The herald., 1897-08-31
Y y Y se9sssssss " Y
"a s2
: AT THE THEATERS 3
s. e
F% %-Js-f.sSssSs.9fssfSssf5ss9ssSs.fstsTs7 !

'ORPHEUM.-The new bill presented
last night fulfilled all, or nearly all, of
its promise in the advance announce
ment published on Sunday. The pro-
gram of vaudeville house is professedly
made up in such manner as to afford at
least something that will please each
and every PERSONS taste. 1t is not to
be expected that the entire entertain
ment will please everybody. and in judg-
ing, therefore, of the merit of the per-
formance as a whole it is sufficient for
its advertised purpose if the bill has
been varied enough to suit, in at least
some of its numbers the diverse tastes
of the patrons of the house.
There is Hilda Thomas, for instance,
who plays to and for the gallery boys,
and they appreciate her delicate atten-
tions which she bestows in knowing
winks and wicked kicks. Her singing
voice has departed but she is a clever
soubrette Notwithstanding it's loss.
Gus Williams was also to the front
again with two or three changes in his
recitations, but none of Importance in
his monologue. His opening selection
was entitled Behind the Times" a re-
mark which might apply to some of the
"mother-in-law" jests and other mill
dewed jokes which he inhicts upon his
audience. His best sally was about the
greedy man who always took his meals
in front Of looking glass so that he
might appear to be eating twice as much.
The Nichols sisters appeared in black
face as a couple of frisky colored girls.
There was plenty of "go" in them and
though their singing was failure, they
did lot of clever caricature work, and
their two pairs of slim legs did some very
agile dancing which brought out lots of
applause
John c.. Fox and Katie Allen perpe-
trated little acting sketch, the princi-
pal situation in which was fairly we'll
subdued from what might have been
easily converted into a broad French
farce. AS it is, one is presented with an
incident of apparently everyday occur
renee in the life of a Emusic hall SOU
brette" and the revelation is of sur
prising kind. Mr.. Fox and Miss Allen
have the usual music hall voices, that
is to say, they cannot sing. Fox has
abundant assurance and the young lady
dances extremely well, an exhibition of
her talent in that line being greatly ap-
plauded.
The remaining new team is the Racket
brothers, three in number, who appear as
harvest hands in the style made familiar
in such plays as "The Old Homestead"
Their fun is of a clumsy kind, as suits
their characters and their specialties in
singing and playing are well done. They
will be sure Of an appreciative audience
at the matinees, where the children
crowd in great numbers. Elvira Fren-
celli and Tom Lewis were placed at the
end of the bill. position which allowed
those of the audience who did not appre-
ciate operatic selections to leave the
house. A large ontingent in the gallery
did quit, but most of the audience down
stairs remained and were rewarded by
hearing some very artistic singing.
OF course Papinta was the bright par
ticular star of the evening. She gave
the dances which created such furore
last week, but appeared in new cos
tune in the one called eel Captain"
from it's being danced to the Sousa mu-
sic. The character, however, belongs to
French surrounding, and the dance is
of the very lively kind that might be ex
pected of a Partisan cocotte. The new
costume of a heliotrope shade with
turquoise lining is very charming in its
effect. There are people who pretend
that there is nothing in the way of real
dancing in these ''serpentine" exhibit
tions, and that the work is entirely con-
fined to the arms in swirling the volumi
nous draperies into the required folds
and curves. This may be true of the
dumpy little Loie Fuller, who is too
stout to be able to dance; but to see
Papinta is to get a revelation of what
grace, lightness of movement, supple
ness of body and delightful abandon are
combined to produce the picture she
presents. In her dance, "The Firma-
ment," and in "The Lilly" she floats over
the darkened stage in a SILENT almost
ghostly fashion, looking like spirit OF
one of those rare creations of Grecian art
which have come down to us in imperish
able marble, or like some one Of the
graceful figures that adorn an old
Etruscan vase. When to the beauty of
form and ethereal lightness of living
movement are added the artistic effects
produced by scientific blending of
gorgeous and ever changing colorings,
Papinta becomes a modern, up to date
realization of the idealized Grecian god
dess of sensuous enchantment and all
peINdQlHS COHliol'
Every movement is so full of grace and
exquisite harmony and the whole body
so perfectly responds to the spirit Of the
art creation that the spectator at once
realizes the broad distinction that di-
vides such native grace from the exhi-
bition that consists Of a woman waving
her arms and producing 'serpentine" ef-
fects under colored lights. In the fire"
scene Papinta is most liked by some who
admire the realistic appearance of the
flames that surround the body of the
dancer, and which rise and fall, changing
in hue to a deep purple and blue and
Frightening again into fiery red, and
finally expiring in a blackened heap. |
Such a really artistic representation has
not before been given on these boards.
4 \ 4
BURBANK THEATER.-The initial
performance of Ada Lee Bascom's ga
Bowery Grip was given at this house
last evening. The play is of the sensa-
tional kind, with plenty of heroic deeds
and narrow escapes, such as are always
appreciated by the Burbank patrons.
Oracle Plaisted as the Bowery girl gave
Awarded