Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-03-29
AMUsEMENTs.
LAFAYETTE SQUARE OPERA HOUSE

A<<AH "A = - 0%OAAbG 03 GI1S<A 4AOOS1/.'
"A good story spoiled for a poor play is
perhaps a severe characterization Of the
dramatized version Of Beside the Bonnie
Brier Bush,' first presented last night at
the Lafayette Square Opera House. But
when one contrasts the anecting simplicity
OF Ian MacLarens stories with the the
atrlc and hacKneyed plot ana defamation
Of the play, the criticism will be admitted
" POSSESS sol.e Jusuce. POSSIBLY the reau-
erS OF the BOOK nave tOrmeu erroneous III
pressions OF Lacnian Campbell jamie Sou
lar ana DIR. MsacLure. uuL tnelr lucas are
Certainly different from those OF the dram
atists. In Inc BOOK there Is a certain
amount OF dignity In Iamppefs cnarac-
Ter. CenSorlOLS was anu ICY, but not
queruious, Grabbed, Ietulant anu alto
setner uuIoVeiy, As the oraInatlsAs repre-
sent him. A great sucker 1Ur pure uoc-
tiIne was Laclian. but not such a terrasa-
CANT AS he Is pictured Liperues are taken
wltr the other CHARACTERS as well as witn
the incidents anu greaIiy 10 their detri-
I.ient. one OF the nAusl effective scenes IN
the book Is that Wnere Lacnlan Campbell
tens The Session his daughter Flora mas
le1t home. says: III lss known 10 me
that young woman VINO mass been
member OF tins church hass LETT ner nome
and gone INTO the TAR country. 1nere VIII
be NO use IN sumLnollng her 10 appear be-
lore the Session, Tor she WILL Lever lie
seen again In lnls parish. l move that she be
cut OIL from the ron, ana ner name tss-'
ana LacnianS voice Urohe, Out III an in
stant ne recovered nimsei,-'.ner lame ISIS
riora LanpDen.' Lacnlan Siooked like d
gEdist conIlI' IN at the door, pUt ne sat III
silence In the shadow ana no one marked
the agony On his lace TIL the emu. but the
play represents hin wlIuly uenuunclng MS
uaugnIer DeIOre all his nelgnporS anu plol-
ting ner name from tue La.nIy blD.e, much
as tne stern iatner in the sleieosypeu lnelo-
uraina oAsinnerIts ms SON VINO refuses TO
marry the heroine, Dut instead runs away
Dtrl
ptirucuiarlZe. The charm the uouk is
iosl anu an imitation Oh hazel klrke'' Is
the result. Lacnian Canpbeli OF the play Is
olo Dunstaii k,rke, put less lovuDie
imam the Dunslan OF Ola Couioock. And
yet Notwithstanding this failure on Inc
part ot the oramatIsts- 10 catcn the true
spirit OF Ian MacLaren's book and his
characters, they nave produced a WORK
that Will PROBABLY De popular anu
financial success. The pay cnarmlng to
Inc eye, II has some Weu-oraWn cnarac.ers,
II gives out tne scotch atmosphere, ana
There are some strong cIlmaxes.
Inc pay was cast We'll, prayed we'll, and,
to use iateiy Guinea worn, ''scenerleo'
Well "A series OIL attractive pictures are
presented, which provoked al ONCE sur
prise ana admiration. Inc view OF rne g,en
Al act III, win The mountains pIlng lnelr
ptIpAe tops on one anoIner III Tie distance,
ne 1ochty seen shlmmerlng III the mIu-
oie distance, the clustering becomes III
the foreground, with the some wall the
SeAAS cAAA tAAS pain was one never
surpassed IN TINS Guy anu rarely eQualeu.
Inc incidental muse anu the MUSIC be-
tween Inc acts arrangeu by Vnr. Herman
feriet was Ill good lasle and was a mate
RAJ accessory.
or the payers only words of praise can
be SAID. lney have done the pest they
cCuld with the material furnished them
MI. j. H. Stoddard presented the Lach-
ian Campbell of the uramatIst and made
IT rs effective as was possible. Charles
"a Il mat iCt nd
mace II as elective as was possible Chas
A. Harbury did equal credit 10 Dr. Mac
Lure. w. +. Rochester gave a nondescript
sort of Jamie Soutar, while X. A, Roberts
was rather rolllcklng sort OF Free Kirk
minister, Rev. John Carmichael. Marie
Burroughs made an engaging Kate Carne-
gle ana brought all there was out of a
small part. Augustus Cook portrayed the
conventional British general, while Walker
Craven as Sandy Mcpherson the London
policeman, gave the best exhibition of a
command OF the dialect of any one on the
stage. others III the cast were Marian
chapman as Flora Campbell, Cuyler Hast
lngs, Emmett Corrigan, Augustine Dun
can, Ethan Allen, James NJ. Wilson, Har-
old Going, H. w. Humphreys, Tom Dixon
EVerett Dodson, Carrie Lee Stoyle, whose
work; Evangeline Irving, Deiphine Per-
1ault and Gertrude Robinson.
Inc audience was one that filled the house
ara was representative of the culture,
emily most of those present were familiar
with the characters. The incidents were
followed with deep interest and the an
pr0Vai given was hearty and generous Not
only were OLD associations appealed to- but
there was evident the wish that a NAV
hrst presented here should be kindly start
ed on its career.
COLUMBIA THEATER-It is a pity that
the language of theatrical compliment
shouio nave become SO universally trite
ana commonplace. When it becomes need
1ul 10 give an adequate impression of the
merits of genuinely original clever and
well-acted farce, such as Number Nine
IS, tnere Is no recourse save to the hack
neyed and perfurctory epthets which have
come to be recognized by the discerning as
the press agents stock in trade, and which
even when applied in the most unbiased
spirit appear to bear that genial but pref
ot.lced functionarys trademark. Mum
Der Nine deserves to be rated higher than
the mediocre average which superlatives
imply. The audience at the Columbia
theater last night laughed long and fire.
quently. Notwithstanding the fact that
there was not vestise of horse-play in
the piece, which told the adventures of the
husband who desires to lie a gay deceiver
and who finds at last, to his great relief,
that instead OF being wicked he is merely
silly. 1t is always difficult to see why a
really meritOrious idea has rot been util-
lied before. This country is supposed to
be swarming with literary and managerial
genius, ana yet so simple a touch of
city as the revelation of husbands pranks
by an animated picture machine had to
come all the way from Germany via Lon
don. Most ingeniously and consistently is
the suggestion played upon. The piece has
the distinct merit of retaining it's interest
till the end, the closing climax being not
only an adequate explanation, but a sur
prise in the story. Number Nine" is a
dramatic gem, not Of ponderous proper
lions, perhaps, but of the first water The
story is worked out with the utmost nat
uralness, and the laughter is ELECTED by
the force of the complications and not by
the physical efforts of the capable COM
pany employed for the production. Every
character is competently presented, the re-
gard for detail, which is characteristic of
all performances given under the manage
ment of Augustin Daily, being very much
in evidence Mr. Wilfred Clarke has a very
responsible role. that of the young husband
with a penchant for larks. and he played
it effectively. One of the most heartily
welcomed actors the city has seen in weeks
was Mr.. Charles Richman. His part was
that Of a gentleman from Ireland, as ex-
pert in compliment as he is chivalrous in
sentiment.
Mr.. Richman has a strongly attractive
personality and with 1t more than ordinary
ability as an actor Mrs. q. II. Gilbert pre-
I'D oil II