The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-22
glLF DOZEN NEW PLAYS.
..,rITJ0 RECRUITS USE THREE
N THEM IN VAUDETILLE.

800. Isnbelis Urauhnrt, Boatriee
"S...,.,a. and Minnie ssilEman-Coiumbia
r.,,sr,,,y students In Buricsaue-''A Nor
..,sv Weddins" npd ga Cay DecefveF.n
,-.,a.o,. In some Of tho old plays were as
I..wor,hy as the divulgenco OF now ones at
~, nioht's beginning OF tho theatrical week.
~" .ndi.ncs at tho Lyceum made much ado
n. ors, appearance OF James K. Hacketti In
~. T,sc of X knowledge. He had recovered from
.s..rous illness, and had become the husband
~ Nannerlng. Those points seem cd to
" Ls favor. and he was received with en-
s..,..m. lie enacted tho young man who,
" -- 6nd,nq that his former paramour
~ married his nearest friend, rcsolutoly
-. that he conceives to be his
w. ~. Inward J. Morgan was transferred to tho
-, tho husband. Those changes wero dis
,,..,lv beneficial TO tho scenes in which the two
IT,. came together. virilo strength was i'm
- IN these passages. They were excellent.
=. 4, their separate scenes with the adven-
...,,. So the play is a gamer by the recovery
oiMr. Hackett.
IN. now term OF what Happened to Jones"
.r,r At the Bijou with souvenirs to distinguish
~ ,soth performance OF that farce in town. Tho
-, u,adiferen from the earlier ono. and appre-
.,,hv hotter in most respects. while worse in
.o,s The performance was rapid. spirited. and
SrIc Theodore Babcock had the part Of the
,,n,ure,ore Jones. to whom funny things hap
,,n,d. and he forced all It's points to the utmost.
Tho revival OF lei Captain" ut tho Fifth
Av,nue was enlivenei shrewdly. The perform
,nes proper by Do Wolf Hopper and his COM
nanIons was Just about the same as before.
Edna Wallace Hopper was still with her hus-
hand professionally. but ia understood to DO
m,trimonIally separate. The cast was changed
on,v nv the accession o fBertha Waltzinger. Much
"a, made Of Sousa marches. tho ono originally
IN this comic opera and others. by employing
Ernest Meyer and his Seventh Regiment
Rand to play them. At tho end Of the
,,cond act, when the principals and chorus
were In tho scene, the musicians in
military uniforms marched in to their own
,trains Of "The Stars and Stripes Forever" to
which Mr.. Sousa had written patriotic verses.
Two biz flags OF the United States were carried
IN The stage procession, ant many small ones had
been distributed in the auditorium. The appeal
10 patriotic feeling was rather too BADLY
theatric to meet with q ready response. but,
After some hesitation, and under the inspira-
lion Of the rousing music. the waving Of flags
became general. A more peculiar demonstration
ensued. Mr.. Hopper came out in OBEDIENCE to
curtain call, and seemed about to make the
speech that is customarily demanded OF him.
But before no had said anything there was q
sharp call Of Mrs. Hopper!" This was taken
up Instantly and IL became general. Mr.. Hopper
retired and brought out his wife. Six times she
was compelled TO reappear by the continuance
Of applause and cries of her name. After that
Vasoyer Mr.. Hopper made the humorous speech.
"A Normandy Wedding" which was pro-
duced last night at the Herald Square. is little
In advance. SO far as the artistic qualities 60,
ever tho musical burlesques that have lately
been seen at the same theatre. n its difference
from them lies chiefly in the fact that it IL
wholly fanciful in theme, n 1t did
resemble comic opera in that tho scenes and
costumes were Of a kind associated with a legion
ofFrench operettas But the widest interpre-
tation Of the term comic opera" would not ad-
nit A Normandy Wedding" 1t is burlesque.
and b~urlesQue of the broadcast type, that bore
but Q remote relation TO such works as LA
Mascotte" or LA Cigale." Tho piece is q trans
lation from a French original that resembles the
work, % TO its story and lyrics, Of Letrier and
Van Loo. But they were far In the background
last night. The story of the ~liDretto. whatever
itmay have been in the original. was trivial and
scarcely distinguishable. Several American
hands had turned the piece into Tender
lotnsse OF the most aggravated burlesque
character. This was particularly notice.
able In the speeches that fell to Richard
Carroll, and doubtless they were his own. There
hthssame proportion of elaborate stupidity and
a1rsstrained %vuigarity that were CHARACTERISTIC
nobody but Mr.. Carroll need be held responsible
tr them; 1t Is a credit TO his industry that by
tim dancing and singing he o%ontriyed several
The Normandy Wedding as q whole, is q
nirly entertaining effort That result Is certainly
o oe' &c accomplished By the Wit Of the speeches
IAN furst helped the result by his
score, which will be remembered only
because IL contains the frankest appropriations
mat wero ever heard in the work OF any com-
pcsel. There was a Scotch song at the close of
tsenrst act and q negro melody in the second
maj were so familiar to the majority Of tho
sSolenee that they provoked q smile when
0uefed as the achievement, Of anybody but tho
man Tno wrote them long before they were put
very notable for being lively and noisy. The ef-
tSct Of the whole performance was undoubtedly |
pleasing eCs"s 4, 10 the audience. and that seems to have
rnnicn vas admirable. as a whole. The Whitney
t here COMPANY Is a capable organization, and
%i ssTaS ssF' of one par qf two m inGiEidp RlcbpS sFi
.irfol was amusing. notably in a ciev.
ana w fiEiIhee,Vsd 9urlesque Of popular songs
evenings success, But most OF the fun was pro.
M,ned by Merri Osborne. who was delight
m " humorous In q hoydenish role and
,U'mance. Dorothy Morton, who has grown
S,ta their usual result. and Leonard Walker
mas an agreeable personality and a voice of ex-
sepuonany good caiibre. All Of INC actors
we're good enough to mako the company
WW.Sa above tho average, even down to |
nhsoel %Bouton., who danced gracefully at
= Upehlng OF the second act. The scenery and |
Nuns S,umes were tasteful and slightly without any
ppII sa o iayishness, and contributed TO the |
EWsasaht impression which "A Normandy
t hbsuaihG created. After tho performance
n, ,a'ro vas the patriotic element now
20 popular IN theatricals. A tableau called |
va Glory" aroused some little enthmsi- |
sne applause from as much OF the audience as
,.W ~ 10 witness II. Miss Morton sang some
kssuioIlc verses to the effect that Spain could
ns,e war y II was desired. Then four men in
49, uniforms appeared and this helIIcose
'phoeue WAS concluded.
Ntue three parts into which last nights bill
: the Harlem Opera House was divided. the
,o"Ses' was a new three.act farce. 1t was writ
MA W raul Wilstach, had been rewritten
~ 'oseph Grismer, and bore the title "A
e"I Deceiver." Like so MANY French
.a'ces that have been transferred to
,t'ne mere, Its central figure was a husband
ohed 10 his wife to hide his misdoings. Two
.aHa'ons upon this vel. worn idea were a
aA'oro t Buddhism. In which the deceived wife
- oeieVer, and the employment OF the harsh
a,SN ~ Jaws OF Massachusetts as q source of
s'ueulty to the liar. To the latter end tho NAV
TONI 'eSled IN Boston. but there was no othor