The herald., 1897-05-27
AT THE THEATERS
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LOS ANGNLEs ,THEATER,-when
Rice'ssproduction Of .'14p1' was brought
to this theater the audiences night after
night were 20 large that standing room
was willingly paid for. Last night,
when Excelsior. Jr,' was given from
the came source. the audience was much
smaller. and the standing room was not
encroached upon.
In addition. the people. were not re-
sponsive during the flrst act, and the
players had to work against an un-
usually chilly atmosphere. their jokes
fell stillborn, and even when the comic
man, In a spaem of admiration at q
vision Of loveliness In pink tights, said:
"Oh, what abandon!" and the vision re-
rponded: Yes, was left on q door
STEP" there was no responsive laugh
from the critical spectators.
But It turned out that the frost was
all upon the painted scenery of Mont
Blanc; the setting was very pretty. by
the way. When the curtain went up on
the second act, disclosing the interior
Of the Hoepice of st. Bernard, with a
group of monks, some engaged
in eating and some in playing
musical instruments after the fam
GUS picture, 1.-THE Monastery" there
began a perceptible change. The second
act contains the principal specialties.
and It may be briefly said that they are
all good-and Eome better. In fact, there
is enough entertainment crowded into
this act to make the cream of any even
ing's entertainment. Johnny Page, who
lie not at all funny as the captain Of BAN
ditti in the first act, did some capital
turns in the second. His imitation OF
Albert Chevallier in a coeter song. was
not readily seised by the audience, but
HE take-off Of the average song and
dance artist was true to life, and far
cleverer than the average original. His
other limitations brought down loud
applause. Sadie Martinot gave a
few songs in the style Of Yvette
Guilbert, but her plump and pleasing
personality did not lend itself to the de-
plotting Of "a rag. bone and hank of
hair" although she was as chic as her
original could possibly be.
Joe Cawthorn was to the fore with
his quaint German specialties, his trill-
irg tongue. his hesitating speeches.
which keep the house in a continual
laugh, and his concertina melodies,
which are played in wonderfully cor
rect harmony and with good taste and
feeling. Cawthorn did more to raise the
Temperature Of the house by his little
remark Lets be sociable" than any
thing that had happened. and from
that time there was the best of feeling
and the warmest recognition on the part
cf the audience. He is clever artist In
his line, and understands the distinc
ton that should be made between ia
miliarity and impudence in the license
that is by custom allowed to the low
comedy man when he takes the house
into his confidence. There is certain
refinement about Cawthorn's work that
is pleasing and gives seal to what he
does which distinguishes it from the
commoner turns In his line.
Sadie Martinez makes all that is pos
sible out OF part that is impossible. She
Is dainty and fresh and bewitching, with
a figure that would set painter dream
ing and an intelligence that is far above
the trifiing part she is called upon to
play in this burlesque. While her pres
ence lends a certain importance to the
piece, 1t cannot be said that there is any