The times., 1898-12-22
Kingston, Madgs Field, Hamilton Revelle,
w. Graham Browns and A. 8. Homewood
Carmen" will be repeated tonight with
Camille" as the bill Tomorrow.

w. Graham Browns and A. s. Homewood
Carmen" will be repeated tonight with
Camille" as the bill tomorrow
Christmas week Will he celebrated at the
Columbia by the appearance of Roland
Reed in "The Wreas Mr.. Wright
a comedy by sGeerge II. Broad
hurst, who has given to the world
| why Smith Leftn Home" and who Is
shortly to produce lanother new play en-
| titled THE Last Chapter" 1.-THE Wrong
Mr. Wright was presented here last year
| and was warmly received. The local press
especially strongly commended it, and
| stated that 1t was positively the laughing
nit of the season. The part of Seymour
Sites is said to give Mr.. Reed unusually
good opportunities. and is Undoubtedly
one of the best characters of the many
| that he has contributed to the American
stage. The offering is a farce pure and
simple. and thoroughly American, as In 1t
Mr.. BrOadhurst has proceeded independ-
entity of European sources to evolve his
| own plot. The complications are sup
posedly worked out with ingenuity, the
dialogue is distinctly humorous, and there
is presumably no apparent effort to be
funny. The spectator waits in vain for
| the overturning of sofas the crashing of
crockery or to see some one swinging
across the stage on wire. The company
supporting Mr.. Reed is an exceptionally
strong one, and is headed by Isadore
Rush, who has part that permits of her
wearing some very stunning dresses.
There will be an extra matinee on Christ
mas day.
The first presentation on the stage Of
David Belasco's version of Simon and
Berton's celebrated five-act play, "Zaza,"
will be given next week at the Lafayette
Square Opera House. Mrs. Leslie Carter.
who is now great fayorite on both sides
of the Atlantic. will head producing cast
that probably will be considered extraor-
binary for its length and strength. She
will be seen in the title role and Mr.. Be-
lasco believes that no other actress in
the English-speaking world is so well
fitted for the work. which will test all
her powers of versatility.
''ZaZa" was put on at the Theater du
Vaudeville in Paris owing to the failure
of Sardou's Pamela" 1t was an instan-
taneous success. though given only as a
managerial makeshift. The piece ran all
last Winter, and was resumed again in
September, attracting the most distin-
guished audiences. 1t is said to have no
exact prototype in the drama, though
some have compared it to Camille"
There Is, however. little similarity be-
tween the two. In both the heroine suf-
fers and that is all. Mr. Belasco's skill
in bodybuilding is guarantee of force in
literature and constructions: so that taken
altogether. it may be said that "Zaza"
will be one of the most important pro-
ductions OF the season
Mr. Belasco considers Washington his
mascot, as most of his plays have had
their initial presentation here-notably
''The Heart OF Maryland" in which Mrs.
Leslie Carter made the success of her
career. pT
The Casino attraction that Is to occupy
the stage next week at the National Thea
ter is The Telephone Girl" comedy in
which Louis Mann and Clara Lipman
are being featured. The piece is a musical
one. the book being by Hugh Morton and
the music by Gustaye Kerker, while the
stage production was made under the per-
sonal direction of George W. Lederer.
These gentlemen form the trio which has
given the Casino its present prestige
The plot of the pay seems to afford
Louis Mann and Clara Llpman an ex-
cellent medium for the exploitation of
their peculiar talents as lyric comedians
The story is from the French and recites
the tribulations of a telephone girl. who
accidentally overhears her sweetheart
conversing with a favorite actress and in
another moment hears the charmer en-
gage servant for her apartments. The
jealous woman resorts to strategy and i'm
personates the servant. Just at this time
the star receives word that her parents
are on their way to pay her visit. This
places her in dilemma for she has all
along allowed them to believe that she
was making her living as a house maid.
The telephone girl comes to the rescue.
changes places with her mistress. the old
folks arrive. so does the sweetheart and
a number of other characters, and in the
general mix-up no end of comical situa-
tions are said to arise. Perhaps the de-
cided novelty of The Telephone Girl is
its chorus of young women There is not
4 male voice to break the monotony of |