The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-03-30
EXHIBITS IN THE SHOWS.
TIGER HUNTERS IN Wax YORK AT
THE EDEN MUSEE.

tltHh hBNIEhS IN WA WOHh NJ
THE EDEN MUSEE.
The Beautirui Maxine Elliot Has Learned
60 Act a Litto-The Rotupd May Irwia
Il an Ingenious uumorist- Stage Notes.
The Japanese gymnnsts that have for several
years stood on their heads, balanced themselves
on bamboo sticks, and disposed themselves In
various apoplectlc attitudes in the Eden Musee
wax works, have been permitted TO rest. The
space they filled In tho centre Of the display
room is now occupied by O group representing
a tiger hunt in an African jungle. There is a
fp~ll.sized figure of an elephant on whose back
are three men. One VI these is a native driver,
who. with his CAD hook appraised. sits just
back OF the elephants head. Back Of the ma
tive there Is a howdah. In which are two sports.
men. One o. them, In likeness of the Prince
OF Wales. has one leg over the side of the how
dab, rs IL he Intended TO escape from tho COM
ing encounter, and the other has his rifle aimed
ut a big tiger that, with f~orepaws appraised on
the elephants side. is almost within reach Of
him. On the other side OF the elephant from
the tiger and winding about over about twenty
feet Of the mimic jungle is o boa constructor.
Its mouth Is open and It's interior decorations
suggest the signs OF Sixth avenue dentists. The
s%erpent's eyes are raised TO the figure OF the
Prince with an expression that indicates. dis-
passionate calculation as TO the point at which
tne fetreHtlnR hunter VIII drop, ana uncertain
ty as to his value as an edible when compared
with darker denizens of the jungle. The ele-
Piha55t has trunk and tusks upreisod IN the at,
she is just about TO trumpet 'Hooray!' 80 IL
Is made clear that the outcome OF this fray IL
happy. so far as the native and the chap who
is shooting are concerned. near as they are to the
tigers claws. Then any one knows that the
serpent. Outside the railing at which the jun
gle ends stands q new figure that ~ very life
like in its copy OF an Interested spectator.
There was a time when 1t seemed unlikely
that Maxine Elliot would ever he anything
more than q beautiful figure In the plays TO
which she lent her physical loneliness, but no
skill or adaptability that indicated even an
undeveloped talent for the stage. For this
reason It is surprising to find her acting In
the current piece at the Fifth Avenue with an
appreciation and q dellcacy that arc delightful
and In n manner that is finished and grace
full. Particularly successful is her treatment
OF the passages in Sydney Rosenfeld's play
which call for the expression of gentle, girl
ish emotions; and these are as adroitly indi-
Gated when the feeling is light and playful as
in the scenes that are clouded with serious
ness and heavier thought. Mr.. Rosenfeld
has devised q declaration of love which Is
novel enough to present this necessary and in
evitable scene with something like an element
of variety. 1t /, more than Il declaration Of love.
for 1t involves the suitor's offer of marriage. The
iiHN e pisy y0t hs. Been w nbyid nEdye: af" al rae in ne love. q
with the heroine since their meeting In the first
act. There Is no actual love scene between
audience. moreover, in view OF the exisencies
Of the drama, with which it is by this time
clan because in the rest Of the list of charac-
tiers there is no other man u, marry her. sc
the spectators ;ba IG are .= PREPARED o when ,, the las last act act
tain that the declaration is at hand. The lover
carries an opened letter when he enters the room
to her mother-a vagary which the drumatist
does not explain, and the spectators wonder
The lover starts to read the letter to the girl
in lieu Of q verbal proposition; Just then the
s pIays a ,s h, the h wlth th 4ss oist The eh letter in si ie shs
while. the action that moves on the story is
transferred, nraa,nnssfse r ito to the peOplG .y wh F1,I have elias last , ap,
when she hands the letter to her mother, after
getker delightful In its maidenly reticence and
simplicity. Her happiness is plainly depicted
on on her f ,s1s and md her y manner sinm;tv !. na nu' ,yS nro and
spirit of restraint. There are no indications
that Miss Elliot possesses an ability for strong
tions of polite and refined comedy are very
truthfully and appreciably illustrated in her
Mr.. Roseufeld has been accused of departing
100 slightly from the conventional types OF the
f b1sF 1,n in '%elf sat e. th fSe ssn Gne Is at th I"as aey %ai'e
novel. The young hero differs from other 10
litical figures that have appeared lately on the
personal ambition in politics. He is not strug;;
OF a movement that is controlled by other
minds. One can see that he Is much more In
1s5fs'sd IN fntn als RFo Sne Is ip "s n "ts'i to ' Kim h in t h,s
other, but it Is the affair of the heart and not
OF the ballot box that really engrossed him.
not a single effect by any appeal to the sym
pathies of his audience that is founded, on
s iorS. i mith the Sn haSit t Of drr@ tn , h his voice oHs''i in
the middle Of every speech. is rather q farci-
sni pe GFons sts Sgs the w Gonc sIsy IS e sh quaint pnrt. one es.
ecutes the popularity SO naturally and with
so little exaggeration that he mitigates the
remaining characters are not novel. II Is I'M
fortunate, too, that they arc not exhibited
terest which would throw the attention of the
audience less analytically on them.
May Irwin has certainly proved her right to
be called a woman with a sense of humor. She
won that title long ago, and she has bravely
defended 1t. Even a woman with less appre-
citation OF fun would be amused at the two fig
ures which illustrate now In tableaux Miss Ir-
wins singing Of THE New Bully" They are
recent additions. which were revealed for tho
first time when THE Widow Jones' re-
turned to the Bijou. The fun of that excep-
tionally humorous play Is generally intentional.
Only the living pictures arouse in tho audience
a kind of laughter which Is not just the trib-
ute that was expected for them. When Miss
irwin starts to sing the song. the actors flock
to the sides of the stage in order that the view
OF the background may not be INSTRUCTED. rhe
curtains over n broad door in the centre Of the
stage are closed. Miss Irwin starts the song,
her admirable dialect and spirit creating imme-
diately the atmosphere that is needed 10 make
It "a success. When she reaches the end of the
first verse the curtains at the back of the
stage part, and a genuine negro, In the most
impossible conventional negro minstrel clothes
is disclosed holding a large razor in his hand.
The effect Is dreadful. 1t d~aBpens the en-.
thusiasm of the audience Immediately. The
song is a bit of fantastic, exaggerated bur.
lesque. founded in no respect on fact, and
quite without reality. So the apparition OF
the living negro introduces into the scene an
element entirely at variance with the effect of
Miss Irwin's song. which is what tho audi
ence has been enioying. But this tahleaux is
really the least disilluslOning OF the series.
AS the song progresses more real negroes,
more painted backgrounds, and more coInpli-