The morning times., 1897-02-02
JOHN DREW In "ROSEMARY"
An Excellent Performance of an
Interesting Play.
Stoddar rd's Lectures, The Nancy
Hanks. Primrose and VESTS Min.
strels and Other Attractions.


positive, the more complimentary to the
authors, Louis N.sParker and Murray
Carson, and to Mr. sQrew, because Of the
distinguished quality. of the gathering.
The house was patgsEwith administrative,
Officials. social celebrities and critical
flrst-highterS, whose presence and demon
stratiye approval was the highest possible
compliment. o1sls
Rosemary" Is AM admirable niece or
pure, delicate and drtamatic workmanship.
and like the sprig which Dorothy gave
Sir Jasper, the play, too, Will be .for
remembrance. None who saw it will
soon forget it. II witt iinger a memory of
most delightful eYGping The story has
been repeatedly told. But it is Uerfectly
simple. An old bachelor entertains a
young man and his fiancee in his house
He falls in love with the Young woman
But she in return gives him only a sprig
of rosemary, for remembrance Fifty
years after, in the same room, he finds
the sprig and with il there is a revival
OF all the memories.
In the presence of this charming and
idylc piece of dramatic writing il is
impossible 10 imagine how public taste
ever dehauched Itself in the Gregs of the
sexual plays They are 40 unnecessary,
] bootless, so disturbing and unsatis-
factory, whereas III the Consideration of
purity and onorable love there is the
satisfaction of all that the intelligent and
right minded shoIld ask, Rosemary
entcrtains, it uplifts, 1t leaves the mind
richer in food thoughts and TIE heart
warmer in .oyc and confidence in human
ma t,Ire, 1t is rcbuke to the decadent
and a tonic to the pessimist
Mr.. Drew plays Sir Jasper tt orrdy kc,
4 part OF broad scope and eXacting dena ndS
III on the resources of the actor which he
met sQuarcly and ompletely For three
acts lie is a rachc.or OF forty, in the last
act, a sort OF epilogue, he appears as an
octogenarian We have seen Mr. Drew in
evening oat anu frOck coat SO often, play
ing the superficial II odcrn, that a char
acter part suggests itself rs something
beyond him. However, he surprised every
one. and compasScd the requirements with
masterful fincssc that must elevate him
in the regard OF his most sangGine aduirer,
for he has achieved what no one has ever
bcfore claim ed for him. There may he some
discussion as to the expe,iiency Of the
after the third act, but there cannot be
any gainSay ing that in characteristic touch
| the author has written maryeIously well
and the actor has realized tie conception
with perfect deEOtement.
The audience had to become acquainted
with Mr.. Drew again, for it is hard to
recognize the man of the muStache in the
smootb-shaven Sir Jasper MIR. Drew's
nose and chin are thrown into particular
prominence. He now appears with a sur
prisingly small mouth and the lines OF his
face conSpicuously angular. Mr. Drew
never laid claims TO beauty His coun-
tenance has always been attractive and
expressive, and such il remains iii no
less marked degree What one misses most
is the right hand that doesn't come mp and
stroke the left wing of the mustachc now
gone .f.
This cnga cement Is the last that we shall
see OF Miss Adams and Mr.. Drew together.
Next year this dainty little lady will star
Perhaps she is equal to holding the center
of the stage. She certainly possesses those
charms and arts which are emineutly de-
lightful in her present eontributory posi-
tion. As Dorothy, the little miss OF the
crinoline aud curls of 50, she surpasses
her best former standard. She is ideally
ingenious. Where will You find a bit Of
delicate comedy to compare with her
scene in the second act, wherein she under
takes to arrange Sir Jasper's breakfast
| room and unConsciously creeps into his
hard old bachelor heart?
The company is, the same practically
which has Always accompanied Mr.. Drew
His niece, Ethel Barrymore, does fasci-
mating work as Priscilla. Harry Harw ood
played a sea-dog, and Arthur Byron, the
other eloping lover. DaEiel Harkins, for
| years a fixture with Richard Mansfield
is amusing as Prof. Jogram Scenery and
costumes were appropriately picturesque.
lt is hard proposition to put novelties
into minstrel show, The more credit to
| Primrose and West. They opened at the
National last night for a week with the
most expensive minstrel entertainment
| that reasonable expectation could demand.
| with considerable that was novel and only
| enough that was cid retained to give he
show the outward form Of this hallowed
American entertainment.
Minstrels without the autocratic inter
locutor, the festive end men, the comic
| musical mokes, the monologuist and the
marchers would be no minstrels at all.
| They were all present last night, in good
| form and gave good cheer TO their audi
ence.
The first part opens well with fine
| setting, and tier OF half hundred
whites and blacks. W. II. West sat
! sercnely in the center, CONSCIOUS of his
| pre-eminence in conducting first part con-
| versatlon; at the other end the repartee
| was conducted by George Primrose, Jimmy
Wall, William Waters, George Wilson, and
John Howe. The music, vocalizing and
fun was all worth listening to, and much
| OF 1T OF higher order of excellence than
tradition has decreed should find place
| In these places. Primrose and his pick
aninnies closed the first half with a
| humorous walk around: Hot time in
| Old Town tonight The colored Con-
tingent opened the olio with a jubilee
knockabou The Ben Mowett trio, in
| their club act, We're very finished and ex-
| pert, especially the boy, who shares the
| most skillful work of his companions.
Then came George Wilson, with all his
old-hme gusto and gust, his tentative
eXpressiveness and death-to-gloom fun. He
| is still the king of monologuists. For twenty
minutes the audience laughed with him
till they cried.
Two contortionists, Jerome and Alexis,
did an excellent act in imitation Of 81
frog and crocodile in Florida swamp;
Howe, Wall and Walters did the usual
musical act, this time extracting harmony
from mail sacks, letters, stamp hammers
and gas fixtures in a postoffice; and a
brilliant march by sixteen grenadiers closed