The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-08-27
AT THE THEATERS.

Won Schonthan's farce, adapted from the
German by Augustin Daily under the title of
7-20-S, or the Boomerang" was presented
at the Metropolitan last night by the Giffen-
Neill company, under the title of tfThe Fool
OF the Family The version differs from the
Daily adaptation in the translation which is
less free and idiomatic, but the sequence of
incidents and the situations are almost iden-
teal
The Fool of the Family is more than a
farce and less than a comedy. 1t belongs to
that class of farcical creations that do
not depend upon mere succession of Iudi-
crous situations nor upon a collection of
clever witticisms to supply mirth and amuse-
ment. Its merit is of more intrinsic charac-
ter, consisting, as it does, in the exploit
ing of certain human foibles and vani-
ties, in a manner broad and farcical,
of course, but none the less convinc-
ing. 1t is a laughable good-natured
satire on the weakness and petty hypocri-
sizes of human nature. II There is the matter-of-
fact, practical old fellow, whose visionary
but iIliterate wife sees a literary future in
store for him. Her delusion is based on the
sentimental poems which he inscribed to her
during their courtship days, love songs which
he appropriated from Shakespeare, rare Ben
Jonson, Byron and Moore, but which she
There is the shabby genteel, impecunious
fraud of imam of letters who sees his
opportunity, and, in conjunction with the
misguided matron, secures the publication of
the gems of the poets in extensively bound
volumes, several thousand in number which
ascribe their authorship to the old man. A
dancing Italian, romantic young wife an
agricultural husband and a domestic with
terpsichorean propensities assist in complet-
ing kaleidoscope capable of highly amusing
and ludicrous combinations.
The performance by the Giffen-Neill COM
pany last night was the smoothest first night
effort that this organization has favored an
audience with during its engagement There
were no awkward pauses stage waits and
no slips of any consequence. The members
of the company were all happily cast. Mr..
Everham provoked much merriment in the
role of Frederic Salmon, the old man who
is induced to become an author, and like
Dickens, see the town by night in order to
gather his material. Another very creditable
impression was contributed by recent ac-
QUESTION to the company, Emmett Shackel-
ford whose characterization of DIR. Pollock,
the literary confidence man, was favored with
an ingredient Of burlesque sufficient to rem
der it most amusing caricature
James Neill was entirely at home in the
role of the young lover, and with Anne
Blancke in the opposite character, the two
contributed fair share toothe success of the
performance. Kate Biancke's impersonation
of the servant girl was azcredtable piece of
character work. Edward Tittmann's makeup
in the role of the Italian was picturesque, and
his action light and airy, If his Italian dialect
was a little shady. Herschel Mayall was en-
tirely satisfactory in a role Offering but i'm
tied opportunities, and Agnes Maynard dis
played commendable spirit in her impersona-
ton of the ambitieAsSwife of the pretended
author