Evening star., 1896-10-20
AMUsEMENTS,

Sunshine Of Paradise Alley" Denman
| Thompson and George Ryder's new play
that has succeeded 1.-THE Old Homestead
| In popular favor, opened at the Lafayette
| square last night to house that fully ap-
| preciated the good points in the produc-
| non The work is not play, and is not
| even claimed to be such by its authors, but
claims to give realistic pictures of New
York life. and more especially how the
other half Of the world lives. It deals with
| the efforts Of young girl, the Nelly Nc
Nally OF the song, to reform a community,
the Paradise Alley Of the same ditty, and is
powerful temperance lesson, calculated to
develop several well-defined moral lessons
as Wen. The alley when the girl enters it
| Is one OF the typical slums Of the great
metropolis, but through her influence it. is
shown in the last act thoroughly changed
community. There are four acts, or pic
the neishborhood of the alley and the alley
Itself, and Bronx Park The scenery is
Deaut1ful, especially the last picture, which
Is an exquisite autumn picture. with all the
year Is famous. Mixed in with the morals
| and the splendid setting Of the stage are
several vaudeville turns and character
sKetches. which take away some of the
sober thoughts engendered by the senti-
ments OF the play, and which give a sort of
swing to the production. John D. Griffin as
| J. J. OGrady, the chief fun maker, is good
and Mrs. Charles Peters as the ignorant
| but good-hearted Widow McNalIy fulfilled
al Citations. John Walsh, Thomas E.
Clinord. Louis H. Croxson and H. Frillman,
together with the Ladies' Verdi Quartet,
contributed quartet numbers that were ex-
ceptionally good. and Ethel Payne, Lottie
Faust, John DAILY and John J. Flynn give
some clever dancing. While the character
OF sunshine Is rather impossible, Miss Bere-
mise Forcross makes as much out Of it as
is possible. following out the lines set by
ner authors and adding to 1t her own grace
ana winsomeness. Sunshine is not the only
impossible M character in the piece. for there
are several who would never be met with
IN real ife notably a reporter who is as
| unlike the genuine article as is the average
stage statesman or the traditional heavy
villain.
Grand Opera House.-"A Romance of
coon Hollow came back to the Grand last
evening for fresh laurels, and showed that
II mad not lost one tot in the popular favor
by packing the house Coon Hollow" Is
the conventional story OF the revengeful
scoundrel. the impulsve woman and her
dupe and happy lover-in the end: but is
clothed In new garb. with several catchy
specialties that give 1t new life and did not
lose the attention Of the big audience as
sembled to see it. feature Of the pro-
ductton is troupe of negro singers and
cancers who are very clever, and who add
10 the play with their clog and wing dane
ing and quartet singing. The setting of the
tails are all arranged with completeness
Miss Lillian Brainerd, as the woman vii
IAN. was very good, while Miss Minnie
Church. as the woman with the magnificent
soul. played her part to perfection. Mr.. l..
ID. 'Blondell, AS an aged negro. also
good, and with Miss Louise Arnot an
old maid, gave some splendid character
work ]. F. Terris, as the duped noun
taineer: Clarence Belair, the lover and
Eugene Powers as the inventor, We're all
gcod, while the smaller parts were intrust-
ed to intelligent people.
New National Theater.-Loie Fuller was
Enthusiastically greeted at the New Ma
tioral Theater last night. The vaudeville
organization of which she is the central
luminary presents possibilities of an
eclipse for her. Fielding, the juggler, who
has established himself as one of the clev-
crest men in his line of entertainment;
Cushman and Holcombe, in operatic trav-
esties, and Swift and Chase, musical artists,
were the especially enjoyable features. 1t
was Miss Fuller, however, who was the
magnet of the occasion. There have been
serpentine dancers by the score but her
supremacy in the field to which she has
brought so much originality and sense of
the beautiful continues unimpaired. She
Is proof of the fact that an imitation is
valued by the public only so long as the
genuine article is not to be had. The ef-
fects Miss Fuller attains with undulous
expanses Of silken film and the play of
colored lights provoked frequent and pro-
longed applause. In each of her crea-
ticns there is something more than be-
wilderment Of tints and curves. Each has
the vivifying presence of an idea, and al
times the poetic suggestion is such as to
entttle the performance to rank true
art Fred. Hallen and Mollie Fuller
among those who also appeared. 1t was
their Initial performance with this COM
pany.
Academy of Music.-"When London
Sleeps" which was produced last night for
the first time in America. before a crowded
house. may suit the English taste for melo-
dramatic realism. but it will hardly do
here. 1t has all the elements of a modern
blood and thunder show-a deep-dyed vii
lain, prosecuted heroine made suddenly
rich. very heroic hero. the Inevitable low
comedian, who saves lives by wholesale;
the benevolent lawyer, and the adven-
turess. who reforms after three acts of un-
mitigated meanness, to say nothing Of a
precociouS child and a full assortment of
other melodramatic accessories. Then, too,
there Is circus, an attempted abduction,
"foil-l-led' diamond robbery a burning
house. an escape by a telephone wire. sew
eral cases of assault and battery, trap
door for secret assassination, and finally a
try by the villain at the living cremation of
the heireSs- heroine on an Indian shrine.
Thus there is material enough in the play
for two or three ordinary performances.
Were 1t not for one section of the depart
Tent of realism there would be no ground
for fault-finding, but in two scenes the play
is gross. coarse, brutally suggestive of the
worst phases of the night life of great
city, so revolving to the good taste and
refinement of the average theater-goer of
this city, at least, that last night many
persons left the house in the midst of the
performance. when London Sleeps needs
good deal Of fumgation before it can be
received by polite society.
Bijcu Theater.-Few farce comedies have
enjoyed the popularity that has always
been accorded "a Bunch of Keys" 1t is
one of the best that Charles Hoyt ever
wrote, and 1t has stood the test of years.
1t has just enough of plot to serve the pur-
pose, and incidentally crowd into the two
hours devoted to it's unraveling lifetime
of laughter. The play is presented this
week, with an original New York cast.
Ada Bothner, who long since made a repu-
tation a soubrette, essayed the part of
Teddy Keys and did it well. She is bright
and vivacious, and the possessor of a very
fair voice George F. Hall, well-known