The herald., 1897-04-06
( AT THE THEATERS )
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THE BURBANK.-"The Galley
Slave" is an excellent specimen OF
school of dramatic writing which, pop
ular enough In It's time, has now passed
into the sere and yellow. 1t is built on
q cleverly constructed plot, and gives
some very good opportunities for char
acter work, but the method which per-
mits all the dramatis pereionae for char
on to the stage just before the fall OF the
curtain on each act for the purpose of
forming picture, Is much worn
theatrical device, and Is no longer coun-
tenanced by the taste Of today. In spite,
however, of the transparency of device
and the conventionality of the dialogue.
which is as full Of maxims as a copy
book, there Is much to be pleased with
in this relic of dramatic art. AS pre-
sented last night, 1t scored an unmistak-
able euccess, the performance going
with much more smoothness than might
have been expected for first night, and
the acting being the very best that the
company has done in any similar class
of pieces that has been put upon the
boards.
This result has been arrived at because
the cast happens to fit the people morn
happily than is often the case. Mr.. Mont
serrat, for instance. promenades the
stage behind big and very ferocious
and intensely black curled moustache
and imperial, which Jointly proclaim him
to- be a Frenchman and a villain. He
supports the character with more dram
attic effect that in anything he has un .
dertaken in long time. His foil, the
injured young painter who has a bad
time at the galleys, Is not quite so cue
cessful with his role, although 1t must
be admitted that he always manages
to look engaging and attractive. If Mr..
MacGregor's delivery were little more
manly, and a littl less ddactic, and as
one might call 1t, lackadaisical, he would
be seen to better advantage. Mr.. Tjader
has only small part, but makes the
most of it, in his usual conscientious
way. The star comedian, Harry Corson
Clarke, was there; he didn't have much
to do, nor very much to say, but his
oliver Oliphant somehow attracted
general attention whenever he was on
the stage, and his mildest witticisms
were received with immediate laughter,
showing that the audience was on the
qui vive for his humorous quirks and
quidditiee. In spite of this temptation
to overact, Mr.. Clarke kept consistently
within the lines of his part, and bright
ened the piece legitimately-
OF the ladies. Miss Gertrude Foster
scored the success of the evening in the
comparatively uninteresting part of the
betrayed and abandoned wife of the
villain. In the prison scene, when her
child is forcibly taken from her, Miss
Foster astonished the audience with a
display of grief and abandon that pro-
duced a touching effect, and eliminated
in display of pocket handkerchiefs in
the audience. II was an effect that did
not show so much study and experience
as 1t demonstrated the possession of
natural ability and sympathetic insight
of the situation. There should be the
making of strong emotional actress in
this young lady.
Florence wyatt O'Neil, a new member
of the company, Is a decidedacquisition
She is not only Of ther striking appear
ance, but she has that easy self-posses-
sion and command of by-play that dem
onstrate experience, and her Psyche
Gay was one of the most pleasing fea-
lures of the performance. Even Katie
Pearson had a part that pretty nearly
suited her-a rather unusual occur
renee. She played it with q very good
semblance of feeling. And her costumes
were extremely pretty and becoming.
The other characters were well filled
In, and the piece was mounted with care
and attention to detail.
The orchestral music, under the direc-
ton OF Arnold Krauss, is alone worth
more than the price of admission.
THE LOS ANGELES.-FannyD Daven-
port opens this evening at the Los An
geles theater in her great success with
Sardou's play of "Gismonda."
AT THE ORPHEUM.-The new bill,
full particulars of which were given In
SUNDAYS issue, will be put on tonight.