The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-01

genius evcr did before. and Dick IL saved. II
Mr.; Shay wrote now eth , the frced doIoa that
Dick would probably. have boon allowed TO hang.
c%ellentiy impressed by tho opening scene Of the
PLAY. and &c Is done entirely, by the language
F eTss' Gives 9! es's spilsndiSgiy the seSss Of the mar narrow ~
lmS \" oouid be done IL tho scene were shorter.
The outbreaks Of Mrs. Dudgeor, eycn with tho
artistic treatment I,.pt III tha at fr1nnoD, Monk Mo- ,on gives ,n,
besides. But the atmosphere of the scene. Is
vivid and seems. truthful. Some of the roles
in mi plsSed. ard two or three of tho actors, who
figure in the reading Of the will. give real char.
aeter and accent Soms,x TO n shs s't IN tSis n hseFS Sc =
which is about as unlike any quality of Arms
and the Man as could be put on the stage. This
little child. They have nearly as much popular
feeling as the scenes between Lntie Era and
S SHe,s Ton and VIM win lust sot the necessary SSrsaSr ' distine,
ton and amiable condesccneion the important
scene OF tho third act, between him and Mr..
;aai,;as Il Siyes tho actor, Mr.. Forrest is fully
equal TO them, Only in this one scene Is there
any talk u 70 H y na na e snfs 81 are A Tho wit Sno and
spnrkle OF this earlier work reproduced In The
Devils Disciple" Mr.. Mansfield gets through
the ulay with greater and greater diflculty.
lila mannerisma are increasing alarmingly.
Formerly only one of his legs seemed to have
become ossifiled, and t me nrr cnmn o, Sart ~ tbs
difficulty Of moving about with two legs that
are seemingly made Of stone, A new habit OF
Of the Fifth Avenue. Theatre. lie now puts
down his feet a. though he were determined to
break q hole through tn the .i stage t,.t Up ?. 70 ps Sa snr.
hut the strain Of Mr.. Mansfleld,s loconotion
ton for the actor who plays Dick Dndpeon tho
ability TO express the ., re tkn sSa the w fre9d1 hs
and the tSs,r lnG,tie re rsp Se she 0R which seems wTs'1 ui III:
mately to overtake oil OF our American actors
Ia to-day tho most damaging influence OF our
stage.
Anna Held's withdrawal from l. Poupee"
will probably damage the piece slightly If she
Is replaced by q capable substitute, as the part
was not at all in her line and she has wisely de-
cided to return to vaudeville after n perform
huce which, viewed in the most kindly light,
seemed to give no promise of tho slightest
dramatic ability. 1t is a little difficult to SEQ
why there should have been so much talk about
the difficulty of securing a capable actress for
the character, as Alcsia seems no more difficult
to act than Otirctte, Bettinu and the rest of the
heroines of the Audran operettas. Daintiness
and intelligence arc the chief requisites for the
part, and If she were q half foot shorter Theresa
Vaughn could act 1t charmingly. In the mean
time there is plenty Of charm In the work for
audiences that like refined humor and pretty
music. The score is tuncful, delicate, and
piauaut, without particular effort at any but
the least pretcntious forms, but is very charm
ing. G.. w. Arson as HiiariLs has q character
to depict, and this rather unusual task for n
comic opera comedian he accomplishes very
skilfully. He is a vain, Dragging toymaker,
with unbounded pride in his own achievements,
,,l NJ Anonn ipdicatna NIL thpSN pua1itips very
amusingly. His methods are quiet and easy
and he plays the part in just the key. required
for n work like l. Poupee.' Ferris Hartman.
another comedian, acts very neatly and with
the ease Of an artist the aristocratic Chan
ttreile. Frank ~Rushworth, the tenor, has, not
much u Of bi yo iiSbt nor Ien does IS a ne sing e spd hs y
very good looking. Comic opera tenors are not
numerous-that is, of the kind that one cares to
hear. MIR. Rushworth Is considerably above
the average. The chorus of men voices Is eN-
ceptionally strong and well trained, while the
The song of tho monks in the last act, the doll
song, the trio and the waltz are numbers that
strike the, nearer especially, and a quartet of
men which on the first night made no impress
sion is ono of the selections which Is now re-
peated nightly. There are two scenes in the
opera that are very abrasive views. The first
living as well as the real dolls are novel fea-
lures in the scheme Of the scene. When, ut the
displayed, the conclusion is lively and unusual
enough to make the tableau striking; The
scene in the monastery, with the church win.
cloister in the foreground. is n tasteful picture.
The rest Of the scenery is adequate and the cos
tunes, although not particularly lavish, are
The audience which heard the opera on the
first night was a remarkable gathering. 1t
more of the Tenderloin than any other actress
whenever she appeared IN a new opera. But
AS a rule first-night audiences are not gather
ings which one ls likely to remember. Nearly
two weeks have passed now sin Sc that audience
character is still fresh in the minds of some OF
those who saw it. It would have taken a dyna-
mite explosion on the stage to have made any
impression on those spectators. A dainty work
like l. Poupee' could never have done it. The
delicate character of tho operetta,. its freedom
from f1ambOyant and sensational features and
its quiet humor could never have made any i'm
preston on those spectators. Comic opera
things to New York audiences.
In the second act of 1.-THE IDOLS Eye" the
spectators see an Indian temple and seated on
an altar in the centre of it is a god who has not
been looked upon by a strangers eyes in thou
sands of years. The fun of the act consists al.
most wholly OF the disrespectful treatment to
which this image Is subjected, and II. b.
Smith has devised a great many complications
that are highly ingenious and diverting. Prob
ably nine out of every ten spectators in the
theatre on the opening night knew that after q
while Frank Daniels would find himself on the
altar in place of the image. But he got there
in a little more direct way than anybody sus
pected. In an uncommonly ludicrous scene the
idol was taken from its position and carried
away by three profane visitors. IL was OBJ
served that a very large nail attached the
image to its place, and as it vas in n sitting
posture anybody who got on the altar as tn,
idol had been there was certain to feel very
uncomfortable. But needless Of the nail Abe
Conn, in the person Of Frank Daniels climbed
up to the altar and Sat down vigorously. BE
fore he had the time to correct his mistake
procession OF priestesses entered and he re
manned on the nail. The situation was very
adroitly introduced, and 1t was acted by Mr.
Daniels with less than the usual reliance ON hi
personal peculiaritIes. 1t was amusing to per
sons who were not entertained only by them
For some time the comedian takes the idol
place over the nail, and he keeps up the temp,
and the volume OF the fun to the last minute
Mr.. Smith has not ignored the success of thu
English musical farcer, and the first act of hi
latest libretto until the entrance of AbeL Com
is very closely modelled after that present pop
ular form. 1t is difficult to believe that th'
author Of such a formless and complicated
have written librcttos SO compact. expert, ant
fresh as Tho Wizard of the Nile" '1he Man
DARN" and The Idols Eye They mark al