Evening star., 1897-01-05
AMUSENENTs.

AMUSENENTs.
| Columbia Theater.-A very fashionable
audience, with Sir lillian Pauncefote aud
| party in one box v3s- e-yts to Mr. Letter
and party In another listened delightedly
| last night to the welIano1ulated English
| OF an rall-English company in an adapta-
| uon from B.sson andoi Cares Monsieur
| LIE Dlrecteur, which 1.-THE adapters, Mr.
Boucher and Mr.. Sa4ro. have happily
called The Chill Widow" The company.
! wnlch is the same that's presented the play
| In London for upward Of 800 nights at the
royalty Theater is headed by Mr.. Arthur
bouchier QronounceH Bowsher) and Miss
Nloiet Vanbrugh CMrss Bouchier), and is
| as competent collection of PLAYERS as
we have seen in Washington The NAV is
| a comedy satire. in which the Chill widow
MSS Van5rush) undertakes. as only a
nar. Miuom can. 10 secure for her brother-in-
| law, frederick Martihdale (Mr Elliott a
Pronotion IN the home office, of which Sir
| Resinaid Deiamere (Mr. Bouchier) is chief
mere there Is, IS very very pretty Mrs. Martindale
IAllss irene Vanbrugh) and very striking
and positive mother-in-law Miss Helen
| hous) VINO share in the desire and hope
OF tne FAMILY to make something of Mr.
MaI.,ndaie' and the efforts of all these.
asslsteu or not, as the case may be- by the
various incidental persons, constitute q
COMEDY which. while never approaching
the 1aree-comedy register, is something to
make an audience laugh at the listening
and again at the recollection The situa-
Iions throughout are most artistically and
dencateiy handled, ana the result is re-
Iaesning ere ~ ana wholesome. Mr. Boucher as
sir reginald was at all times careful con-
sclent1eus and comical, and Miss Van
prugh won for herself on merit alone the
commendation Of the most critical An
Blakeley's Duckworth Crabbe. and to the
manner born of Celt and Scot were Mr.
Hendrie's ODwyer, NJ p, and Mr.. King
horne's Macpherson. Miss Rous was
grand Old mother-in-law of the most pro-
nounced type. Miss Irene Vanbrugh was
sweet and pretty six months bride, and
MIS-, MISS stewart was hired help" whose
soie nope pc was to perpetrate her 'Enry's
Hane. Inc nome office set in the second
act Is an exact reproduction Of the chief
secretarys room of that office in London
by permission of Chief Secretary West,
1870. On Friday night Kitty Cline, Act
| ress," ard The Queens Proctor will be
given.
Lafayette Square Opera House-"Sue."
the attraction which the Lafayette Square
opera House offers this week. is hopeful
product of theatrical epoch which seems
threatened with the undisputed tyranny Of
the costumer and the song and dance art
1st 1t is not only play designed with
skill to hold the interest of an audience,
but 1t shows an utter absence of affecta-
ton, both in plot and dictfon which gives
1t serious claims to consideration as an
American classic. 1t is founded on one of
the best efforts of Bret Harte, whose
stories have ever commanded popular af-
fection and critical respect. Where print
ers ink and paper are the media which a
writer uses in depicting his characters
exaggerafion is often necessary in order to
make them stand out like flesh and blood.
1t is this ability to forsake fidelity to nature
on occasion which makes the novel superior
to 8 routine report of court procedure: the
painted picture better than the photograph
But the characters thus developed, when
transplanted to the theater, where gesture,
vocal infection and facial expression re-
inforce the impression already vivid upon
the printed page, are in great danger of
becoming caricatures rather than types
The manner in which Sue was performed
by Joseph Haworth, in the role of the
western man, who marrieS unSophiSti-
Gated girl, to whom he is no more than a
refuge from brutal father; by Miss Annie
Russell, as the child wife, and others,
demonstrates that this danger of distortion
has been fully realized, and, as far as pos
sible, avoided. The humor of the piece is
inherent. 1t is interviewer with the pathos
so closely that 1T is at times difficult to
separate the two and there are one or two
efforts at comedy which are palpable inter-
polations, and wholly discordant The
story, while natural in it's progress, does
not lack for stirring incident The dis
charge of firearms and the swagger of the
desperate are kept in due subordination by
Mr.. Pemberton, the dramatist, and the
piece remains sidyliic7 throughout. Guy
spangles dazzle the innocence of Sue is
an especially noteworthy member of gen.
orally meritorious cast! .
National-"The MIX White Flag"
Hoyts caricature Of national guardsmen,
at the National Theater, last Night was
welcomed as an old favorite, firmly estab-
llshed in the peoples affections. The audi
cree was large, and the laughing was al
most continuous. No such soldiers exist as
those pictured by Heyt and consequently
70 bitterness is caused by the representa-
tion but if they did exist they would act
like the soldiers in the play. Only Hoyt
could take such a subject the lampoon-
irg of grief and not be brutal. Although
the tenderest Of emotions, the auditors did
not take offense at the burlesque. Belle
Archer the gay widow. and was as
fascinating as ever. ClariSse AgneW Is a
dainty dancer, and reminds one of Lizzie
DAILY. Marie Denb was attractive In
Fart too small for her merits. Then there
was a chorus Of pretty girls, dressed as
messenger boys and vivandieres. The male
characters were taken by ChaS. Stanley,
Lloyd Wilson, E. 8. Wentworth, Chas. r.
Burrows. w. H. Distin, Harry Gilfoil, NJ
b. Snyder and Geo. A. Schiller, and they
acted with spirit and judgment. Harry Gill
foil Drank Graft of this city, gave his
familiar clever limitations. and presented
a number of new ones. He was recalled
repeatedly and made the hit of the evening
Everything went with a dash. The songs
were we'll sung and the dances well exc.
cuted. The costumes were bright and
made background was elegant and taste
full. Again tonight.
Academy of Music.-The English meio-
drama, when London Sleeps" opened at
| the Academy Of Music last night. The play
was presented at this theater earlier in the
season. and large business resulting. re-
| turn date was secured. The audience last
| night was large upstairs, but only of ordi-
| nary dimensions on the lower floor. From
start to finish improbable situations and
climaxes are brought forward with start
| ling rapidty. The plot Of the play Is built
on the story Of circus girl performer
| being left large fortune and being pur-
| sued by a worthless cousin, who hopes by
| her marriage or death to secure the money.
| At first marriage is proposed. but this
! proposition fails. In the second act the
girls reputation is assailed by being lured
to a house of ill-fame. 1t Is this scene
| which was condemned when the piece was
here before and it merits the same repro
baton now. The incidents are improbable.
| but the situations are worked up so as to
please the gallery The redeeming features
of the performance were the evenly bal
| anced acting of members Of the company
| and the large uuantity of SCENERY carried