The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-05-01

thing and everybody. was a carleature
and an impersonation of 'BilT Anthony
with Bowery dialect seemed nothing
less than sacrilege. The one capable
member of the company is Teres beagle,
and she is sadly handicapped by lines that
read like those delivered by travesty ar
lists. Cuba has absolutely nothing in
common with such deliberate swindles,
and Cuba Vow, as presented mere last
week is nothing but a CHASTITY farce.
There is nothing more interesting than
the beginning of great career, and some
thing more potent is to be found in watch
ing that of Nance O'Nefl. who has, within
three years. won a position of universal
respect and SET herself up as a candi-
date for the honors given the leading
emotional actresses in this country. Miss
O'Neil has been generally considered for
some time TO be a coming woman.
Now it is by no means sure that she has
nos arrived. Although circumstances
have. yet, kept her from filling any
really worthy position in a company OF
recognized merit it is doubtful if she is
not universally considered to be. with few
exceptions, without a superior in this
country. Her aspiration to the places
left vacant by such people as Clara Nor
ris and Madame Janauschek has mel
with instant success. 1t is fact that
Miss O'Neil has never played In any city
that the greeting received from the press
has not been full of delighted surprise
and enthusiastic praise which the major
ity of theatergoers have joined in readily.
Miss O'NeiI works with her emotions,
her nerves and. at the same time, with
her mind. The fire and impulse that win
greatness for an actress when not al
lowed to take precedence over caution.
she curbs with careful study and earnest
effort. There is something in every bit
of her acting so intensely human and
vet so powerful that one who watches her
is swayed by the force displayed. Few
who heard 1t will ever forget the single
sob that escaped her last week when, as
Joan Lowrie, she picked herself up and
brushed away the blood that had followed
her fathers brutal blow. wonderful
woman is Miss O'Neil and the sooner
she gets away from the influence of Nc
Kee Rankin, who is not clever actor
and should have learned il by this time,
so much sooner will she be awarded the
position she has won.
Howard and Emerson, who were seen
with Weber's Partisan Widows, at
Kernan's. come about as close to being
the poorest people in their line of work
on the vaudeville stage as one would care
TO see Mr. Howard especially has most
disagreeable presence, coupled with an
evident opinion of himself that must have
been much more gratifying TO him than
to the audience. The comedy introduced
by the pair grew wearisome in about the
space of three and one-half minutes. and
was continued for ten times that long.
Worst of all, Mr. Howard labors under
the evident delusion that he can sing
an idea in which he is greatly mistaken.
The Introduction of number of wretch
eddy daubed Illustrations and a stock
veriscope picture, which he Is said to
have exhibited afterward in a store on
the Avenue, did not improve his work, and
it was only by the introduction of some
cheap bids for applause that he saved
himself from the displeasure of an au-
dience that does not mind showing its ap-
probation of bad work as well as good.
There were only three good people in
the company sent here by Smyth ana
Rice to present Mr.. Du Souchet's Man
From Mexico" and one of these was NOT
Louise Allen, who gave a rather I'M
wieidy Interpretation of the role of Gle
mentina Fitzhugh. Miss Allen is not an
attractive woman-few of the cast are
is awkward in her movements, apparently
unused to such parts and absolutely obli
vious of the opportunities afforded her |
What humor could have been brought on. |
by intelligent reading of lines was COM
pIetely lost by her and the utter careless !
ness and disregard for possibilities she |
betrayed were not agreeable sights fos
people who had paid high prices for the |
privilege of Witnessing production every |
L. fa.asv
sonably good When Smyth and Rice |
are ready to send US a company ever |
worthy 10 be called mediocre we are will |
ing to take the Man From Mexico.
faults and all, but not until then.
Bertha Wagner and Bruno Arnim, who |
presented a sketch entitled. Opera in the |
last week at the Bijou, are |
about as clever a team as could be i'm |
agined. Both sing remarkably well, both |
have very fine idea of real humOr, and !
both have been fitted out with one OF the |
most charming sketches OF its kind Yet |
brought to the BijOu. Their act was a |
delightful one and was recognized as such |
by the audiences present at every per-
Torrance.
There is no brighter light on the bur
Iesque stage that Elmer Tenley, who Wis |
tied Kernan's last week. Mr.. Tenley is /
really an excellent comedian and an in i
telligent one, his mannerisms being OF /
nature to provoke ready laughter. Near /
ly everything he does is novel many of /
the ideas he has introduced to the Vaude- /
vile theaters being nothing short of re- /
markable. Few artists have his under |
standing of quick wit. and fewer still are |
so inoffensiye. His Damn Fool Quar- |
tet'' was one of the brightest things of its |
class the season has brought forth. Mr. |
Tenley was formerly a member of the |
Rentz-Santley Company, where his work |
with Mr.. Leslie won him no end of popu- |
lar favor.
Things have come to pass where every |
would-be manager who has two yellow |
dogs. ten dollars and enough dry goods |
boxes for Eliza to cross the river on /
produces Uncle Toms Cabin, said The |
Times of Tuesday last in speaking of |
Webber's presentation of that ancient |
piece. In many respects the remark |
fattered the worth of the production
Manager Weber had only one |
yellow dog, his company did not show
the expenditure of the ten dollars and
Eliza crossed the river without dry goods |
boxes walking over the stage behind a
painred niece of water The entire DTO-