The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-24
THIS WEEKS PLAY BILLS
aJACK AND THE BEANsTALIx" OPENS
ENGLIsH's OPERA HOUSE.
@The Girl from Paris'' ut the Grand,
Wilbur Opera Company at the Park
and sCity sports at Empire.

A night with Jack and the Beanstalk'
has been described as a night in fairyland.
When the curtain rises at English's New
Opera House tomorrow night there will be-
gin an entertainment which is spoken OF
everywhere as the best apotheosis OF nurs-
cry story that music, pantomiEne and conical
dialogue ever fashioned for the theater. The
reason is that it manages to preserve
semi-seriousness all through its grotesque
and phantasmal unfolding. One must not
forget that in the proper domain of fairy
land Little Boy Blue and Old Mother Hub
bard and Prince Charming are dead IN earn
est. 1t is the proper business OF the giant TO
say "fee 70. fun when he smells the blood
of an Englishman. He. does not see any
thing funny in it. The trouble with all the
actors who went to this borderland 1or
characters is that they thought they had to
make them funny out Of themselves and
then they were only absurd. Mr.. Barnet
knows how to keep his face straight in deal
ing with Little Red Riding Hood, ana ne
went to work at "Jack and the Beanstalk
with fine classic severity, as If ne had only
children to deal with. and no one need be
told that children are the only serious per-
sons in the world.
Christmas pantomime thus grayely done
became all at once a joy, and Jack and the
Beanstalk" issues nightly from fairyland
with a train of Authorizations that nobody
questions. Jacks escape from the giants
castle is as veritable an achievement as La
tours escape from the Bastile, and great
deal more beautiful. Not even Eelodrama
made for frivolous minds was ever more in
genious or miraculous. AS FOR the birth of
the firehies, one has only to see this ento-
biological wonder to understand how far
and away beyond the Arabian Nights or
the magic OF good fairies IS me achleVe-
ment of modern science on The stage
1t would take too much line of those IN
tending to renew their aC1usintance win
nursery days at English 3 this week 70 ten
all the wonders in Jack and the Bean
stalk" Only a few of the features VIII De
mentioned at this time. The most sensa-
tional scenic effect, perhaps. is the eIorI
with electrical apparatus called the birth
of the FREELY" The stage and theater are
darkened for an instant, while eight young
women take their places. Each wears a
dress of mechanical construction out OF
which, when the current is turned on, bursts
into fun glare two hundred my mean cam
the effect is said to be wondrously Deautl-
full. A dark curtain backs the stage, from
behind which eight men, one Tor each girl,
pay out and draw in the electrical cables
attached to the wonderful dresses worn py
the young women, to save them from Trip
ping in the dance. The manipulation OF tnS
different colors in lights, the mystical
movements of this dance together with the
weird music constitute the effect that has
made the Birth of the Firefy" feature of
the show. The piece teens with surprises
The "Four-and-twenty Blackbirds Baked In
a Pie" prove to be beautiful young ladies
when the big bakery product is opened for
the kings feast. Old Mother Hubbards
dog, in whose interest the nursery dame
made a bold bluff of searching bare cup
board is a very highly accomplished
animal. He does tricks not heretofore IN
the repertory of any trained canine; An
ingenious piece of stagecraft is the bean
stalk which grows up the tower OF Glant
Ruse, and which serves as the means OF
ascent for the hero to the castle OF the
dreadful giant.
There is said to be plenty of good music
In the production and Of different sort
from that generally employed in 1llustrat-
ing fairy stories. The songs are also very
numerous there being more NUMBERS III
Barnet's production than in any comic or
light opera now before the public me
scenery is generally admitted to be the
most pretentious of any similar productlon
that has been made in recent years. Ihere
IS said to be a Kaleidoscope of wonders IN
the costuming. At first this feature caused
the MANAGEMENT no end of trouble Ii was
easv enough to follow set rules Tor ex-
travaganza but that plan did not produce
desired results. All the nursery books were
fashion of the ohildren's books. This method
accounts for the variety of color IN dress
which the large audiences this week VIII
have an opportunity to inspect.
Carriages that are to be at Engl1Sh at
the close of Jack and the Beanstalk per-
formances should be ordered for 1910
o'clock.