The sun., 1897-09-23

With its. curious and attractive atmosphere,
directly from the pages OF book, never made
successful HS, 81, ", play and and never will. ,m r..
old doctor decides that bis son has been muir
dored by the keeper ot the opium den. Hc says.
man that stole the child. Tho spectators know
that the opium dealer did It, for they saw him.
lnipation TO kill the murderer. At the close OF
lhe piece the two are together. The guilty one
Wrs woes not ] suspect that The doctor IS about to
from the doctors lips. All his language is plain,
Nearly every word OF IT, contains the threat OF
making IL followed here. but tho effect aftcr tho
undramatlc character OF what has preceded 1t,
alone Is ignorant OF tho fatc that is impending,
This simple eNpcdient Is the solitary evidence
Cherub." There is tho charm OF novelty. mys.
tory, and an unknown life in the piece, and
there arc admirably indicated Impressions of
what the place and the people must In reality
be. But until tho last scene IL is a charade, a
moving picture, or sketch of llfe-anything
but play.
Francis Wilson Is courageous enough to be-
lievo that one cannot get too much OF good
thing, and he has brought "IIAlf King" to
the Broadway for another long stay There was
a large audience in the theatre last night
largo enough to impress one with the size of our
thcatrceoing public. What a number that
must included 1t is sometimes wonder that
really successful plays should ever come to an
end In New York short OF several years. Even
when piece has been on our stage six months
there arc certainly thousands upon thousands
of people In the city's limits who have never
seen 1t. There arc. moreover, people who
arc in tho habit OF going to theatres
and may for one reason or another have
been prevented from seeing a particular piece.
Half King" looks as though 1t could readily
resume its prosperous course. Henry B. Smith
has RlnDtel n librpttn which IA bnaei m n n a.
t!on good enough to endure. The idea OF repre-
senting himself or his associates as a expected
band OF nobemen is one for which Francis
Wilson proved his especial ability when he stole
paradet his thievsh self in the stolen impor-
tance OF Marquis Just this sturdy situation
smith adapted. Ife has, moreover written some
oE oriEht lines for thS speakers and the verses
conspcuousIy pat ana humorous as they used
to be. Of course, there are great many
OF those speeches obviously written with no
with polysy Liable words which hc can hurl at
tho man who assumes toward him relation
loon and Runtptv Dumpty in the old panto.
mines. 1t never makes much difference what
dle-pated. slao-chested, Bbe-backed son Of a
sea cook " will serve as well as any other combi-
nation of words. SO long as the comedian can
roll them out with an unctuous variety and
moduiation. But not alone from these speeches
much better for " Half "A King"
Mr.. Wilson's artistic method is SO fully devel-
opcd that II almost seems AS though he could
take II OH like a suit of clothes and put II on
anybody else who had the same voice and tho
same eloquent legs. None OF comic opera
| comedians has ever brought a more finished
! studied technGuc to his work than he has, and
IL there is anything disadvantAgeous in that
| perfection IL Is the tendency to leave only tho
she'll OF the humor and take ont its spirit. When
| he may not feel like doing just as much
as he usually does in scene. Mr.. Wilson
| can indicate what the commencement OF
! II is, and audiences familiar with his talents
! know SO exactly just what he would have done
| that they able to laugh ana enjoy themselves
! quite as much as though they had seen every
| thing that the actor can 10. Lucky man with a
public that can tell what he would DO and laugh
whether he does II not. Half King
has better opportunities than some OF Mr..
Wilson's other operas, and there are ~ cor
are still r as much beauty and taste in
tributes TO his PRODUCTIONS. and there are are
him. Clinton Elder manly presence will miti-
| gate the customary terrors OF tho COMIC opera
and Lulu Glaser is as diyeytinE to s. her admirers
| prosperously through its second reign here.