Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-29

might as well try to recite under water.
L was down for a recitation somewhere
about the middle Of the program. A young
woman in a white dress had preceded me,
and had informed the audience. by means
of intricate geSticulation, tine violent shak-
ing of a quantity of curls and red ribbons,
and a volcanic flow of language, How Sal
vator Won This was the course timely,
and satisfied some men vino had bought
pools on some Of the other horses and who
were feeling blue about it, until the young
lady explained. Then came my turn. Some
time before 1 had been lured into an in
famous deed. / had committed to memory
Buchanan's Fra Giacomo' This was what
1 Tecited that night. 1t was a frightful
place to recite III. but did my best. The
louder 1 spoke the more my voice seemed
TO come back to me, or vanish through
the port holes. or go up through the sky
light. While 1 labored on, trying to make
myself audible to the people sitting half
way back. noticed a man who had face
the color of newly boiled lobster, who
was leaning forward from a chair at the
extreme end of the cabin. His eyes were
starting out of his head in his strain to
hear, and his bald pate was shining
through high polish of perspiration, SUI
perinduced by the sitting heat of one of
the most oppressive evenings of the voy-
age. When my eyes struck this flaming
object, 1 could see nothing else. Every lit
tie while he mopped his face with damp
looking handkerchief, and sopped up some
of the excess moisture on his bald pate
Perhaps he rung his mop dry in the in
tervals| couldn't see that. Then he
would lean forward and try to catch some
of the lines Of Fra Giacomo.' The poem
1t will be remembered. tells the story of
an injured husband. a wife whom he poi
sons for her faithlessness and a guilty
monk. The monk has been drinking poi
soned wine, thinking that he is partaking
Of the injured husbands hospitality and
when he discovers the truth he rises in
terror to run out The husband shouts,
Sit down? and then he proceeds to gloat
over his victim in most unfriendly sort
OF a way. My lobster-faced friend had
been trying to gather all of this in strain
iEg his ears. his head and neck, and then
Ielapsing into periods of hopping. Occa-
sionaliy he appeared to be uneasy and
showed symptoms of leaving. for he would
glance anxiously toward the door. 1 was
getting along in the story to the point
where the husband discloses to the monk
what he has been drinking, when l saw
the victim of heat, deafness and bad acous-
tics glance cautiously around at the rest
OF the audience. and then at the door, and
then back at me. BY this time I had got
the poisoned monk to his feet. The red
faced man rose carefully from his chair
and was just about to tip-toe out when /
came TO the emphatic line, and shouted
with all the force of my lungs, Sit DOWN.
He dropped as If shot and never moved
cont know how l got through the rest
OF the recitation. choked: 1 bit my lips
tLtli they bled. the tears came to my eyes
IN the endeavor to keep back the laugh
Ter. That laundering sit downg was the
OIL! thing the poor man had heard Of the
whole poem. 1 haven't recited since 1
won't"
William Bonnelli has fine stage pres
ence, magnetism and repose of manner.
Besides being one of the most versatile
ACTORS on the stage he is said to be one of
the most powerful athletes in the country,
DIS muscular development exceeding that
OF the majority of professional strong men.
de lifts 115-pound dumbbell with either
hand at arms length over bis head. and
does number of other feats of strength
for his own and for his friends amuse-
lnent- In "A Paris Model besides lifting
Pilar-Morin and others in the cast and
carrying them around on the stage, he
juggles heavy tables and chairs in the
restaurant scene of the comedy most cley-
erly. The heavy center table and chairs
used in this scene are not, as might be sup
posed, made from papier mache, but are of
oak, and heavy of their kind at that
Mr.. W. H. Powers says. in the language
OF the stage, that he never went up in his
lines" but once in his life, and it is IA rec
crd of which he is proud, for there are few
actors. or actresses either, who can face
the many little incidents that constantly
happen behind the scenes and retain the
facial and mental equilibrium required by
their lines and business" The occasion
Of the present season. 1t was on election
night, and Shannon" was playinp at
Lockport, N. Y, in one of those ante
diiuvian theaters found in most overnight
stands 1t was in the second act when
Shannon meets his sweetheart unexpected-
~ In the hills of Delhi. In very pretty
little love scene he refers to her as his
guiding star, and looking and pointing
s Toward me star-it sky. says: And those
stars, Venus and Mars. are eclipses com
pared to you. He only half finished this
me- Tor on looking up, he saw perched
away out on the end of one of the grooves.
TWO OF tne most ragged. dirty little urchins
imaginable. Their legs were dangling and
swinging in time with the low music and
thelr dirty faces lit up with a smile of per-
rect content Mr.. Powers says the sight
Si .nose Two children of the street struck
MIN AS being indescribably ludicrous and
ne completely forgot his lines, lost control
Oh nimself and laughed so that the entire
audience must have known there wac
something unusual happening. OF course
the intruders were ordered down from their
ioity seat at the end of the act and silent
~ crept away, but no one ever discovered
now they ever gained an entrance or 60
hands. stage
LAFAYETTE SQUARE OPERA HOUSE
MI John Drew. Mr.. Charles Frohman,s
brilliant and polished star. will be We
coined TO the Lafayette Square Opera
pesih Week engagement, including matt
hees wednesday and Saturday. Mr. Drew
VIII, IL Is needless to say be supported by
strong company. Miss Isabel Irving will
De seen here for the first time as his lead
ing lady and she has a part that will en-
aDie her to give good account of herself.
MISS Elsie De Wolfe of the Empire Theater
company will come to Washington I'm Mr..
Drew's support especially for this play.
Mr.. Arthur Byron, Mr.. Daniel Harkins
and Mr.. Graham Henderson are old favor
ties here. The play to be presented by Mr..
Drew will be "A Marriage of Convenience. 4"
which has been cleverly adapted by sgd
ney Grundy from I'm Marriage sous Louis
wv of the elder Dumas. The period. per-
haps the most picturesque in French his
tory. gives opportunity for brilliant cos
tuning and exquisite stage appointments,
and II is promised that the most critical
Will be satisfied in this respect Many
pretty things have been said of "A Mar
rage of Convenience" during its runs in
New York and London. The dialogue is
declared to be bright and sparkling, and
Mr.. Drew's part in 1t flows with the ease
with which he always handles q cynical
remark. an epigrammatic retort or a poetic
sentiment. The play provides him with the
first light comedy role he has had in sew
eral seasons. Stripped of non-essentials.
the story of the play Is that of a young
couple whose union has been a mere mat
ter of interest brought about by a wealthy
old uncle. whose sole object Is to unite two
great fortunes and thus sustain the dig
nity of his family Ernu, tho 6rot <ho