The evening times., 1896-12-15
AS THE CROWDS COME OUT.

The pretty little Y1e,Sh8" girls filled the
stage OF the Lafayette last uight, and a
particularly large and handsome audience
greeted them. The eeaitors testified their
delight in the performance by encoring
everything offered without discrnnina-
ton. .rs,
The Gei,ha'' is or English manufacture.
but japanese in style 1t 10 named after
the attendants II the ten houses Of the Chry-
santhemum kingdom. There is story to
the piece, but it Is rather heavy than at
traCLlve. Neither is the music more than
pa >sable. The real merit in the work is the
songs They are graceful and fancifui, and
contain distinctly oriental Jingle. There
is not always any especial sense in the
story OF the lyrics, but the lines and verses
are put together with happy briskneSs
aud often with poetic susgcStiont that com
mendS them to sCrutinyas Wei as cunSIdera-
ton.
MIR DaIy has given two settings which are
realistic rather than gorgeous. The first
represents Japanese tea house, called the
Tea House or Ten Thousand Joys, and the
second Is It garden before marquis pal
ace The pictures are well painted, but they
are not colOred IN any or the hlgh tones
customary IN the scenery accompanying
operatic productions. In the vareeated
elegance or the costutninC the producer has
presented the h Ugh COlnrs or his picture. The
twenty V odd "Geisha' were SO many charm
ers as they toddled about and fitted their
rans.
Tne company is good. Miss Dorothy Nor
ton. who has done much excellent work in
her short career as leading lady, sur
passed herself as Minlosa. both in the
quality of her singing and the intelligent
sympathy OF her acting Her song of the
Ceisha $ life and the kissing duet win Mr..
wheeler were two particular gems. Violet
Lloyd as Molly was vivacious, and sang
her songs with pleasantly distinct ennncia-
ton Mark Smith gave good comedy inn
personation as the marquis. and Charles
swain was splendid as Chinese tea-house
proprietor. The balance OF the cast was
lengthy and in many respects excellent
There Will be a matinee tomorrow.
ashore Acres began an engagement at
the New National last night. This play is
like the old stories and the sweet songs:
1t cannot be repeatGe too often. People
were present who had seen IL before ana
they will come again as surely as those
who sat transfixed In serene ecstacy OF
sentimental sympathy and wonder for the
simplicity but effectiveness of it all.
1t is a reflex OF life. real and true. Not
as the mirror or the photograph, but the
painting which supplies the defect in Wis
ION. An inartistic man may look upon "a
landscape and its charm will escape him.
The artist accentuates values, In such
way that the same colors and perspective
is effective Just as the oculist supplies
with his lenses the deficiencies of the Wis
Ion, and makes the object beautiful to
the observer without changing it. 1t is
all in the point of view and the means of
presentation. Mr.. Herne does this for
| the spectator in .Shors Acres" He gives
a panorama OF real life, divested of none
| but his art reproduces 1t for us so that it 8
a thing OF beauty. :.
The company presenting ashore Acres"
calls for warm commendation: In the
work of each individual is evidenced the
radiating inspiration OF the central actor.
| MIR. Herne remains as Uncle Nat to denote
| the effectiveness of properly directed nat
ural methods. His scharacterizationis sweet
and charming, full OF the humor that en-
| hvens and the sentiment that warns. The
balance of the cast presents Robert Fischer
| as Martin Berry, James I. Galloway as
| Joel Gates, David NJ. Murray as Sam War
| rem, Guy Cramer as Ben Hutcbins, Alex
| ander Paul as Young Nat Berry Grace Clark
| as Martins wife and Lucy Morrow, who
| as Martins daughter, gave one of the
most attractive performances of the en-
tire cast. The only matinee is Saturday.
Nancy Hanks, the famous queen of the
turf, never aroused her admirers to great
er enthusiasm than did the play of that
name at the Academy or Music last night.
| 1t is a melange OF good, honest fun. songs,
| dances. bright gags and quips and crisp dia-
| logue From beginning to end there is not
| dull moment in the performance. Even
| II Frank Tannehill, IT., were not the clever
| farce writer and adapter that he is, SO
clever a company as that with which he
| and his side-partner, 1gnacio Martinett:,
have surrounded themselves would score a
| success with much poorer production than
"The Nancy Hanks.
a sst.ifp
| la Rochette is simply immense. His devoted
| friendship for Richard Ghand0s, actor and
dramatic instructor. leads him into all
trouble upon DICK. His acting has the spice
| OF the French, stage ,lbes sings well:and his
1 dancing would do credit to a premiere. In
| womms 8 apparel, he Jis swinsoms=e enough to