The times., 1897-07-11
81;
"A

The Columbia Stock Company viii re-
turn to farce this week and will present
the piece originally intended for last,
Roland Reeds successful farcical comedy,
Innocent as Lamb" The play is in
many WAYS remarkable one and ai,ounds
In funny situations, bright lines and real
hu,nor and sentiment. 1t is without doubt
the best piece OF work as yet turned out
by Walter Craven, who rs, by the way the
author of Jack Robinson "
The story deals with the adventure of
one Tobias Pilking, who has,under pretense
OF Keeping an engagement in Boston, gone
to his club and there received the thrash
ing intended for another man. In order TO
keen his wife from $ espeCting he has
claimed that his Injuries were the result
OF a railway accident, aud his best friend,
a Young newspaper man, has worked up
the case for his paper so well that the at
torney for the road has come around and
compromised with Tobias for a large sum.
This he has done unwlllingly because of
Tobv's refusal to allow him to marry into
his family When he finds out the truth
ne uses il to force the Old sinner TO give
his consent to the marriage.
Around this plot are worked complica
tions and situa tions innumerable, all SO
exquisitely humorous that not to laugh at
them is simply an impossibility. The main
feature Is IN the character work, which is
said to lie simply above criticism James
I,arrows will play here Reeds old part,
that of the Lamb, and his success i'll thai
line makes a description Of his qualifica-
will hea
the pretty daughter, for which lole she is
well qualified, and the la wyer, the news
paper man and the rest will te divided be-
tween those cal pable players William Inger-
soil, Bert Thayer. William Boag William
Winter jefferson, Alberta Gallatin, Kate
DENIM Wilson. p earl EveIynne, Carrie Berg
and Jeane II. Ferrell.
These are sad days for the dramatic
editor He is made to feel like an orphan
and an outcast. The suniner-resort editor,
In white duck, passes him with patroniz-
ing disdaiB, the baseball editor is busy
every time he approaches and throws out
conciiiatory monosylAbles like easing-up
grounders between innings; the society
editor peeps over the top Of the outing
supplement of the metropolitan blanket
sheets and falls 10 editing her columns,
scissors and paste. Even the office boy
and the devil and tie cub curb their
glad smiles and loaf with the hase bali man
anal give all their cheerful energy to his
desk.
But the prodigal came back, lik ewise the
cat, and the day or the dramatic editor is
long and substantial, and it viii come
again 1t is more recherche and au fait,
and a whole lot or other things which
you'll find in the back of any well-bred
dictionary, TO ease up in hot weather
AT the scnle time, these patronizing peo
pie s,em 10 forget that there is still one
rail in the dramatic EDITORS fence, and
there he can still roost and crow, even
thourl his barnyard does look ike the
House chamber between times and the
noise OF his jubilaiions are drowned in
the din of summer resort organettes ahd
the loud fIutter OF the baseball fans The
last rail left 10 roost upon is, OF course.
the stock at the Columbia Even though
there is possibility one of these days of
this rail slipping out OF socket and land
ing the local dramatic pen-puHhers on the
lard ground, it is q COED, substantial ran
while il lasts
This is the ninth week OF the stock. The
end Is probably in sight, for many reasons.
The summer stocks rarely last more than
eight or ten weeks. That was the limit
of the National last year, the opera at the
Lafayette closed after Iin OF the same
length Then there / S reason which ap-
peals more locally, and potentially to the
management. summer companies mean
summer prices. 1t Is Well to cut off sliin-
Iner prices early enough to give theater
Eoers a chance to recover, to forget that
they have seen standard companies at bar
gain prices. Otherwise they chafe under
high prices and resent the pressure. The
opening OF next season is not So far away.
Last August many OF the theaters began to
bill.