The herald., 1896-12-08
AT THE THEATERS


spectacular melodrama Darkest Russia
engaged the earnest attention of a
large audience at this theater last night
The play is by Grattan Donnelly, a
bright journalist who has scored many
stage successes, and it is truth to say
that there are few melodramas of mod
ern making that will equal Darkest
Russia III the strong chain Of telling sit
uations. climaxes, and in resounding
lines of sentiment. While the evils Of
the Russian police system are dramat-
ically exploited, still there Is no blind
manifestations of ill-judged prejudice
against the Russian people, and the
story of love, jealousy and ambition, and
the ultimate triumph OF right flows
along in smooth dramatic lines, and the
story is most cleverly and deftly told.
One Of the secondary elements in the
production Of the play is the really ar
tistic manner In which the play is mount
ed. The scenic accessories are ad1nira-
BILE expositions Of the rich and barbario
ooloring Of the Byzantine school, and
are thoroughly In keeping with the
environments Of the play, while the
same painstaking fidelity is shown in
is play full of the strong and moving
impulses of passion, interviewer with a
fine vein of humor, and 1t is we'll worth
the seeing.
Mr.. Haines as Colonel Nazimoff made
an ideal lover. Mr.. Haines Is very
clever actor. Michael j. Jordan, ster-
ling actor whom we pleasantly remem-
ber in many of the standard plays as
the Count Nazimoff and the courier,
added more laurels to a career that has
always been dignified by full measures
of success. Mr.. Sidney Ellis, who has
also long been a favorite In the east
in a large circle Of exacting roles, gave
force and volume and subtle flavor to
the humorous elements of the eccentric
American, Colonel Cobb. Mr.. Ellis is
a sterling actor. Mr.. Morton's Ivan and
Mr.. Bresn's Nicholas were two cleverly
drawn characters Miss Byron had a
hard and thankless role in Countess
karsicheff, but she gave full play to
her virile histrionic powers in most ad-
equately picturing the characteristics of
the scheming woman. Miss Herman as
Ida demonstrated that she was at
home as an emotional and melodramatic
actress, and Madame Jordan's Baron
ess was a most excellent portraiture in
the line Of cleverly drawn comedy. The
large supporting company acquitted
themselves admirably.
ORPHEUM.--Nothin that this popu-
lar vaudeville house has ever presented
has surpassed the show that was given
last night. 1t was q feast of fun and
carnival of merriment.
Dion Romandy's excellent orchestra
opened the program with its usual con-
tribution. which received well-merited
tribute from a crowded house. The
curtain went up with the Morrells to the
front, and there was fun without limit
thenceforward. Their breezy little
sketch. Pastimes. is one we'll calculated
to put an audience into a good humor.
1t is pleasing melange of specialties,
including banjo solos, duets, negro mel
edies, etc Chas. Morrell is an artist on
the homely instrument of the plantation
and he drew such seductive music from
its simple strings that many encores
piled UP to his credit before the turn
was finished. May Morrell is a Win
some little artistic and caught on" with
the gods at once.
Howard and Bland, whose laughablc
skit, The Rube and the Kid, was a feat
ure of last weeks program, appeared
for the second time, and proved as great
favorites as ever.
There was fun in abundance when the
old favorite, Ed Heffernan, came on. Ed
is gifted in that peculiar way that
amuses without apparent reason, that
Keeps crowd tittering with expectancy
between jokes, and fairly sends them off
their feet when one of his ludicrous wit
ticsms rolls out.
But there is plenty more to laugh at,
and scarcely anything more worthy
than the extremely clever sketch of Lew
IS and Elliott. The Upper Ten and Lower
Five is suggestive of fun. 1t Is more than
funny-it is novel and clever besides.
1t ls merry mixture of pantomime,
dancing, burlesque, comedy and general
&c \, I.
inal and unique bit of vaudeville we
have seen in years AS a team Lewis
and Elliott are great, and they furnish
one OF the most pleasing numbers in
splendid program.
The melli1uous singers from the Qua
ker City were the next to appear, and
the rousing reception they were given
showed that they were remembered.
Melody and mirth was then the order
for awhile, as the jolly songsters reeled
Off a long string of new jokes, inter-
spersed with late songs. Ned Hanson,
the singing tramp, Is comedian of no
mean ability, and is the possessor of
of this excellent organization deserves
special mention, as each Is good in his
particular part.
The honors of the evening belong to
Burt Shepard. He is billed as the twen-
tieth century comedian, and he justifes
the coSIOi1eH WIFI d performance
is in truth more than up-to-date. Shep-
ard is the same jolly fellow that used
to make us laugh when he figured as
one of the leading end men of the coun-
try. He has lost none of his old time
force as a laugh-maker; indeed, he has
rather gained in this regard and the
Shepard of last night was as merry in
his mirth and irresistible in his humor
as Burt of yore. He brought on per-
feet avalanche OF merriment with his
jokes for the women and others for the
men, and all so jolly that there wasn't
time to catch n breath between the
bursts of laughter. Shepards fund OF
humor seemed incXhaustible. 1T was
all brand-new, and his topical songs
were of the same nature. He made a
roaring big hit. and the repeated en-
cores and thunderous applause that fol-
lowed each showed that the audience
held the same opinion as the writer
that is, that Shepard is the best comedi-
an the Orpheun1 has ever introduced.
Ibachi and Masaud closed the show
with rousdng acrobatio and tumbling