The evening times., 1896-01-14

| No English farce comedy or comic opera
company has ever appeared in Washington
| that could any where approach the over
! thc-ocean beauties, comedians, singers
| and dancers, who last night began a week :
| engagement in The Shop Girl at the
! New National Theater.
| Our John Bull cousins. Judging from the
| comic actors and actresses who have oc
| casionally and disa strously stra yed TO Amer
| lea In search of gold, have a sense OF bumor
| and appreciation of beauty very different
! from ours. and it is the general verdict of
American audiences that English farce coni-
| e,ies and comedians are about as niirthful
| as funerals.
This is far from the case with ''The Shop
| Girl which is not only extremely funny
| throughout, but presents picture of beauty,
color, form and harmony that is most Amer
| lean, and, therefore, pleasing.
An immense audience witnessed il last
night. and the applause and encores were
so frequent that it was almost l1:30 O'clock
before the fun ended.
Easily the two leading impersonation> n re
those of George Grcssnpth and Fertie
Wright. As the "chappie" friend of the
Gaiety girls. Mr.. Grossmith presented a
clean and comic portrayal that cannot
he excelled. Mr.. Wright as Mr. Miegles.
the shopwalker, was favorite at once. and
received several scene calls. W. II. IN Wins
as Mr.. Hoolcy, the proprietor of the Royal
Stores. and upon whose marriage with the
shop girl, whomh he supposed vas an heiress.
the plot hinges, was most pleasing. and
acted with vivacity and cleverness.
The parts pIa yed by George Honey. George
c. Pearce and Michael Dwyer were life
like and evoked great laughter.
There was a host of girls with pretty faces,
forms and voices and the two scenes of the
play gave opportunity for most charming
costumes. which harmoniZed delightfully."-
with the handsome stage scenery and set
tings. Prominent among them, as singers
and dancers. were Miss Annie Albu,
Madge Greet Leslie Greenwood, Constance
Ediss, and Dorothy Douglass.
1t is impossible in a small space to de-
scribe all that makes The Shop Girl ka
leidoscOpic with pleasures that tempt eye
and ear, but it is enough to say that the
play and players should fill every seat in
the New National Theater this week.
The Lafayette Square Theater was COM
fortably filled last evening to greet Miss
Minnie Palmer, who returned to Washington
after more than four years absence. She
brings with her an excellent company and
very entertaining play.
THE School Girl is bright musical COM
edy OF that variety the chief characteristic
of which is lcanness of plot, but the many
musical features introduced fully atoned
for any lack in the play, however
Miss Palmer retains her vivacity of mau
ner nd nimbleness of foot, and the excellent
quality of her voice is demonstrated in sew
eral well-selected solos.
Miss Frances Rosseau, who plays the part
of Madge GaiDsbury, has very flexible
liigl, soprano voice, which she uses with
great skill.
Miss Dickerson also deserves mention.
Her contralto solo In the last act was well
rendered. The choruses were harmoniously
sung. and from musical standpoint the
performance may be said to be above the
average.
The Prof. Gainsbury OF william Gill and
the Timothy O'Flannagan of Richard O'Gor-
man We're irresistibly funny.
The company is well costumed and the
stage settings very pretty, especially in
the second act. This will probably be Miss