Kansas City daily journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1892-1897, 1897-01-20
I MUSIC AND THE DRAMA.

The recital given at the Auditorium last
night by Miss Mary French Field and Mr..
William II. Sherwood, with several num-
bers by Kansas City artists, was attended
by a large audience, which became very
enthusiastic. Miss Field was taken on
faith. for she was a stranger TO the local
stage; but il was a faith inspired by her
fathers childhood verse, of which she
proved to he surprisingly successful m
terpreter. Miss Field is unCommonly tall.
has an attractive, expressive face, Il big,
resonant voice, which has already been at
tuned to some very pretty modulations,
and is capable of still greater ones. She
read a large number of her fathers verses.
among them such popular things as Child
aGd Mother o toTe B,,,o GhriStmaS
Table dHote," Trumpet and Drum and
"Seein' Things" the last making the big
gest hit of all. She eXcelled in her imper-
sonation of the boys characters. The real
surprise of Miss Fields work was in the
easy and effective personal style she has
acquired in so short Il time before the pub
lie There is no reason why Miss Field
should. not become Il profitable reader on
her own account.
Mr. Sherwood, who has so often amazed
the purely musical audiences of Kansas
City with his prodigious technic, made
many new friends last night. No pianist
vigorous outburst of applause in this city
than was Mr.. Sherwood at the conclusion
of the Paganini-LsZt La Campanella," a
stupendouS number. The eccentricities and
complexities of its makeup battle all but
the greatest Virtuosos. In this number the
Liszt's .'Mephisto' waltz and the Guilmant
fugue Mr.. Sherwood demonstrated his right
to be called Americas greatest pianist, for
ibis superlative technic in these compost
,tions was sustained by q breadth of style
and diversity of feeling in the remainder
of his programme, which included Chopin,
Beethoven. Rubinstein and Schubert. What
Richard Mansfield said of himself might
apply with greater force to Mr. Sherwood.
He was sorry that he was not born abroad
for he would then have America to visit
One of the great musical numbers was
the List .Preludes," for two pianos
played by Mr.. Sherwood and Mrs. Ella
Backus-Behr. Kansas GityiS great pianist
who honored herself and her distinguished
instructor on this occasion as she has on
many others. Several numbers were con-
tributed by Mr.. Dudley Eaton, who is Kan
markably sweet and well cultivated voice
of limited range and power. but full of eX-
preston. AUSTIN LATCHAW.
The Merchant of Venice" was the sec
ond bill of Mr.. Keene's big repertory at
the Coates this week. 1t was presented to
a good house last night The Shylock of
Mr.. keene. like the other old character
parts among his portrayaIs, shows careful
attention to the eXternals but it lacks the
sentient touch that one finds in his Rich
elieu or Louis ri. In the dramatic mo-
ments he rises to considerable power some
times to eXtravaEances, but in the mo-
mentS of great self-contrOl. when the char
acter should take on austerty, there is
intelligent subtlety that one associates with
his ideals of Shylock. Miss Timberman's $
Portia has good spirit, and if it does not
entirely realize the superior womanhood
of the character, it enters into the merrl-
ment of the comedy scenes effectively. Mr..
Hanford's Bassanio was an admirable per-
formance Others deserving particular men,
| ton are Miss Hopkins. the Jessica: Mr.,
Paul Taylor the Launcelot, and Mr.. Stone.
the old Gobbo. This afternoon the bill will
he "Virginius," with Mr.. Hanford in the
title part and Miss Hopkins as Virginia.
The sale of seats for the Nordica con-
cert opened well yesterday. A line stood
i'm waiting before the ticket office opened,
and it was nearly noon before it was
broken. The sale will continue from now
until the date of the concert. February 2.
The chart is at 1900 Main street.
There are prospects for a good engage
ment for Bancroft. the magician. who will
open at the Auditorium Thursday evening.
This will be the first appearance here of
the new wizard.
There will be matinee performance of
Shadows of Great City" at the Ninth
Street opera house this afternoon.