Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-11-10
ADJUSTMENTS.


AMUsEdENTs. IA.
New Columbia Theater.-The new Column
bia Theater. on F street, formerly Metze-
rott's Hall, was opened to the Washington
public last night and entertained brilliant
audience. gathered to witness or rather to
hear the initial performance in the new
play house. Full dress was the order Of
the evening among the occupants of the
boxes, and the seats upon the lower floor
and the rich costumes Of the ladies in the
audience lent harmony to the decorations
Of the interior Of the theater. The Column
bia is a very coy and attractive house
since its remodeling. The prevailing colors
In the interior decorations are olive and
gold. The orchestra chairs are upholstered
IN green corduroy. annd are spacious and
three tiers of two on a side, draped in
brccaded silk. The house is thoroughly
ventilated and heated is fire-proof through
careful attention has been paid to pre-
cautions against fire, and this danger has
been reduced to a minimum Last night
the balconies were effectively draped with
trailing vines, studded with chrysanthe-
NUNS, and palms almost obscured the
boxes. A new feature In the construction
Of the house is the placing of the orchestra
In pit below the floor surface. Another
feature IL tneJ performance OF q concert
program by the orchestra in the spacious
lobby before the performance. Messrs.
NIXON & Zimmerman, who are the direc-
tors of the new theater, both came on to
attend the opening performance, and there
was quite delegation Of managers and
newspaper men from other cities present.
The performance by the Graa Metropol-
itan English Opera Company proved the
excellence Of that organization. and the
satisfaction of the audience was demon
strated by the most liberal applause. YER
dis melodious and ever popular III Trova-
tore was the work performed, and cast.
competency. Nine. Georgine Januschowsky
possesses a dramatic soprano voice of
great power and remarkable flexibility, and
she sang the forid music of Leonora with
spirited effect. She IS also an excellent
actress and gave the part a vitality that
was highly pleasing. Miss Lizzie Macnichol
made the best Azucena that has been seen
here since Adelaide Phillips and aroused
high pitch of enthusiasm, not only by her
excellent vocal efforts, but also by the
strong dramatic power she displayed. She
was the ideal Gypsy in face and figure, and
her makeup was singularly effective. She
and Nine. Januschowsky were the recipi-
ents of many handsome floral tributes.
Miss Sophia Romani made the most of the
small part of Inez. Payne Clarke's me-
lodious tenor was heard to advantage in
the part of Manrico. and his war song at
the close of the third act was received
with such favor that the curtain had to be
raised and the number repeated VIM.
Mertens was a good Count di Luna, sing
ing and acting with forceful effect, and the
rarts of Fernando and Ruiz were accepta-
bly, taken by E. Knight and Felix Mas:
The chorus did remarkably good work, and
the large orchestra. under the able direc-
ton Of Adolph Neuendorf. was in every
way efficient. Miss Mary Helen Howe, who
was enormously announced for 1nez, Will
make her appearance at the Saturday
iran hor hn
new theater was eminently satisfactory.
and Managers Metzerott and Luckett are
to be congratulated. Tonight THE Bo-
hemian Girl will be presented With Minna
and Ricardo Ricci in the cast.
Lafayette Square Opera House.-"The
Lady Slavey' had its initial production in
Washington last season, and has amply
fulfilled the predictions then recorded that
it would be a successful competitor fer the
patronage which has of late years literally
supported so many musical farces. 1t is
handled with far more care than Is shown
in the average production in which slight
plot Is employed as a thread upon which to
hang the accomplishments of a corps of
specially stars. For the purposes of road
tour the organization has passed out Of the
immediate control of Canary & Lederer
into that of Klaw and Erlanger, but it is
practically the same production. Miss Vir-
ginia Earle, the creator Of that bewitching
bit of inanity, the BABY song, has been
replaced, and so has Will H. Thompson.
But the gaunt, saw-mill voice Of Dan Daily
is in evidence as entertainingly as ever
and In the scene where the prima donna
carries him bodily off the stage the good
right arm of Marie DRESSER scores the old
time hit. But it is not in her biceps alone
that Miss Dressler excels. With a good
voice and vivacious personality, she is
more than ordinarily equipped to please as
burlesque performer. The dancing of La
Petite Adelaide continues to be welcome
the costumng and musical Interpretation
are, as before, irreproachable.
The New National Theater.-It would
have been a qualification to many people
who were at the National Theater last
night to pronounce Maurice Barrymore's
Roaring Dick & Co.. an instantaneous and
unqualified success. Mr.. Barrymore had
the good fortune to be admired profession
number CT people, and his venture into the
domain of authorship was attended with
an abundance of good will Mr. Barrymore
in response to an enthusiastic demand for a
speech stated frankly that the company
has been handicapped by circumstances in
many ways and that the production was
rot what he intended it should be. This
would make any assumption toward giving
q close and conclusive analysis of the per-
formance an injustice both to the play and
to the performers, although of the latter
there Is little to be said except in praise.
The impression given by last nights ESSAY
and that the love of sn audience for the
element of surprise has not been sufficiently
regarded. Mr.. Barrymores actor instinct
has enabled him to devise telling pictures
and opportunities for the performer who
chances to be occupying the center of the
stage to effectually impress himself upon
the attention Of the audience. But the vital
ingredient Of action in the plot was either
irsufficiently supplied or very much OBJ
scIred by the conditions under which the
Ere sentation was made. 1t looks as if Mr.
Barrymore might, in his laudable desire to
avoid the cheap clap-trap of the conyen-
t1onal melodrama, have gone to the oppo-
site extreme and approached the dangerous
point Of inertie. There are scenes which
permit some good elocution; but simple
elocutton, however excellent, will not carry
play with title. like Roaring Dick &
Co.. Mr.. Barrymore a sentimental vii
lain did much that was praiseworthy, and
w. J. LeMoyne portrayed the part Of an
aged miser with mastery vividness that
will demand more attention than the play-
wright has yet bestowed to reconcile his
conversion to generosity at the end of the
play with the probabilities. Miss Edith
Crane was a charming young woman al
belt she had little to do with the story
With good cast and well conceived char
aeters to employ their endeavors, Roaring
Dick & Co." needs only incident and CO.
herence to make it an acceptable melo-
drama. The speeches are not written with
ion Ix.CEn g.