The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-02
NOTES OF THE THEATRE.
MoRB ABOUT "TERH LITTLE FAUsI''
At MANHATTAN BEzOH.

tho Points In the eFfsrmance-some News
or the New Work Plays and OF tho Act
ora = Matters or FereiSn stage Interest.
Large sections Of the dialogue Of VERY Little
Faust" float out with tho tide from Manhattan
Beach every day, and the work Of freeing the
burlesque OF its wearisomo talk will continue
until the action is no longer impeded by the
deserts Of dialogue that were q part Of 1t at the
beginning. There is no need Of the converse
tons, for the audiences know the Faust"
legend, and II they do not, it would never DO
possible to grasp It from Richard Carroll's
text, which Is neither lucid nor bright In all
places. But there arc some very lively speeches
which amuse the audiences, and Very Little
Faust" so far a. the dialogue goes, is very
much better than the average burlesque. The
subtlety Of Its travesty may be somewhat
dulled In the process Of transfer. but It serves
still, and the entertainment which the bur
lesque provides Is above the summer standard.
Nerves music would be a delight to anybody
familiar with the Gounod score, for its parody
Of the serious themes OF the music is charm
ing. To any one hearing the music of Herve
without q knowledge Of the original work,
there are still abundant vivacity and melody.
1t is rather interesting to contrast this parody
Of Faust" with one that tho London Gaiety
Company brought to New York about eight
years ago. That piece had "made In London"
marked all over II. 1t had the characteristic
sledgehammer qualities in which the writer Of
British burlesquo SO frequently INDUCES, and the
composer had made no attempt to suggest the
original soore. Indeed, one recalls the musical
features Of the work chiefly from the pas do
Quatre" which was danced by four young wo-
men and subsequently became the battle song
Of all skirt dancers so long as that race endured
conspicuously. Florence St John was seen then
for the first time here, and her London popular
ity was found q little difficult to understand. E.
J. Lonnen returned as q substitute for Fred
Leslie, and was notiso cordially accepted, while
there wero other members Of that company
who returned hero from time to time without
having endeared themselves especially to New
York audiences. But it was the burlesaue IT.
self that seemed o little too British and heavy
for appreciation here.
In William Psrry's company Richard Car
roll heads the comedians, and In adapting the
text he gave himself with pardonable hberality
the best lines in tho book. Tho accentuation Of
Valentine into the leading comic role was fol-
lowed by the writer's of tho English burlesqut.
who made quite &c much out of his curse as
Mr., Carroll does. he has q German dialect
himself for about fifteen minutes in the second
act whenhe.appear riding an automobile. The
B EsoSeS With Of this 4 o Ssh,ele az aeG Sors sn9 f Soofs i io ati
enough to make the fortune OF any war play:
When the, end Of tho second act comes, and
automobile starts around tho stage to carry
OF Marguerite and her lover. Directly in. its
to ron,out Of Tie way. and he is able to o revive
close him ont. and roll back to his place in the
than ever before, while her voice carries well
even In the large auditorium Truly Shattuek
Is a delight to the eye. but she should never,
never be persuaded to sing. II she must, Il
would DO 6stt sGd to .S open S 2 wt T6iow t ct the the back Xxx
range Of the broad Atlantic.
Horace Mcvickar has made . play out Of
T~olstoi's "Anna Karenina," and next sea-
son 1t win DO acted by Corona Riocardo. Tho
drama Is divided into three acts and the last Is
divided into two scenes.
Nance O'Nein announces that she will take
q shy ct "Magda" next winter and add her
name to the list Of actresses who have attempted
the role. Tho only women who ever played the
| part in English were ModjeskA and Mrs. Pat
rick Campbell. Neither was able to create tho
slightest interest In tho play: The fact that
some charuoter1stfcs that were strikinsiy true
Of her class probably accounts for the desire
An American Maoda viii be an entire novelty.
Manager Conried OF the Irving Place Theatre
j. going TO have q little theatrical syndicate Of
conducted In close connection with the stadt
Theatre in milwaukee,, one of the best known
arrangement Is tho result q the two companies
which wiz be employed at tho Irving Place next
t~ernstsiy in Now York and Milwaukee.
1t Ia said now that twenty-five local stock
ssGResh ns1. W" Wint es e FRI is a Ia iars see -n mhntsa
than In any season since the days Of the regular
s sSsatrs So% N sRe secd sSf s as dsee y, are su to E A5ey i /,
nothing resctionary In the movement
Fanny Buckley, who was a lively figure in
will not return to the stage since her marriage.
Oscar Hammerstein is going to write the
and James Thornton win supply the libretto.
Mr.. Hammerstoin will doubtless see to 1t that
issau sh tSan he P Soes h into lis s9 music into mons ss Sgs.
He continues to tell In them Jokes that were re-
tired for old age years ago. But Mr.. Hammer
'.' I ell Little Minists aI""I 'P p and : "chango
Alley, all plays q Ensllsh origin, will be
ment before they are seen In London.
The Third Avenue Theatre will probably be
reopened next season under a management
which will return to dramatic performances.
'The First Born" tho San Francisco play
which deals seriously with Chinese life, and win
mand for plays of this unique kind, and imita
tons have already appeared. The Celestial
the 'WIs West. It Is in three acts, while It's pro oson re
has only ono.
Gabriel d'Annunzio, who Is shortly to stand
for Parliament in his native town of Italy. has
written for Sarah Bernhard q play called "The
Dead City," which she will produce In Paris In
French. After she has first acted In the drama
Eleonora Duse will give 1t In Rome with Tina
di Lorenzo, q famous Italian actress and Flayio
Ando. buses receipts In Paris amounted to
Sal 200 In spite of her illness and the warm
weather.
Two little.one-act plays, Too Happy by Half
and "Whena Mans Married" were acted here
la t winter and were admired as very fair speci
mems Of good one-act comedies. John Drew
and Maude Adams acted the former several
times and when a Mans Married was In the
regular bill at the Lyesqm. They were pro
their author was Julian Field, a young English
literary man, who writes In French as well a.
he does In his own language. He lately read
a scenario of 9 new play to Sarah Bernhardt,
who announced that she would accept 1t for the
opening Of the Renaissance season. As this
happens In about six weeks. Mr.. Field will have
to hurry.
Antoine has determined to attempt another
Theatre Libre." in Paris and has secured a
theatre, to oe opened in the autumn. The utii,
ity OF the scheme seems dubious, a. his success.
aOr. Lugny Poe, has been unable to hnd French