Evening star., 1897-03-03
AMusEMEyTs.

| justify ''Trilby" remained two weeks
at this same house. and the audiences on
the second week were fully as large as
those Of the first, and 1t IL believed that
the inherent excellence Of 1.-The Heart of
| Maryland" combined with the forceful
| acting Of Mrs. Leslie Carter, will keep
up the interest, SO that full houses will
be the rule next week as well as this. OF
all the war plays '"The Heart of Mary
| land" has me. with the most pronounced
success Of any unless 1t may have been
G.llette's Held by the Enemy" Its pop
ularity was instantaneous when 1t was
nrst presented In this city nearly two years
ago. and 1t had years prosperous run In
New York city. There have been some
changes since that first presentation, all
10 o3r e, tne better. and there is smoothness
OF movement now that Is only the natural
result OF constant work on the part of all
connected with the performance. This piece
mas many elements that go to make up its
popularity. 1t Is a splendid spectacle from
scenic point of view, 1t has an interest
to those who were both sides of the
line during the terrible war of the rebel
lion, and it has a story of love and wo-
mans devotion that is of the most intense
heart interest. A play with all these ele-
ments and with bright dashes of comedy
thrown In to relieve the intensity of its
emotloEal passages, interpreted it is by
company of players especially selected
with reference to their adaptability to their
respective parts. and all in every way COM
longer than two weeks.
"A Black Sheep."-"A Black Sheep
which gave such universal satisfaction to
tneater-goers last season, will return to
the New National Theater next week. The
piece will be remembered as a sparkling
comedy written in Hoyts best vein, and
Wherever 1t has been presented it has
created a furore. The announcement that
1t Is to return will attract large and
fashionable audience. Since seen here pre-
Viously, 1t has completed a remarkably
successful run of $50 night at Hoyt's Thea
ter. New York city, and the production
in New York. "A Black Sheep is one of
the most dexterous blendings of comedy,
character and specialties ever presented
10 the public Its situations are side split
ting, and the dialogue-or rather the most
of it's extremely keen, approaching now
and then real Gilbertan drollery. A rip
ping stream of melody runs through the
piece, broken only by the sharp turn of
witty hnes, and from beginning to end 1t
forms a most captivating symphony of
merrlment and music. The principal char
acter Is Hot Stuff, the black sheep-a mos.
amusing type. In all of Mr. Hoyt's plays
there is creation of this sort travesty
OF some peculiar individuality, but in the
present instance it is character perhaps
more familiar to the multitude, and satir-
lied with keener shafts of wit without
sliding too deeply into the regions of the
grotesque. In "a Black Sheep Mr. Hoyt
wrote the principal character for Otis
iidiidL, di u no one cOulQ be better cal
culated to bring out all the laughapIe
points.
Lillian Russell.-Miss Lillian Russell will
begin her annual Washington engagement
at the Columbia Theater Monday evening
appearing for one week in her latest sue
cess. An American Beauty" the comic
opera novelty especially devised to prcp-
erly exploit her beauty and talents, which
was written by Hugh Morton the nom de
plume Of c. M: S. Mcclellan, and composed
hyy
sung and played from one end of the ccnti-
nent TO the other. Miss Russelrs charac-
ter In the new opera, that of a bea autiful
widow, impetuous, high-stru1g, with per-
haps some whimsical ideas of her relations
to society, is different from anything she
has yet essayed. and yet 1t will not miss
the characteristics that have enabled this
prima donna to become the leading artIste
in American Comic Opera. That is, while
the character is pitched in a lighter and
gayer key than most of the heroine roles
In lyrical productions, il mas many mo-
ments Of great strength and dignity, and
pressive by turns. The action Of AN
American Beauty is rapid throughout.
The comedy is incessant. 1t is legitmately
and logically introduced, and is never
strained or unreal The same idea has
been followed in the preparation of the
music Miss Russell sings the numbers
varying from dainty and tripping measures
TO those that are commensurate with the
splendor of the prima donnas voice and
method. The production will have the PER
sonal attention of Manager George w.
Lederer through the engagam He
staged the piece himself and will remain
to that it's original effectiveness is sus-
tained throughout its Washington run.
AN American Beauty has been sump-
tuously staged and gorgeously gowned.
The three scenes, representing well-known
localities at Newport and Monte Carlo,
were painted by Ernest Gros, d. Frank
Dodge and Ernest Albert. While anording
Miss Russell the best role, vocally and his
ironically, she has ever been called upon
to fill, IAN American Beauty at the same
time, employs the efforts of not less than
six comedians, an unsurpassed corps Of
singers, and bevy of beautiful women,
the whole composing the finest comic opera
organiZa tion in this or any other country.
Chief in Miss Russelrs support are Miss
Catharine Linyard, who has been prima
donna for a number of leading opera COM
panies; Susanne Leonard. who has been
chief contralto with Miss Russell for
number of years: Harold Blake, the fore
most light lyric tenor on the American or
European stage; Willard Simms. principal
comedian of Canary and Lederer's Passing
Show Company; Owen Westford, character
comedian of prominence for many years;
George Hawley, Albert Juhre, Randolph
Curry Josie Dit. and others.
THE Girl Left Behind Me."-'The Girl
l Left Behind Me- will come to the Acad-
emy of Music Monday next This is the
play that had the honor of opening the
Empire lnedter, new OTk, WneTe SD
n any plays by American dramatists have
been launched. 1t is itself the work of
two very skillful and popular writer's,
David Belasco, whose writings for the
Madison Square, Lyceum, Empire and 9TH
er theaters have made him famous, and
Mr.. Franklin Fyles. the veteran and YER
satile dramatic critic. 1t is an open ques-
tcn with many people whether the actor
makes the play or the play makes the
actor. In the case Of The Girl l Left
Behind Me- 1t would seem that the latter
has been the case, for the performers iden-
tiled with this production in New York
and other cities have been lifted through
sheer force of the plays vivid dialogue
and stunning situations into positions
which they deserve.
1.-The Limited Mail" THE Limited
Mall" Elmer E. Vance's realistic railroad
comedy drama, which comes to the Grand
Opera House next Monday for one week,
is well-conceived melodrama with a re-
markable series of exciting and decidedly
thrilling situations. 1t deals with railroads
and railroad people. 1t contains teleg-
raphers, tramps, section men and train
wreckers. There are clicking telegraph in
struments. realistic engines. palatial Pull
mans and railway postal cards. There
are tracks. hand cars. switches and tun-
nels. and the railroad is utilized on the