Evening star., 1896-03-17

ance Of the play in Washington, and the
audience represented the politics and soci-
ETY. Of the capital, the Presidents wife, sew
eral cabinet ministers and q number of dip
lomats and journalists being present. AS
at the close of the third act. when the au-
thor and entire company responded to the
call. the play is q decent one, a thing quite
unexpected in our latter day drama. It 10
maintain herself in golden circle with
nothing but coppers to do 1t on. and the re-
suit may be surmised. She marries one of
her daughters to a rich man, and her eff
forts to place the other similarly gives the
main plot to the play. Fortunately, the
daughter has E-ore sense than the mother.
and marries the man she loves, poor though
he be. Running along with the society fea-
ture is the politics of Peter Burlap. the rich
son-in-law, and Peter has fun with politics.
So much for the play, which has many
bright lines In it and plenty of plot But II.
needs pounding tosether-welding, so to-
speak-to make it cohesive in interest, if
that expresses what 1t needs. OF the cast
nothing but praise may be said for it is
one OF the strongest before the public. Miss
Maxine Elliott leads as Eleanor Cuthbert,
the beautiful and sensible daughter, who
casts aside the very smooth villain, Gerald
Pryor (Mr. Campbell Golian), for the always
attractive and interesting Ned Garland (Mr.
Frank Worthing), and the love making of
these two handsome young people is as nat
ural as II they really meant it. Miss Hen
rletta Crossman, as Gwynne, the married
daughter, is always fine artist and a
handsome woman. while Peter. Burlap (Mr.
Frazer Coulter), her husband, Is one of the
shining lights of the comedy. Then there Is
Dick Miller Edgar L. DarenporD, his sec
retary, with Lord Cirencester (Mr. Grant
StewarD. ready to marry two society girls
Miss Oerterle and Miss Maude Monroe),
rather boisterous types perhaps. and Mrs.
handsome society woman. MIR. and Mrs.
Cuthbert (Mr. F. F. Mackay and Mrs.
Thomas Barry) are types Of society people,
and their financial friend. Hoffman, the liv-
cry stable keeper Mr. c. c. Craig. is as
natural as life. With such people in the
cast 1t would be impossible not to have a
play well presented, and "a House of
Cards" finds the larger part Of it's success
IN the players who play it. The stage set
ti1gs are notably fine.
'The Wizard of the Nile"-One of the re-
qulsitts for comic opera served on the Amer
lean plan is a certain extravaganza of fancy
"a disregard for the possibilities in human
event and human CT aracter that gives the
cesturler, scene painter and comedian all
the latitude that could be desired. Incident
ally there is some music, but the most con-
spicuous factor in a successful production of
this Kind is the deft, discriminating touch of
the stage manager, as in the case of THE
Wizard of the Nile,'' which was produced at
the New National Theater last night. The
Hbretto, by Harry B. Smith, shows liberal
share of humorous invention, and the music,
by Victor Herbert, Is tuneful and apropos.
Frank Daniels. comedian who has shone
Tor some years in farce comedy, introduces
the broad effects in comedy chara cteristic of
him with good results in the title role. He
is ultra-farcical in his method, but the piece
IS SO Iearly an extravaganza that this fact
is merit rather than defect. Miss Dor
othy Morton, a soprano who combines good
looks with vnpa1 Sb,,,ap re yyhi ioh do
credit to the comic opera stage, has a part
which displays her abilities very prettily;
and Walter Allen proves himself the pos
SCISSOR Of talents well beyond the ordinary.
On the whole, 1.-The Wizard Of the Nile" is
an enjoyable excursion into the domain Of
the totally absurd.
The Great Diamond Robbery.-The Acad-
emy of Music was crowded to it's utmost
last night by an audience which was bo.s-
terously enthusiastic in its demonstrations
successful melodrama, "The Great D:a-
mond Robbery" So far as the play is con-
cerned 1t Is the most melodramatic
of melodramas that has been seen in
many many yea years s..t.,dn 1t has all the inc
most exactfng taste for the thrilling and
the marvellous There is the handsome ad-
ventures who stops not at murder; the
old hag who keeps fence" and who
boasts that she controls not only the po-
lice. but the courts of justice, by her Ill
gotten money; the honest young man ac-
cuGed of murder; his sweetheart, who is
poor but beautiful, and who is abducted
and carried to the old woman's den be-
cause she has learned some facts as to the
murder, and, of course, some stolen jewels
of priceless value figure in the plot Then
there is the detective. who assumes all
sorts of DISCUSSES, as detectives always do
on the stage, and who finally runs the
guilty parties to earth and brings out vr-
tue and honesty triumphant over vice and
villa.ny. Incidentally. there are New York
politician an Irish woman constituent, a
Canal street girl, who is always dancing,
and young physician of great skill and
morals. From such an out
with cast of ordinary people there would
be great ranting and acting of the muscu-
lar kind. but Mr.. Palmer's company pre-
sents performance that is remarkable for
the excellent work of the principals in the
cast. First and foremost is Madame ia
whose reputation as a TRACE
dienne is still fresh in the minds of the ma
Jor.ty of playgoers. and who brings to the
part of Mother Rosenbaum all the re-
sources of her great ability and long expe-
Tience on the stage. She makes the Rosen-
baum terribly wicked old woman, and
plays with an intensity that thrills her
audience Mss Lillian Lawrence, as the
scheming adventures who stops at no
crime to accomplish her ends, gave fresh
proof of her ability as an actress, and
looked very beautiful in several fetching
COSTUMES MISS Maud Banks won the SYM
pathy of the audience at once by her arts
tic impersonat.on of the unfortunate hero
inc, and Annie Yeamans, the best female
impersonator of Irish characters on the
stage, found a part to her liking and which
took the audience in Mrs. O'Geoghan. OF
the male contingent the part most in ev:-
Gence was Dick Brummage, the detective
played by Frederic Bond, who soon found
that he was again among friends in Wash
ington The most artistic bit of work was
done by Mr.. Joseph E. Whiting, whose Dr.
Livingston. although not a prominent part,
was excellently done. Geo. c. Boniface, as
Clinton Bulford, only appears in the first
act, but his thrilling death scene made a
distinct impression. w. A. Wh.tecar was
a manly Frank Kennel, and Thos Hunter,
as Senator McCorker, was a good carica-
ture of certain class of New York poll
t.cian. The piece was splendidly staged.
Kernan's Lyceum Theater-Kernan's was
crowded to Its doors last night. The at
traction was the Boston Howard Athe-
naeum Specially Company, and the per-
formance was one of the most complete
variety entertainments seen at this house
this season. The feature of the show is
Madeline Rosa, the female ventrflouuist.
who throws her pleasing voice into the
wooden figures, producing an effect that Is
almost lifelike. knock-about act per
formed on the high trapeze by Kenno and
Welch was startlingly funny. Mulvey and
Inman, in terpsichorean creation of their
own, entitled After the OPERA" were very
good. An act out of the ordinary, and al
together refined speciality, was that pre-