The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-02-12
ON THE NEW YORK STAGE.
. NEW USICLL AND FROJICsOME
FROM GERMANY.

I1lS
p.,.c,,.i Character or "Tata Toto"-
rIm,r Grsndin snd Eva Mountford. 60
I,,o Vaudeville with The Mouse TIP"
There was som ground for reflection offered
H., tho large audience at the Irving Place Thea
~, last night. The theatre was crowdod.a st
r,-,ly is, and the spectators were en-
,,u.instic. The plays acted there weekly
..ldom attract such attention.. and " took
rather a trivial farce to draw the largest audi
,nce OF the winter. There was a return to
.,yle OF play seldom seen now on the
German stage here. although Its kiad
xs. once highly popular. "Toto-Tata" was
the name Of this musical farce that was trans
I,,,d into German from a French original BY
Victor Leon. As It was. the piece seemed
-,,h.r German than French. although tho
translator had left the scenes and the char
ncters In their own land.
Tn. play IL amusing. and II was vlvaciously
acted by the comedians OF the theatre. They met
The demands on their abilities As actors much
more completely than they could sing the music
assigned to them. But they played with such
unfagglng interest and enthusiasm that their
Interpretation Of tho piece was generally salts
sister, Tdtd, was the motive that. served as q
basis for the complications Of the farce
..aatSUen,isi to merit any .drscription.. There
was a large chorus employed. IN the per-
formaneci and there was a good deal OF mnsiS
Commonplace. had some freshness and spirit.
Ely Bender was both Toto and 7dtd. and she
Differentiated artisticaliy the two characters
and she looked pretty as the riri. The German
female form Is no, a, q RUE "d ,hs ar. 10
Miss Bender had to wear as the boy. Shet Is
quite destitute Of any singing voice. but
danced in a manner that amused the audi.
ence. The play. which is = good specimen OF
viii stand comparison with other specimens OF
This now popular species OF musical farce.
Actors who have for q long time participated
con.picuously In loud melodrama are compelled
10 make 4 big change In their methods when
they enter the vaudeville ranks, for thirty
minute thrill developers are n rare stage prod
uct, and would be OF doubtful value In tho
variety shows. SO with Eva Mountford and
Elmer Grandin. who are now at keith's. vsude-
vile employment means much more than .
change OF surroundings. They are acting The
Mouse Trap" . short farce BY Mrs. Burton
Harrison that has already had . few New York
hearings. ana 10 . favorite with amateurs. IL
commences with tho fright OF q woman at .
mouse. Later her half hystsrical terror Is
communicated to her caller. q sutton. and
ia dramatic height dnds tho two stand
ing on chairs, each afraid to step TO
the floor. Its farcical situations make 10
much better suited to the variety shows
than many OF the sketches chosen by recent DO
ginners at such entertainments, and at keith's
there is no evidence that its demands upon its
new TO an erstwhile hero with helpless friends
aud potent foes to make his first entrance
mounted q hre-escape to a third-story fiat.
During his climb he has been laughed At by the
nsirhbors, and his lady love 10 also alive TO the
humorous side OF his entrance. which isn't
hero's portion for the first fifteen minutes OF q
play. Nor does the sort OF a heroine that Miss
scream over much less than q pair of solled and
husky abductors; but she has to ~palpitate over
The mouse; and IL is the little sninsI,; jumping
appearance of a brunette with, past
TO .voon vigorously. But she has a bout of
sobbine II. which her. former practice at irving
amiss. and her helple.sness before the mouse 10
really truer to life than many n heroine's surrend-
er. The actors moment that . most remote from
his recent employment Is when he stands on q
chair. with AT umbrella In one hand and an ice
pitcher in the other. and is too scared to come
tho mouse away, but his "meows" are very
nnlike the limitations Of specialists, and later,
s ssis aii &c 81 iaEins rank With rsadsSiiis yooSii.t..
Possibly he doesn't try to do so. but as hts part
NOV m,.s stands M,s: M iasns rs no ,S opSorsu 81. faint, IL y s so
an upholstered sofa. and that 10 a Joyous task
as compared with. the unresponsive boards that
are so often the place OF a horoine's collapsing.
Oscar Hammerstein said yesterday that he
had completed his travesty Of Mrs. Bradley Mar
tins bali. and had heard nothing Of an intention
to restrain him from performing It at the Olym-
plA- The hostess is to be caricatured by George
Monroe, who has figured In farce and vaudeville
for many years in the guisss Of comic Irish
women.
Arthur c. Moreland. who used TO bo 30 dig
nifedly urbane and volubly interlocutory In No
r m DafrAl snn.n maj IA haa haAn Mind for fapR
years His stage friends will give an entertain
ment at the Fourteenth Street . week from
Sunday night to raise money for him.
sArdou has made such alterations In an Eng
lish version Of Mime. Sans Gene" that Henry
Irving may play Napoleon without being sub
ordinate IN interest to the title character. which
will DO assumed by Ellen Terry.
James A. Herne. the actor, lecturcd In q Con-
Errga,ional pulpit of Kansas City. He told his
audience that the most sublime play he had
o'Neiil impersonated Christ. That was the
piece which Mr.. o'Seill produced in San Fran.
cleo, but which was prohibited In New York by
EBlsnche Walsh is a suffering heroine. indeed.
nthe news which she sends out from straight
eye was badly bruised BY a fall OF scenery: also,
that while barefooted In the desert scene sho
ssleerped on a nail and punctured her sole dread
pTae d.rided Cherry sisters ar. coming to
ftoetor,s. but 1t Is DECLARED that the rudely
.. S'eA A'ecs sho hHhiN
Ing cateall, will bring upon Its perpe,rator in.
stnnt election"
Tho new plan for tho exhibition OF John l..
hulIivAn Oh the stage will make him the inter-
.ocutor In the first part Of what Is known as a
female minstrel show, and a whitened model of
slAtuAry In the second part.
There need be- no longer any doubt that May
rome will come TO Roster * Biai'a next month.
s,the outgtylngs of trouble over her contract
and the assertion OF an extravAgant salary are
not TO bo mistaken.
Charlie II. Hoyt's farce. "A Stranger In New
lotk," will not be produced here for q month
ortwo;, but II was performed IN London yester-
way Under the ruling of the English courts.
snd contrary TO those Of our Judges. the public
augmentation of n play is a publication.
therefore,, In order to protect All American
piece IN that country IL must be acted there for
copyright purposes prior to It's stage use here.
Although our plays very seldom prove OF any
,aIue over there. IL 10 tho practice to protect
mem oy means Of a single afternoon PERFORM
tnce. Actors are hired to mrmorizo the parts.
stew tickets are sold To ohliging friends. and
rhat stands In law for u public representation
~ given, at a cost OF about 500. This precau-
,"h saved a great deal OF money to the manager
hhd authors of The Girl | Left Behind Me-"
wh,ch ran vigorously eight months In London,
otccnstantu use.