The herald., 1896-10-18

modern school of plays, and the excep-
tional merit of the company adds lustre
to the productions.
A comparison that naturally suggests
itself to the habitue of the foyers is one
that involves the stage careers of John
Drew and Mr.. Frawley. The distin-
guished son of Mrs. Drew was most as
suredly born with histrionic silver
spoon in his mouth. Mr.. Drew has had,
perhaps, the most exceptional adVan-
tages of any young actor in America
in the matter of training, fine associa-
ton, and accessory aid in the way of
commanding influence to promote his
career. He has achieved success, it is
granted, yet we feel 1t a conviction that
Mr.. Frawley is deserving of larger
need of praise for the results he has
compassed. Mr. Drew as the pet of Au-
gustin DAILY, who took him up as foil
for Ada Rehan as well as at the solicita-
tion of his gifted mother, has travelled
along the primrose paths of his profess
sion, amid the most fortuitous environ
ments. On the other hand, Mr.. Frawley
has to a large degree been the malser
of his own standing as an actor. An
iudefatigable student, gifted with a
most adequate and artistic conception of
stage ideals, he has persistently labored
to enlarge his experience, and extend
his powers. His ambitions have been
most laudable ones, and in the putting
together of his present company of play
ers he has made great stride in the
matter of a return to the days when the
legitimate stage was inherent with dig
nity was a conservator of the ethics Of
language, social observances and the
play of wit and healthy sentiment.
The public is beginning to pail of those
modern plays which have for the main
purpose the exploitation of petty wick
edness and prurient conjugal infelicity
Many of these moon struck sham aes-
thetes carried their excesses of hysteri-
cal, morbid immortality so far that one
has felt the pressing need of second
Jeremy Collier to turn the caustic pow er
of his clean, healthy mind against these
debasers of the fine art of making COM
edies. But Collier would find vastly
more ignoble material to deal with in
this epoch as contrasted with those
bright, albeit profane minds of the post
puritanic age, who exploited in mark
| ed degree the gay life of the court and
fashion of London with the return of
| the cavaliers. Wycherly and Congreve,
and others of their lila presented plays
hardly fit for the drawing room table,
! it is true, but the keen, incisive splendor
of their wit, their literary facileness and
dramatic ingenuity lent an excuse ana
offer extenuation for moral turpitude,
to put it mildly, that the average modern
play maker does not possess. The aver
age man or woman will secretly admire
rugged acts of wickedness, when they
will openly despise the petty peccadil-
| loes of short haired women and long
| haired men whose poorly nourished bod
| les and sodden minds bespeak deSen-
| eracy of the race and age.
The orpheum has been giving us a
| fine series of vaudeville engagements OF
| late, and as a consequence there has
| been a large measure of patronage
| The contortion dancing of little Mar
| guerite Ferguson has been sensa-
| tional feature, and her wonderful sup
pleness is a matter of wonder to the
| student of anatomy. She is heroic
| high kicker, but when she twists heI
| shapely neither limbs in such perpleX-
! ing variety of attitudes one naturally
| feels that she is without bones. The
| Vassar Quartette, who have played here
| for four weeks successfully, will separ-
| ate at this point. 1t is a matter of re-
gret that such a thoroughly we'll bal
| anced coterie Of fun-ma kers and melo-
dists should disband. They have made
| fine reputation, and playgoers will
view their disbanding with much re-
| gret.
| But little pretension was made as tC
the capabilities of the Ideal Opera COM
| pany now at the Burbank, and it is re-
| freshing TO be able to say that in many
| respects they have most delightfully."-
! and capably entertained our lovers of