The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-31
NEW THEATRICAL MATTER.
PLAYS o AMERICAN nUMoR AND
S nNE OF ENGLISH PATHOS.

orerra with .,VNhnt Happened
IN Jomes." ana tho Fourteenth street WIN
'.,.u He Forgive Her vino Columbus
r,.,,ro Tries "McGintJ. the SPORT"
49, ,,,rhottnn Theatre looked rs new as it's
.,,r when it was reopencd last night. Tho
Mn,i,css OF the Standard had disappeared ut
80 and. in all the siEhtliness OF fresh decora-
,,o, The auditorium presented q handsome as
tu"' The inlay pcrio med for tho first time at
~, Manhattan, in the presence OF an au-
.,orcc composed chiefly OF theatrical people,
. FARGO entitled what Happened to
20" nv George II. Broadhurst. The fun
w. derived from the imposture OF n hymn book
-, who projected himself into n family as a
n,.ho, md so caused some ludlcrous troubles.
Thn,e was nothing ingeniously novel In the
hsslsn OF the piece. nor any particularly bright
w, or unctuous humor In tho execution.
~. false prcterdcr was the same cheeky
nan that we have had on tho Amcri.
an stage these many years, and his COM
.,r,cns were equally familiar acquaintance.
m, staid professor who goes surreptitiously TO
a, A prize fight. comes back battered, and Is
..r.r,ly controlled by a henpecking wife. was
,N.rs again. SO was the fond and foolish old
S.n and the mawkishly Sentimental girl, and
~, risk!ly frank one. The only stranger whom
At, proadhurst introduced was a Swedish maid.
.rr,nt, and she, with her measured speech and
s.cse misunderstanding, was by no means an
.nt.rtaining character. although carefully
,,,,edb BY Pearl Andrews.
uovercr, "What Happened to Jones" should
,oth moderated as q farce OF the uproarious
Md. 1t made its first New York audience laugh
.great deal. The carping observer may have
condemned the ioolery for It's slowness OF action,
n, excess OF words. and Its scantiness Of
originality, but he could, not shut his
-. a. HI lnRt Inn n fhnnGnnn nArQnna
ia particularly sophisticate sort, were much OF
The time in throes OF merriment. Here and there
APPLAUSE at the falls of the curtain were surely
ns insircere as the profuse offerings OF flowers.
Nevertheless, The very 9 tSsIr nsr old s1 ns,dniaS.
ingly well. The director Of the performance
seemed to have recognized the necessity OF
uo.Hs and to have therefore instructed the
ssctors TO play with might and main. Except
HHSSatews' they were vociferous. But violence
o, delivery may have conduced to help make
the farce acceptable. ast surely was, to q ma
3ority Of the persons present.
Every theatrical season brings It's Frank
Harvey melodrama, and two q year is the moro
usual Allowance. Last night the second new one
to be seen in this season was acted ut the
Fourteenth Street Theatre. On this same stage
Tho Wages OF SIM" with Charles Harbury,
Agnes Booth and the other capable players who
introduced ne w ayes VI Sln W Jnlb country,
gained for the author OF tho long series Of
dramas that has followed that beginning his
vogue in this country. So the Fourteenth Street
seems always the appropriate home for these
pieces.
shall We Forgive Her y Is superior to some
OF Mr.. Harvey's works seen more recently
here. 1t Is stronger than "a House OF Mys-
terry and more engrossing than "a Fight for
Honor" Its heroine has q past which she
keeps to herself until she has married another
man, and then. indeed. she falls to dis
close 1t herself. 1t is made known to
him by an old love Jealous of his new wife. and
pathological result does not affect his heart
which remains cold to his wife until the last
the doctor eeP tells ai sI him n That o bis sight PIs' viii certainly nhy
return to him after awhile.
NJ Harvey's methods are well known, here
They are not subtle. but they are nearly Away
effective. Their emotions are elementary. ant
the way of Indicating them to the spectators
the v%iillniny for.villainy's-sake type keep lov
inS hearts IS, apart ,fand jq Is T f. long non, as ,ut z,
Govidehce sends them about their business
This simple theme 10 the basis Of most plays ~
up Without the least attempt to disguise the
familiar taste. He writes too many plays &c
S ~. sat s,%s SIs sno sns b's so sn,is{Ey v Hi,sSnSIiy ~ the'
alternately. and = laughed. moreover. in tb'
Ae.t ihSN- lhU pICSO "ho ~
Arden. I. I: stetson, Fl. P. Webster. 7. A. Wise
Witty. Madeiine Lack and Annie Wood pre-
T. isn ses iss pleY + IN E 2 manner bs5 1 shHs Was on suited dSs1n Z
ing country scene for the last act
Clara Morris viewed her first vaudeville audi
sace yesterday at Keith's, and found It nolsily
cordial. There was a racket OF approval as soor
Is she was in sight; this was repeated when
ever In her performance there was Q
chance for 1t, and at the end there
were recalls for her. This was as 1,
used to be upon the dramatic stage, and the
change OF environment did not bring an al
teration In the nature Of her effort. "Blind
Justice" was the name of the melodramatir
sketch in which she appeared. and. though kept
within the limits of the usual vaudeville inning
hhad for Miss Morris the part OF a woman al
torn BY emotion as though three full acts had
eallded her woe. She was seen as the wife Of a
French Justice. and in his office at a time wher
ne was ponderinR an application for ciemency
Sn inc part OF a convicted murderer. At hrsi
on with hfRfs' WORK, and. to sober Gssp her eis a to the % po fei
Thefe she would not e%ncroach on his time, he
BANDED nan The application over to her for examine
Rion She found that the condemned man wai
ssI ar.t husband the father Of her only child,
Erestle between her desire to be finally rid OF
mis- fellow. at whose hands she had received
Sne toughest treatment, and her distaBte for con
eemning any one. especially her child's father
todeath, The first feeling was uppermost until
eeing ~softened by a letter from her son, she
pleaded for mercy for the murderer on realizing
mat her own verdict was to be supported. A
second letter announced the condemned man'i
{Siclde, which ended her struggle and he play
Ouring by far the greater part OF 1t Miss Morris
was seated facing her audi nee, and turning
pow and then to her companion. who sat with
hs back TO her. Her picture OF a woman dis
Eaught was certainly convincing. and hel
bearers met her hysterical collapse with a clat
Nr OF approval as a sign of their own relic
RON tension. Several lighter passages tina
Fave a chance for laughter were pounced on
700 with The same relish in contrast. Leading
qp 10 the end was her own frantic. hysterlca
}oy at relief from her dilemma, and in this he
h.is1ere Joined most heartily.
Blind Justice" WAS an excellent medium fo
MS actress. and IL would be difficult TO choOs,
thother OF the same shortness that would SHOW
ber talents off to as good advantage. But ism
Aenneth Lee rather bold or careless to claim 1
The stock company at the Murray Hill Theatr
seems. from Its performance on Saturday nigh
"hen the regular season at the house opened
70 DO a very serviceaole organization whicl
ought to become an enjoyable feature of tn
theatrical year. Most Of the actors shove,
some special ability, ind they all exhibited IA