The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-10-01
PLAYS AND PLAYERS.

Miss Alice Nelson, formerly of the Bos-
tonians, Is the comic opera prima donna
par excellence that the season has thus
FAR produced. She made her debut as a
star In New York Monday night In 1.-The
Fortune Teller" which Is the Joint work
of Harry B. Smith and Victor Herbert.
The well-known dramatic critic Alan Dole
says of her work:
Miss Nelson may be the star, but
am not going to insult her by calling her
a prima donna. In the new work of the
astonishing Harry Il. Smith, and the
stirring Herbert, Miss Nelson Is wise
enough to steer herself away from flrc-
works and the usual prima donna non
sense. She simply displays her peerless
youth; her quaint little soubrette arch
ness, and her pretty cultivated voice.
There is nothing of the prima donna
about her. She isn't fat: her most viru-
lent enemies couldn't call her old. and
we have heard nothing about her dia-
monds, her husbands. her pug dogs, 'or
her grand opera ambitions.
This is such a novelty that l venture
| to emphasize Miss Nelson before the
opera in which she appears. Alice Neil
| son is charming-iust as charming with
out that fossilized background with witch
we last saw her. She looks young. even
| beside the chorus girls who are none OF
| them aged and ugly. and a young wo-
and hold her own through the most laby-
| rinthinely impossible comic opera role
| have ever seen, is going to make her
| mark. Miss Nelson, dramatically, is not
| a Bernhardt. She is merely musical
| soubrette who can do a coon" song as
| well as a high-falutin ballad full of Il
| love-you-so. And it isn't often that a
| soubrette creeps into opera.
II hope that Alice Nelson's head will
| not be turned by her prosperity. 1t Is
such a pretty, shapely, youthful little
| noddle that 1t is worth while keeping 1t
| as level as possible. 1.-THE Fortune Tell
er" has certainly received its New York
| Endorsement" A more eXuberant sec
| ond-night audience / have seldom seen.
And we all know that flrst-night audi
| ences don't count"
| When Burr Mcintosh appears here in
| the new play, "A War Correspondent"
| he will interpret the role of a newspaper
reporter. We have seen lots. of plays
| wherein the newspaper man has been de-
picted as either a low comedian with
| monkey face and manners or a sop-head-
| ed, simpering young thing with note book
| and pencil. 1t will indeed be a pleasure
| to see play that represents the much
| abused reporter in his true light. MIR.
| Mcintosh was a newspaper man before
he was an actor. and since the close of
| last season ne served III Cupd III lnt
| capacity of war correspondent. Surely
| McIntosh's stage newspaper man ought
| to be the real thing. He is to start his
starring tour at Washington, d. c., on
| Oct. 10. The new comedy. "A War Cor
| respondent" was written for him by Lot
| tie Blair Parker, author of way Down
| East" Mr. Mcintosh will appear at the
| Lyceum theater in this city on Oct. q
and 22 1t is only few months ago that
| MoIn n Wn9hinutO
| hurry. He remained there just long
| enough to get his credentials and rushed
| off to Port Tampa TO join the Cuban eX-
pedition that went to Santiago under
command of General Shafter. He was
present at the battle of San Juan Heights
| and escaped injury from the Spanish bnl'
lets, although he is big enough to be a
good target for even a Spanish marks
man. But he could not elude the tever
| germ and was the first American to be
| stricken, but not until he had taken about
four hundred pictures of important incl
dents and places, many of which have
been reproduced by the press Throughout
| the country.
Sol Smith Russel's now comedy. "Unclc
| Dick" had its first presentation in Biny
hamton Monday night, and was exceed
ingly well received. 1t is from the per
OF Martha Morton, who wrote "a
| Bachelors Romance for Mr.. Russell
The story of the comedy briefly is as fol
lows. "Richard Thomas Sherman, Uncle
Dick son of an iron manufacturer, rest
less and ambitious, tired of the routine
of life in the foundry town, forsakes hi:
home and goes out into the world ir
search of adventure. He accumulates
wealth which brings him no happiness
After years, weary and cynical, lonely
man, he turns to his kindred once more
longing for the simplicity of his old home
He finds, to his great disappointment
only a reflection of the world he turned
his back on. his brothers wife and fam
lily eager to sacrifice everything he helC
sacred, for money, social position and {
desire for fame. Seeing the futility OF al
open resistance. he resorts " diplomacy
and his keen knowledge of human ma
ture. To save his kindred from the mis-
takes which wrecked his own life. he en-
courages their widest schemes and places
in their hands the means to realize them
He is obliged to resort to many ingenious
devices to prove to them the real valu'
of what they have thrown away. Wher'
they expected triumph and happiness
they find only humiliation and defeat
Natural reaction setting in, they reaIiz
that Uncle Dick whom they consideret
their worst enemy, is in reality thcl
truest friend" Mr.. Russell's dellneatiol
of the character is one of the best bits o
character work he has done for som,
time.
Frank Ehret, son of George Ehret tn
famous New York brewer, was Marie,
this week in Chicago to Ada Dare,
beautiful burlesque artist. She is an oil,
New York Casino favorite and a hand
some woman. She was formerly the wit
of Tom Dare, the circus clown and aero
bat, but their union was sundered b.
the courts. Her last appearance in New
York was with Eugene O'Rourke I'm
dramatic sketch called After the Frencl
Ball." which they gave at various vaude
vile houses with success.