The morning times., 1896-11-17
IS 4 WEEK OF NOVELTIES
The Holland Brothers in a
Double Bill.
FREGoLI IS A WONDER

ueOrSla Cayvan Made Her FIRST Ap.
pearance In Washington as Star
in Buchanan's Rustic Drama.
esquire Kate" at the National.
Openings at Downtown Houses.
Those two admirable artists E. NJ. and
Joseph Holland, who stand az the expon-
ents oI the Hiost artistic and reilncd In
urtiiiailc expression and preserve, at once
IN an hon0red name and line abilities, the
nest dauitlofs oil our stage, Returned to
washington last night for the second time
as stars Al the head OF their own company.
Inc dliierence between the coruiaiity Of
their reception last year and tDis was mark
ed Last year they We're applauded ap-
preclauvely for truly fine WORK, last night
tney were welcomed as OLD friends, and
besides.
= he double bill which they presented last
nlsnt at the Columbia was quite new to
washington: 1T opened with iorty minutes
oi r. hopkinson Smith $ fine old Colonel
Carter, Of CartersviIIe." E. NJ. Holland
was the delicious, impracticaBie, gallant,
ar,siocratic old Virginian. he achieved a
the piece was produced by the Palmer Stock
Company In iour-act form. He wins all
hearts 70 bin in this admirable portraiture,
Whicp Is 70 say II was depicted with the
right touch, for the surest test Of art is
Its resultant
The lutte piece is more of n page torn
from the book, for ii is entirely frngmen-
tary. II seems to outline the gentle frail-
ties OF the colonel by tie introinclion OF
the grocery book inciaent, the .;iiroad
scheme, lrh, anu his love for his ward.
rms dellghtful tempermental moment
was succeeded by three-act Comedy,
"a Superfluous Husband" "by Clyde Fitch
ana ana Leo pietrichstein; This is ,qoite The
best thing since Beau Erummei' To which
the Industrious Mr. Fitch has attached his
name: The little story it tells and its
graceful and mirthful manner Of telling
commend u heartily to the consideration
ui those who like to take their drama i'll
dramatic form, sans suggestion and sea-
soned with pleasant hUmor.
Though IL Is "A comedy, "a Superfluous
Husband rs Sometimes serious and teach
rs, WITHOUT preaching, Il moral. II Is, in-
deed, a lessen learned in laughter. The
story Is almost too Trail To transpose into
paragraph, yet in the play il is deiineti
aid Possesses the elements OF development
ana progression with crcSceant interest
necessary 10 success. AmUiJiuns or nus
band and wife heget jealousy and estrangc-
lnent but sensible father-in-law and
their little baby bring them to an under
standing and the beginning again in the
old l-fashioned way.
Light and shade, serious moments and
scenes or bright comedy alternate with
agreeable result, yet without the striped
nov red, now green; now red now 1T aen''
effect which too often conventionaliLes the
enueavnrS OF dramatists to engraft the
wary iun with the scberly dramatic. This
easy transition is the suIest charm of the
present writer's work.
ine company more nearly approxiniated
The tone OF stock work than any Washing
ton has seen under the stellar colorS.
There seems TO be 10 center To the stage.
Every one acts with evidence of genuine
ability, in greater and less degrees, but
none without sufficient to recommend him
TO the role with which he is entrusted
Joseph Holland played the husband. II
Is part that suits him nicely, and, il
IN ha mi t.a
II as well as could be. E. NJ. Holland is
suboruinated in his; opportunities as the
delightful fatherin-law, but not in the
affection or the audience. who found q
wealth of enjoyment in his performance
Miss olive Oliver, as the wife, played
win hearnestncss. possibly with overearn. ST
ness, especially in the last scene. in which
she is not quite convincing. Charles Har.
bury gave firm touch To his character
iZation or the art critic; Milton Lipmar
did not succeed in illuminating the rather
Colorless role of the wife's friend, Thomas
Oberle was seen i'll a new contribution tC
social satirlcal characte RS; Charles ID
fitt received laughs for all his few lines
as the college boy, and Miss Douglas made
| few scenes as Ellen.
In its ensemble the Holland company
eXceis. The large audience appreciated
| this and was just but generous in it's con
| linuous laughter and numerous curt ain
| calls. The present bill will be -cp, aztec
until Thursday night.
1 iit bEtUtslTt was ntdEu lDT IIC
| hrSt time. and made good impression
one selection was a piece descriptive of !;
clock store. and the audience was sur
| prised but amused to hear, at one point
| alarms ringing from all parts Of the house
LeOpoldo Fregoli made pleasant success
| at the Lafayette last night: more pro
| bounced. perhaps. because We were pre-
pared In be disappointed, erratic Gotham
having put upon him its blighting stamp nj
| approval. But New York, who dislikes sc
many good things and shares the high
| places OF its regard with so much blitherine
nonsense. occasionally lands on the right
side Of the critical stile, and 1t made nc
mistake in making fad of Fregoli.
The Italian is too things, versatile and
| an artist, and the first OF these include.
some seventy or eighty other things. which
he Is In supplementary but not necessa
| rily secondary way. Fregoli is the apotheo
acting which was introduced memory
! kindly declines To say when. which grew
into sturdy growth when Mr.. Sothern un
dcrtook 20 play three characters ii
| sibility in Fregoli- who PLAYS all the char
actcrs in sight and several out of sight
| He is a dramatic octopus, for he seizei
upon everything for himself; he has u com
| pOsitc Countenance, for IL reflects score
| of intiividualitcs: he is an actor, musi
clan. singer, mimic. an acrobat. G
| prestidigitateur, ventriloquist and Say
| eral other things for which the expletlve:
| VIII not come.
| Those who saw him last night will vouci
| for all this apparent eNtravaEance. other
with spark of curiosity, will be anxiou
| to know what he does to deServeit. Afte
] Il couple of specially acts have been seen
| but not heard. to the accompaniment O
late corners Slamming their seats ant
| rnstlins their silks. The Impossible Duet
| was made possible. In this Frcgoli wor
such Il combination of dress and make u
| that when he faced the audience they saw
/ Il woman and when he turned his back the,
| saw a man. The mans face was a painted
| masque. The man and the woman bot
| Fregoli, sang alternately. disclosing tn
| fact that the singer has a baritone voice o
actual power when used in falSetto.
| This was followed by some songs AM
| neat trick. which quite captured the house
| fregoli appeared as an aged music teacher
He went behind the piano and sat down t.
| await Ills pupil. She entered in a momen
| from the center portieres Hearing her h
| rose to II standing position and they san,
ut each other. or course Frcgol was tn
| woman and sang bOthpartS, havingcrawlet
/ out when he went behind the piano. A,
admirable Initiative dummy substituted
| him.
But that was mere trfie. The mex
piece was a tragedy, "Camaleonte" Hi
first appearance, was as n frisky wife
| She was expecting something. Finally sh
| heard it. 1t was a Serenadcr You hear
Voice OF the troubador. The wife weI
| to the window and opened it. The yoic
| was now quite plain but diminished as tn
woman closed the window again. The
she left the ri6m. SIiil You heard tn
serenade. 1t grows closer. The windo,
is opened from the outside, the voice
more distinct, tits the singer climbing in
| tregoli again in new costume.
| Thus he went about. o 1t one door as on
person. in another door as somebody els,
t.rrtfl