The times., 1897-11-21
ON THE STAGE TN
GOTHAM TOWN.

of the first half OF the week. she reSIrn9d
To the BIjou Theater, her old stamping
ground, and produced for the first time
in this ciCy a new farce by Du Souchet,
The Swell Miss Fitzwell. To explain
the plot Of this piece would be entirely
impertinent to the interest OF the show.
OF dramatic character, even as a farce.
the pi2y has nothing, and the fragments
and suggestions OF story do not count in
our enjoyment of May Irwin. Bat May
Irwin made the evening go, not because
she acted Well, not because she sings par.
ticularly well, not because she has any
classic merit, but because she seems 10
euioy life with complete, fat, unctuous-
ness which has the ne plus ultra of con
tagiousness about it for at least the m
squeamish bulk OF mankind.
To wumankind and To the Sultler part
o: the masculine part Of the human race,
May irwin would not, perhaps, very
strongly appeal Suggesting Judic. she
is collier, but not SO delicately insidous.
bat she has, if not art, at least the quality
which ever 6ells-a distinct Individuality y,
q manner al her own, ana very genuine
hunoT- amusing she is in a high de
gree; contrihutivc to culture or to thought
she is not, perhaps, even in the slightest
But she prospers, for She takes away for
brief ti.ne from our weary pulses 1.-THE
fretful stir unprofit9ble ana the fever of
the world" She never tries to take
part, tut she sees fun so Well and shows
it 80 wen that the audience cares nothing
about tha play or the company.
On the same evening at the Garden enTy
Z. DiXey appeared as a magician. This
seems to be the first substantial success he
has achieved since Adonis days. Thetricks
that he performed were for the most part
the familiar ones, but Mr.. Dixey's manar
of performing them was not the familiar
one. 1t was scarcelyto be thaught that he
could make an entertainment in which
there was so much that was far from new
seem so fresh ana bright. Apparently sit is
net easy for a magician to prepare himself
with tie talk, usually intended TO be hu
morous, that accompanies his feats.
At least, frequentcrs of such perform
ances nave heard the same talk ('.pat-
ter il S called in stage languagel good
many times The same magician general,
uses the same patter" year after year
But SIR. DiXey ''patter'' was all new, ana
most DG it was clever, while the whole Of
it mad the rare virtue of sounding spon.
taneous. ] is this, together with tie IA
rility, the grace and the apparent ease with
EEhich he performed everything, that mace
The performance uncommonIy enjoyable
Tie hand tricks as the magicianS call
them tthe tricks that are done with little
or no qpparatus) caused the most amuse
ment, as usual, while such illusions as
The Miracles OF Chunder Hula" and The
Mystery OF Mesrour'' contributed to the
wonder The feat which HERMANN used TO
|. call Black Art Mr. Dixey performed und er
the title IL Midnight Mysteries OF the
Yogi" lie added 10 the performance a
few Of the inlita tions which have long been
familiar. Mr.. DiXey has tried many things
Of late, but he has done nothing better than
ne does his felts of magic. 1t may be
added that what lie does has not been
done better here by anybody OF late.
The new whaty you-inay- -cau-it, 1889,
at the Casino, fell with a dull sicReninc
thud. The audience left the house after
:be first act, or tried TO, but the ushers
and doorkeeper got the tipand rushed madly
about 10 tell everyone that there was a
second act. Most everybody looked sorry.
but a gGodly number came back hopeful
eOr their moneys worth took and musi.-
stood in any proportionate rell tiOn to thu
spectacle which a combination Of ingenuity
taste and lavish generosity have created,
there would DC no question OF the success
of 19S9.' Unhappily, while the promoters
OF the show have spent money like veteran
theatrical spectators, the authors have
worked like amateurs.
The funda mental idea of the book had
~ city possibilities III it in all direc-
tons. They have worked out admira bly, in
d spectacular direction, with a moderate
degree Of success In the dialogue aud
lyncs but not at all in the music. At tie
end OF the first act isappuinted audience
sat In the Casinos seats and yet it was
sufficiently Keyed UP by the pretty stage
1 pictures and the fine voice and pretty art
of Miss Walzinger to have Warmed into en-
thuSiasm had half an opportunity been
offered by either book or music. In the
second act a decided improvement became
.nanifest!n the intellectual department aud
new treats appeared for the eye; but un-
/ happily, the construction was 50 loose
| loEted, the Introduction Of irrelevant fea-
lures 50 awEwaTdly managed, that the III
lerest of the audience could not be held.
On Thursday afternoon there was an in.
| p1rtant matinee a Hoyt's, it was the first
| performance II the new artistic 1850 cia ton
| known a the Criterion Independent Theater
The piece produced was Henrik Ibsen' 5
! John Gabriel Borkmann.' Inthe ca st were:
! E. J. Henley John Gabriel BorkHannl
| Miss Maude Banks (Mrs. Borkmann1, Miss
| Ann Warrington ella Rentheim), Miss Car
RE Keeler tMrs. Wi!tonl, Miss Dorothy Usner
| tFrdal, Miss Parker (maid), John Blair
! (Erhar: Dorkmannl, and Albert Bruning
! tFoIdan a double string quartette, under
! the direction OF Nahan Franko, gave tie
incidental E,uSic, selected with a view
J 30 its fitness for the occasion. The play was
! produced under the management OF E.
/ Henley.
The new melodrama, The White Heath
/ er, which will be produced at the Academy
! Of Music on Monday November %. will
! have a remarkable cast Rose Coghlan
heads the list, and after her comes Olive
! May, who has not been On the stage since
! she made hit in the part of the laughing
/ girl in butterflies" THERE'S Amelia Bing-
| ham also. Among he men are Francis Car
| lyle, Robert Cotton, 8. Miller Kent, Harry
! UarwaOd ana Louis Baker. The last two
| were members of John Drew'S Company
! HarwuGd playing the irascible old sea cap
/ tain in Rosemary"
At the conclusion of A lexandra Viarda 5
engagement at the Fifth Avenue Theater
! she wlIl make a short tour OF the country,
| appearing In the principal large cities.
/ after which she Is TO play in London. Paris
/ and BTassels for the first time. Viarda's
! tours have been restricted to Germany,
| Austria and Russia. She Will make her
! first appearance herein Richard Yoss' Ger
man play, ''AleXandra."
500 Reward. 500.
The reader of this paper VIII be pleased