Omaha daily bee., 1896-03-29


The event Of the week. from the theatrical
as well as the meteorological and every other
standpoint, has been the moisture which, in
the form Of snow and rain, has fallen upon
this thirsty land and, bringing up the stage
Of precipitation from a deficiency TO an excess
for the first time In a year, has brought with
81 the golden promise Of renewed prosperity
and augmented means for theater-going and
Kindred %luxuries. Possibly the playhouses
have suffered temporary loss through this
benencent visitation, but their light affection.
which Is but for a moment, is not to be
weighed even for that brief period of time
against the ultimate benefits which will flow
to them and other enterprises through the
breaking OF the drouth.
AS a matter Of fact, however, 1t may be
doubted II the stormy weather kept many
away from the theaters. The two attractions
presented by the Boyd management were OF
a kind and of a degree OF celebrity which
never fails to draw paying business to each In
its own sphere of entertainment. At the
Creighton most agreeable performances oil
some OF the Frohman plays OF past years
were afforded by a company OF actors, for
the most part young and without exception
talented and ambitious to excel, who, coming
with a certain amount of reputation as IN
dividual players, but almost entirely unknown
in the aggregate, yet were able to please
steadily growing audiences and to make so
favorable an impression upon our public that
the engagement next year Is bound to be q
financial as well as an artistic success. IL is
understood that the Frawley company VIII
both close and open a season here In the
eprug of 81, the two events being separated
by the penitential season OF Lent. In view
of the excellent record made by this strong
organization during its just completed weeks
stay In Omaha, It is safe to congratulate
players and people, as well as the creighton
mana cement, upon the favorable outcome OF
negotiations looking toward a renewal OF rela-
lions another year.
The attraction which opened the week at
Boyd's and played to overlooking houses
during the two nights of it's engagement, IL
lustrates finely the unaccountable drawing
power which certain names possess and re-
tain when all reason and excuse for their
popularity has passed away. Considerable
comment-some, as a matter Of course, hos
tile, and other gratefully sympathetic-has
been called out by the omission in the notice
OF the opening performance which appeared
in these columns of all mention of the per-
son whose name apparently still holds its
charm, however inexplicably, for many
theater-goers who are otherwise sound OF
mind and reasonably well balanced in judy
ment. One almost ventures to use the past
TenSe, since HeT last appearance uSIc-lo "a
held instead of holds-for her reception. at
least on the opening night, was none of the
warmest the applause was all for DAngelis,
and many who had gone thither thirsting for
their annual experience of the little dra-
matte cocktail" came away with the taste in
. their mouths of the --LATEST kind of small
beer.
1t has been suggested, no doubt charitably,
that this once potent name was left I'M
noticed here through inadvertance, the loss
g. 0f q sheet Of cow or some such accident,
One Is sorry to see ones charitable motives,
which h~esitated to inflict needless pain upon
y this shrinking personality by setting down
all the painful truth, so widely misconstrued.
1t was a choice between a roast" of the
proportions which the professions and not
the actual merits of the subject called for
and the veil of charity. and one drew the
veil. as best calculated to cover that which
a formerly admired. With the private
n lives of player-folk The Bee has moth
ing to do so long as they keep to the
windy side O. the law; especially should a life
so given over to ascetic uses as the one now
under consideration be sacred from news
paper meddling; and II the person in question
should modestly stick to the sphere of pro
fessional work for which her naturally
slender and rapidly waning equipments mt
her, there would be no serious complaint to
make. 1t is when she assumes stellar
honors. and takes dollars in exchange for an
exhibition which, so far as she herself is
COncerne0, WOuIQ De UeuF 1T QudtleiS, thot
one draws the line; and IL one draws as
well the veil, as aforesaid. surely ones
. humane intentions should not go unrecog-
Z. niZed.
The performances of the Frawley company
were so generally delightful. and SO gratify-
: ing in conscientious attention to detail, that
one h~esitates to %criticise unfavorapiy any
minor point in its work. 1t Is JUST TINS
admirable completeness. however. which
brings into prominence, by contrast, the
crudity and obsolesence Of the means EN-
ployed to heighten certain %efects, starting
or sentimental, by the orchestral accom-
paniment Of incidental music. TO point the
entrance of the villain by an %agltated move,
ment on the strings, and to play a subdued
and tender strain during the hero's avowal
of his manly love. or the heroine's confes-
sion of her fall-these are familiar expeui-
ents. which are not without their effect upon
country audiences, and the gallery sectioas
I. of city houses, but the custom Is one winch
does not ommen itself to the pubic 10
which the Frawley company caters. Thls
a. one Of the things-and almost the only
one-in which this very OF
ganizatlon can conspicuously improve tue
general tone Of Its performances.
q rba pee IL able this morning to announce
with certainty the engagement OF Richard
Mansfield to appear at the Creighton tor the
entire week, following .air week next pep
TENDER. The very cordial reception which
Mr., ManSnelu met nele mas bi's" 49, %
outnion of Omaha and its people, and 1t was
his desire to play two weeks at the creighton
instead OF one. So long an engagement, now
ever, even of so strong an attraction, being
deemed inadvisable, contracts were signed
last week for eight performances.
as above, which will include Mr..
MansGeld's entire repertory and will be
staged with a magniicence to which
omaha has been hitherto a stranger and
which can only be compared TO the sump-
tuous productions of Henry Irving. 1t Is
probable that one OF two elaborate Shakes
perian revivals Will have a place In MIR.
Mansfeld's list Of plays for next year. es-
i peclally "Richard H." in the title role OF
which this superb artist has already won
reIown.
At the Boyd matinee yesterday Sol Smith
Russell aud his fine company repeated THE
Rivals" and the short engagement termin-
mated last night with a performance Of
Marguerite Merington's comedy. IAN Every
day Man." preceded by the one-act play,
s.Mr. Valentines Christmas" p
> Ii would not be an easy thing to have too
much Of Mr.. Russell. Certainly we are in
no danger of firing of him when his stay is
limited to two nights and a matinee. Per-
haps, when week stands become popular and
profitable In Omaha, he will sometime give
us a chance 10 see whether that length of
time can wither him or that amount of
custom stale his infinite variety. 1t Is only
xunantl, that thie fuNnrltp nnfOadian has haan