The morning times., 1896-03-17
BOTH HOUSES WERE GOOD
ROsenfelds Structure of Cards
and Those Who Saw II.
FRANK DANIELS AS A WIZARD
Mystic Sage OF the Nile Had the Art
to Pack the NatiOnal-OId Friends
in Several Casts Greeted by Good
Audiences - Dorothy" Heard at
Aliens Grand.

| ing upon Sydney RosenfeId's work. 10 he
sure there was The SENATOR TO which
| ne contributed So much excellent wortniless
| ttat The play completely oyersEaCo wed
the author and The one was forgotten IN
the great success OF the other
Mr. KoSenreid has contributed Indirectly
! u the literature OF American drama by
| many translations and adaptations OF
| Foreign material. His original work has,
however, been more successful. Lastniglit
| he presented another original drama for Tie
| appreciation of the theater-goers OF the
| Capital.
"A House Of Cards" eight days old, was
given at the Lafay yctte Square opera House
| la>t Hight. The entertainments is Mr.
| Rdsenfeids ). first and last, 20 praise or
blame. He wrote the play, he is the
| manager who selected the cast, he produced
1T. so near as il is possible the result
! shouM represent the realization of his
| ppssibillty III ms profession. IT is all
! very creditablc.
Tne play Is an unpretentious piece or
| modern Inc. 1t Is written along modest
ana SuDuieu lines. IT Is very honest in
! Us palpoSe, the purpose is pTaiseworthy
anu anu the result Is more convincing than the
| ehgthatic dissatisfaction OF Il score OF tue
| modern plays which have mOnOpOliZcd theiI
h0ur ON the Stage.
"A House OF Cards" tells a more or
| less Interesting story in a thoroughly en-
JoydDt manner. IL lS cOInHCndaDy clean
/ dhu wholesome and pFOpOFtlOnately pleas
ing. The play is Il story or q veneer that
mas 10 he preserved, II - thought at any
cost even 70 the sacrifice OF daughter Il,
an unworthy and an unlUVed man. But
Ike the cndIng or Il fairy story, and, by
| the way, the sentiment OI the fairy stories
never lapse charm, all comes out as it
should in the end.
Ihe construction is a little uneven. For
the IirsI TWO acts interest and tedum have
| htlic tuSSie but the third and fourth
! dCLS stimulate and make entire amend.
The play has the value of crescendG Il
II, lgI IHaH~ N..s.t
| pdrlson OF the last act AMI the first show ;
tiidi as coh"!nslveiy as is necessary.
Mr. RoaehIeld's play can only De clasSi-
| fled unuer Il lrite ute, wncn fashion mas
put by some time since IL is a COMEDY
drama. The main story is serious and
impressive. bat 1t is worked out through
much GIvcrttng comedy tnat blends we'll
ami gives admirable results
II - not often that so evenly excellent
ccthpanY Is mustered To The interpreta-
EOn uI play. The names all look strong
in achievement. There are no great one,
among them, but none are mediocre Some
or those Ia last nights east NAV have,
starred, but they dIsCovereu their mistake;
SOME OF theh may anticipate starring. ana
| where. they belong, contributing Icon-
SpCuousiy. but earnestly and successfully
10 he drama favor
Beautiful Maxine Elliott plIypd EIeuor
CulhDert with much sweetness and suTfl-
cicnt strength Charming Henrietta Cross
hihh played "a serious part We'll enough 10
overcome The duulenCeS ; pFediSpOs ItlJu to
| laugh at everything This natural corn
CouirdIenne would 10, for the memory of
her Mrs. WlikinsOn's Widow Is Stiil fresh
rank N0rtnlng proved himself mag
nttic fellow He n the Lo.Sess sor or an
uncertain ana CrratIc smi!c which in its
way, ought 10 stand him III good stead
as u wink does CiSSy ora LIS dCcS Olga
| He should drop all seriousness and ever.
I inclination to dignity and talS MS lines
Though his fascinating nafuTaI smile Its
Transient, unhcautIful affair, is this smile
oi ms, iut II Is Joy 10 tie audience and
they like 1T.
however, Worthing has other accomplish
ments besides smile and he dispia yed
/ then last night ana proved hmacII Il
good light comedian.
