Kansas City daily journal., 1896-12-28

Charles Hoyt's characteristic severity and
occasional brutality in treating some of
the affectations and hypocrises of conven-
tional life and his remarkable discernment
IN selecting people to represent his char
acter types have never been more clearly
illustrated than in "A Temperance Town.
which was seen yesterday afternoon at the
Grand, where it will play the week, with
an extra matinee New Years day This
play has enough dramatic strength to place
1t beside "A Midnight Bell" which is the
best thing Mr.. Hoyt ever wrote, and it
has, in addition to its comprehensive theme
and interesting stories. enough farcical in
duigence to afford the expected laughs.
Indeed, when 1t is most serious 1t is fire.
quently most amusing. None of the prob
lem play writers ever went after a social
malady more viciously than Mr.. Hoyt has
pounced upon prohibition as found in GER
tain bigoted communities of New England.
He knows nothing of the surgeons scalpel,
however. Mr.. Hoyt's operations are per-
formed with an AK. 1t would probably be
hazardous for him to be subtle. George
Richards performance of the town drunk
ard, Mink Jones, is an exceptionally clever
piece of character drawing. Even though
Hoyt has made hero out of sot, with
the courage to leave him unreformed, he
has enlisted a great deal of sympathy
through Richards excellent Interpretation
of the part. Eugene Canfield who used to
come along in every new Hoyt piece, is al
so in the role of his own creation, that of
Bingo, which affords him satisfying scope
for his peculiarities. One might particu-
larlZe at length on the excellent work of
many of the lesser members of the cast,
but suffice it to say that among those who
do small things SO well that they might be
expected to do full justice to greater. eff
forts are Herman Sheldon, Arthur Greg
ory. Richard Dillon, E. F. Nagle. Frank A.
Lyon. John A Holland, Miss Marie Uart,
Miss Sallie Stembler, Miss Julia Gilroy and
Miss Gertrude Perry. The cast is an ex-
cellent one, the performance is complete
and satisfying and the piece is well staged.
The second week of the Newell Bros
engagement at the Gilliss opened yesterday
afternoon with Dumas drama, 1.-THE Glenn
enceau Case" which made something of q
sensation a few years ago, when it was
first presented to the American public. The
first LA was Pearl Eytinge, who was sue
ceeded by such statuesque beauties Sybil
ohnstone, Estelle Clayton and Laura Big
ger, all of whom posed in the studio scene
in such undress as to send buzz of gos-
sip among theatergoers- Since the advent
of the living picture craze there is nothing
in this scene that is not comparatively fa-
miliar to the public or at least that part of
it that frequents the popular price houses.
The scene was presented yesterday in sub
stantially the same manner as in previous
representations of the play in this city,
Miss Vail De Vernon being the liza. Mr..
Willard Newell gives a strong impersona-
| ton of Pierre, having repose and dramatic
| intensity, as well as a well modulated eX-
preston. He is surrounded with a cast
that Is generally satisfactory, especially
considering the low scale of prices pre-
vailing during this engagement.