane always employs a cana
BIO company and mounts plays handsomely.
He has POSTPONED the opening until Tuesday,
and so there will be one moro night of Ills
Wifc's Father"
Nellie McHenry will bring to the Harlem
SIVAa Aiouac Sht y ne" pihy CHI
titled "A Night In New York, :" which II. Graf
tan Donnelly. a maker of farces. has written
for her purposes OF mirsh. Miss McHenry was
me of the very first of The oubrettes TO 90 into
vaudeville plays. and she has ever since held o
place in that form OF amusement. Her pres
emit piece is said to be full of incidental d .ver-
sion of various kinds.
James J. Corbett, the prIzefghter, is still an
exhibit on the stage. and those who desire to
see him in the guise OF m actor may find him
in a new drama at tho Grand Opera House.to-
morrow night. This play was put together a
year ago by Charles Z. Vincent. and has been
in use elsewhere. but not in this city. The
character written for tho puGilist is that OF r
cadet at the Annapolis Naval School. He in
vents a gun, but is robbed Of it, and tho story
relates 10 his wrongs and their hLal righting.
"superba," the Tanlons' extravaganza. re-
newed, will be a holiday piece here.
Tho Monday changes OF nil at our theatres
include n revival OF London Assurance" ut
Days, and for the first time In New York Ada
Eehan will play LGdy Gay Spdnker. She should
make n breezy and quite irresistable heroine
of tho Bouccicault comedy. In which the the
atric but ever compulsory fox chaser has held
n place pretty firmly among stage personagos.
In the cast ut Days, the Dazzle is assigned to
George Clarke. the HdrcOurt to Ed win Stevens,
tho Mar TO Edwin Vary, tho Dolly to Sidney
Herbert, and the Charles 10 Charles Richman.
In n Quadrille. Mrs. Gilbert will be one of tho
dancers, though there sno speaking part for her
In the'play. London Assurance" will alternate
night BY night with The Geisha."
The new manager of the Gaicty Is deter
mined to recover that theatre from vaudeville
to tho Legitimate drama. This radical change
will be made tomorrow night. when Forget
Me Not" a play once highly regarded in the