Grant stewart played an enjoyable and
very endurable new brand OF stage
BTitlSher. He had an amusing way or
masticapng The last haIf Of his sentences
which caught his aut!ienCe. Kate O>ter!c
uid excellent work, aS ud handsome Ed
Davenport, delightful MIR. MaCkay. Frazer
| Coulter, Mrs. Itomas Barry. c. u Craig,
Kate Lester and Maud Monroe, TavoriteS
all Il word Tor Credltahlc Stage manage
mcnt is due Cecil Magnus. The play went
| with all SmOothncSS.
There were curtain caIiS after every act
anu MI Rosenfeid made u leech. III the
l-retary and Mrs. Carlisle, Mr. Tnurbcr anI
many other weiEknown people.
Manager Rapley was in a con,ented
frame OF mind last night. He had grner.
Gus audience in the New National. and q
! pleasing performance. This happy com
binatloD, under the circumstances. usually
makes everything about a theater serent
aud under these conditions the manager
Is happy.
The occasion was the first appearance
In Washington of Smith and Herhert's lat
est comic opera, with the attractive title
The Wizard of the Nile" and also Frank
Daniels local debut as Il comic opera com
ediau.
1t is impossible to enthuse over Daniel.
and the opera, at the same time, il j.
difficult TO criticize. Nothing about it a
all suggests superlatives but the audi
ence was kept in merry temper, an(
there was no one but was glad he wa.
there and went home to tell all mis- friend,
that it's Il diversion that oughtn't TO n,
missed. There is nothing forced or strained
about the entertainment and the even OK
cellence tnat peryaded it in every way
first and last, went farther to delight tht
people than brilliant feature or two II
a0 Inferior setting.
The opera is the first yet written in {
comic vein on an Egyptian subject Tht
story tells OF a wandering Wizard, XII
bOsh, by name, from distant Persia, whC
came with his assistant into the land o.
PtolemieS. He came at Il bad time, fol
crops We're whitening in the drought. aEt
the king had his temper up TO trOpiC;t
heat. ktboSh, with genius for doing tht
wrong thing, at once makes himself un
popular. and With Il comic opera oath. the
King threatens comic opera punishment oI
hrs wizardShp.
hlbOSh sees the necessity Tor q bluff a:
big as the third and largest pyrd mid
lie undertakes to cause an overflow of tht
Nile. It's Il fool for luck and Kibosh get,
more than his share, being particularly
! merry rOOi. The Nile rises. but never
Tecedes. 1t deugeS the whole country
The ancestors OF the cooohe-Cooche dancers
take to the house tops. kibosh is Forthwith
sentenced TO spend his declining wears in
the labyrinthS OF the great pyramid. But
pShaw, Harry Smith would have been NJ
hand at a hbretto and the opera wOuldn
have made n SIX months run at the Casino
II he didn't Dring matters out right in h
end.
The lavish richness OF costume, color anC
scenic design is probably the best thing
about the production. The first act repre-
sents the kings palace. i'll The second ac
, the entire populace is driven to the OuSc
tops, and In the third there is double
company displayed in the depths OF tn
| pyramid. one is yiyaciouS anG very muCl
alive, whose acquaintance was mad,
, earlier in the evening, the balance ar
several generations of mummies who hole
| their peace ana preserve the sacred silence
| which was intended when the scene pa aintc
| put them there.
: Herbert'S music is appropriate and anu
{ | ing, tuncrul and catchy, luSt about whl
1t should be. and yet he has not sacrifice
hisdignityin the score. HeiSfond of putting
ameaningint acCompaDi ment and muCl
ofitin thisscoreissuggestiye Il nj eX prcSsve
The book is good i'll spots. but in the spot
= that have been Furnished on the spur or tn
g moment by the ready wit of the principals
Frank Daniels. as Kibosh, is merr,
rakir. He is still remembered for tn
1 popular days In Little Puck and ''DoCto
Cupid and his faithful friends made
demonstration for him last night vhC
gave him TO uuderSta nd he W is not Forgotten
= he Is quite as successful. with much III
! same methods, in opera that he was i
> comedy. His duet with Cleopatra, ''Wha
| Is Lover though tr1te topic, was II
rreShingly original.
He sang humorous rhymes about his dc
mesJic IhfeliCitleS with his wife the hU
man snake, My Angcliue." There is
particularly pleasing MaliZ refrain To LII