The herald., 1897-03-21

wear ago. Whether the'exit of so many
stellar performers and their appearances
in the vaudeville ranks has anything 10
do. or no. with this improved appear
ance IS not stated, but that plenty of
room exists for change to the better Is
| undoubted.
Jessie Bartlett Davis, as star of light
opera, is supposed to have expressed her
views TO dramatic paper recently upon
| the comparative attractive qualities or
the different forms of theatrical produc-
| tions 1t is not wonderful to find that
! she favors light opera as form or pop
| ular amusement. She is reported as
| saying:
"Of various forms of stage amusement.
comic opera undoubtedly appeals to the
| most cosmopolitan public, but to very
| small element of the theater going pub
lie is the stage an educator. The great
mass of theater goers patronize the the-
| aters entirely on account of the amuse-
! ment to be derived. The type of French
| farce with which the country has been
| deluged for the last five seasons is rapid
| ly passing. Melodrama is to certain
, extent in the sere and yellow, aHhough
| strenuous efforts have been made of late
| to stimulate the interest in this one-time
popular form of dramatic literature.
| Farce comedy-that is, really sparkling
ways command certain following, but
the major portion of the highly gro-
| tesque, inane drivel which has so long
| borne the name of farce comedy has
passed away. And not a soul is on the
mourner's bench. Comic opera has been
steadily increasing in popularity until
| 1t is today the most popular form of
| stage amusement, for it cont<rns ele-
ments which appeal to all classes and
conditions of theater goers. There is
music TO delight the auditory nerves,
spectacular embellishments to delight
the eye and comedy TO excite the rlsibil-
tiles"
Here is a chance for an aspiring play
wright and not by any means the only
one open to one who can write a good
play. 1t is stated that Margaret Mather
offered $4,000 for a play suitable to her
self, and subsequently announced that
she will be only too glad to pay much
more for the play that meets her ap-
proval. The play. to fulfill her wishes.
must be in three acts, as it is to be per-
formed in conjunction with the curtain
raiser Nance Oldfield.
Paul Lindau's new four-act play,
! Evening" has been successfully pro-
duced in Berlin. The plot, if it may be
dgnified by that name, is as follows:
Stephanie, the daughter of a good
natured. good-for-nothing painter, was
wronged by Walter. son of the rich man
ufacturer. When he. Walter. realizes
what he has done. he offers to marry
Stephanie, but she, discovering he is as
we'll as engaged 10 another, refuses.
Through his daughters sorrows the old
painter. Deuben, becomes wiser and
better man; he even develops something
of the heroic. Stephanie goes to America,
while he lives tss evening of his life in
solitude and meditation. Nothing short
of fine acting can account for the sue
cess of such a play, and it is reported
that George EngeIs creation of the old
painter is exceedingly good.
The resources of electrical science are
constantly called upon for carrying out
modern theatrical effects and among the
latest instances we read that lin the sec
ond act of Blaney's comedy drama. The
Electrician two large dynamos have
been added to the three before employed
in obtaining the remarkable electrical
effects, and another will be very soon
introduced for the scene in which a man
comes in contact with live wire and
falls from the top of pole forty feet
high" 1t would be interesting to know
what becomes of the man after he comes
in contact with the real live wire. Is a
man knocked out every night and his
do with the turkey in "Shore Acres?" A
fortyfoot fall ought to be enough of a
shock to the audience without adding an
electrical one.
ITO read WELL" declares Thomas W.
Keene, two things are necessary
earnestness and repose. Repose is
strength. A superfiuity of gesture dis
tracts the attention of the audience"
1t is pity that Mr.. Keene does not make
better personal application of the
foregoing truisms and avoid the rant
which he too often mistakes for earn
estness."
Another illustration of the saying that
one must go away from home in order to
learn the news is found in the following
clipping from the New York Mirror:
"Aram H. Proudlan of Los Angeles. Cal.
has published in pamphlet form his two
tragcal plays, The Kingdom of Ar
menia, 400 A. D. and The Armenian
Massacre at the Present Time" The
Herald's dramatic critic would be
pleased to receive a copy of these two
| tragical plays.
The advance agent of prospsrity for
Shore Acres" Mr.. William 3. Gross,
adds to his other successes that of hav-
ing written a most interesting book en-
titled, Europe foT $780, In it he gives
his experiences of a trip abroad, which
covered Belgium, Germany. Switzer-
land, Italy, France, England and Scot
land. Mr.. Gross managed to see every
| thing worth seeing in the different coun-
| tries he visited, and his descriptions are
very interesting. He has also arranged
the itinerary for all who desire to make
the trip in the manner he did, ard the
most skeptical, after reading how Mr.
| Gross planned his economies and carried
| them out, will be convinced that Europe
can really be done" for the small sum
named. 1t must also be mentioned that
the book is an admirable guide for the
sightseer abroad, as it contains descrip-
tions of all the principal places and OBJ
| jects of interest ir the countries before
mentioned In short, the book is one
| to be commended to those who wish to
visit the famous cities of the old world
and need Information as TO the best ard
most economical modes Of travel.
The Burbank
| Harry Corson Clarke ard the entire
Burbank company have been creating
all kinds of fun this week at their popu-
lar play house. The vehicle for this
superabundance Of laughter has been
| the laughable comedy. "A Matrimonial
Maze" Next week Manager Pearson
Will pre- sent for the first time in this city
at popular prices William Gnlette's
| ~ ", =, q >, ior NAV ss-rLo VJri,-o