The sun., 1896-10-23
AT TWO EXTRA MATINEES.
MISS LETIS MAKES 4 TEST OF
"MRS. SMITHS HUSBANDSD

"a Charity Audience - The I.liiputians
Give Afternoon to Their Comrades
| of the StnEe-A New German Comedy.
The qualities OF new play and the patience
OF an audience were tried simultaneously at tho
Herald Square Theatre yesterday afternoon.
phe piece was called Mrs. Smiths Husbands"
and the ostensible object of the performance
was to raise money for hospital fund. Cath
erne Lewis, favorably known for long time az
an actress and singer. was the playwright in
this instance, and she assumed tho principal
character. An industrious promptcr and seven
| nl-prepared persons were associated with Miss
Lewis in the affair. The text was shabbily
treated, and Miss Lewis herself was about
as lax as her companions. Under such
circumstances, ever so good n play would
not have proved entertaining. But tho
| critical auditor tries TO look further than
the acting of q maltreatcd new work to SEQ
obscured m erits Very few of these were dis
| coverable In this case. IL seemed as though
Miss Lewis had planned n comedy that should
alternately rise to serious interest and fall to d
| verting farce. Her story was that woman and
her two divorced husbands met as strangers
under uniformed friends roof and hnd u
great deal OF trouble over their involved rea-
| tionship before they came to an amicabe con-
| clusion IL was not a bad scheme. but In the
execution It failed to yield any amusement. Tho
common fault with plays written by actors
is that while they may DO strong to nn
over. theatric degree in situations they are un-
natural in their Representations OF lie. Now.
| Miss Lewis's piece was probable enough for stage
| purposes. but 1t lacked dramatic quality alto
gethcr. 1t was formless. 1t was verbose. Its
sober earnestness was often laughablc and
most of its toolery WAS not. The composition
was like that OF an amateur author. wholly un-
familiar with the rules and requirements OF the
stage. 1t will be pleasRnter for those who were
present to forget Miss Lewis rs n dramatist.
and remember her us clever and successful
actress.
The Star was we'll filed yesterday afternoon,
mostly by actors, managers. and others con-
nected with the stage, who were present by in
vitation Of the 1.iIiputians. 1t was that midget
trio Franz Ebert, Adolph link, and Selma
Goerner that supplied the best amusement Of
course; and yet the most appauded thing WAS "A
song and dance by seven OF the tiny folk. They
were in row. the taller ones in the middle, ana
all wore white shade hats and loose white
dresses to the ankles. Every thing beneath the
dress was black, and each dancer carried
sr o :" Io tine tine
dance began. Its steps were not elaborate but
was spirted and not one OF In the seven nEged.
like for exerton, and lifted tho hem OF hts
skirts rs & nth as the ";hsrs; s, hG,,nE the weight
other and swaying with the skirt held out at
each side, the little unes tripped OF the stage.
one. More OF this was d-manued and there
was another s,anzR In German, followed by
English Immediately after this tho ! curtain tain
was lifted, and ak OF the wee dsnsers rode into
lot of laughter with his experience in the
shower bath. This was In u structure nt oae
side of the stage. and WAS plainly labelled.
Eb.r appeared very tpsy. read tho Sign board.
and III expressive pantomime made II plain that
he hal dec ied on having Il bath He took
OF his hat. overcoat. and coat. but on fading
himself himself IN his shirt sisevss gave a com'cs!
tho shed, His bare arms placed several other
garments into view. and then the stage was
@ nes. In the fame ar S story Of The play Ebert
link. and GOcrner had each magic gift.
ESo had hGa bin a &, s eond ap
at will, and Zink had u lantern that gave ont
XYZ rays Afewm,nu,es after Ebert had re-
almost r5 55orgo,.enj Iini lighted hi. Ian.
bath. the sides of which M once became trans
parent and disclosed the bit OF "a comedian
standing upright, with his chubby back barred to
most conspicuous OF the ltt,le entertainers, and
described. In ali Of them IinN was lively and
apparently having Eood time. Miss Goerner
ton OF artliciality. while Ebert with far less Of
exeriioh than either of his companions WAS
ful!y their equal in comIca!!sy.
A farce with the scenes laid in France and the
materials drawn from sources that Lave sup
piled the elements OF familiar French farces OF
intrigue for man" years was the novelty at the
Irving Place Theatre last night. Its author Is II
German, Felix Brentano. and he makes no
Acknowledgements OF other sources OF his play
and possibly beyond its generally recognizable
situations and tic treatment of them the drama
is his own. hut 1t is the conventional machine
made farce. with every incident to supply the
situations ready and ut hand. They come
quickly and are ingenously presented, so the
author has done his work we'll in this respect.
~ W. ~
this wife WAS divorced from the wel-known
domestic libertine WHO supplies the motive for
most pieces OF the kind This wife has An in.
trIgue with her strpson. and then through her
own ingenuity and the stupidity OF a rOmmissaire
gets emf mployment as an upper domesti IN his
monsehold under the eye OF hls jealous Wife
The intensity OF the situation drives the hus-
hand to flight. But later matrimonial acces.
sion turns up to cln.m the attention OF the first
IN safety to thu wife "ho was mourning him AS
dead.
THIS slight ENHANCEMENT was present ted viva
cious!y, with wit IN the speeches and almost uu-
Tagging movement in IL progress. The Amos
phere Of the piece scarCey suited the German
players. II hard to believe that the scene and
the characters were really Pars!nn. Tnev wers
plainly limitations not very convincing ones
either OF the French originals. The best inown
PLAYERS Of tue comnany we're not IN the perfor-
nance, although AnHn Braga and Rudolf Senius
were. Fraulen Braga suggested the shyness
aud drmurencss OF the experienced iirst WIFE
but she hah not the animation necessary to tho
success of the liyeller scenes. Carl simmons
hitherto unknown. made tho part of an as
srrtiye servant conspicuous in the success OF
the evenings performance. lie had more OF tho
real spirit Of the play than any OF the other
actors IN II. The other percentages in the piece
were Interpreted ia a way which made the
general performances more than capable.
An actor made "a political hit IN the COL
lege parade nj Princeton on Wednesday night.
Burr Mcintosh told his classmen OF 'S4 what
to do when they got opposite President
Cieycland's reviewing stand, and thoy did
It. They came 10 halt and gave II
new college cheer. with the big blond come
dans voice leading; "Onc. two three sixteen
to one-nit" Then they marched right along
singing u college song and Mr.. Cleveland
laughed.
A fair is to be held in the Madison Square
Garden in December to raise money for II home
for ind gent commercial travellers. Stage per-