The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-04
AFFAIRS OF THE THEATRE.
AN IMPORTATION OF NOVEL AND
C0AIOAE AOROBh7S.

Ing Actors. Authors and Managers or Playa.
The domestic brand of knockabout performer
IL becoming scarce and the kind that Is made
abroad is drawn upon to replace him. Three
of him, the Fortunis, are now In their first week
of New York employment ut Keith's. Their
aim is closely like that of the chaps who were
once abundant in pairs In the variety shows and
who for ten minutes alternated stale jokes and
fresh blows. ending with that destroyer Of men
tai calm, the how.we-lovo-to.dance- and.sing.
The newcomers methods are different. Being
unfamiliar with English, the contents Of old
almanacs are not necessary to their speciality.
which is chiefly gymnastic. All three are In
ridiculous costumes, one as a waiter, another
as q burlesoue Of an English tourist and the
third as the travellers valet. Two horizontal
bars, one OF ordinary dimensions and the other
ton feet from the floor, are not very realistic din.
ing room accessories. but they're great aids to
slam-bang. Tho Wallets first misadventure 10
TO get caught by his tall hat on the lower bar
and hang there in distress until taken down.
His master is imam inflated suit that makes
him almost globular. and when he exercises on
the bars he slips from his balloon.like coat and
trousers, leaving them attached to the bar and
disclosing that he is Of ordinary size. The men
arc 30 practiced that jumps from the higher bar
upon a companion apparently do no more than
hNS hhhh " way " SePSAot Aoee
some Of the knocks received seem hurtful.
After ten minutes of roughing 1t about tho
bars tho dining room atmosphere" Is restored
by tho appearance Of tho waiter with q plate.
But his piece OF crockery 10 remarkable for
moro than restoring alone tho suggestion of q
luxurious dining room, and when one Of the
others grabs tho plate and strikes the waiter
with It's edge half Of It shuts within the rest,
and tho waiter goes of bowling with the ap-
pearance Of being cleft to his ears. Their table
Is as surprisingly prepared, for when q gym
mast in ono of his widest leaps lands on it Il
gives way In the middle and he is sent sprawl
ing among its pieces. Their humor Is. perhaps,
stamped most strongly as being an importation
by tho specialists device with q soda siphon.
In the manner in which one chap looks into the
bottles spout and releases its contents there l!
vaudeville's self. sprinklers have made remark
able achievements in this soul.stirring branch.
But In applying the tzz to his companion there
Is a distinct advance upon even the finest of
homemade siphon subtloties. Putting tho
tube to his companions. ear he presses tho lever.
concealed beneath the specialists wig, and SO
appears to come out Of the opposite ear. The
performance so that an ordinary axe could be
banged into the top of his head far enough
to hold It's place there should know that he
ers. or will Billy Wells, the museum performer
who permits the breaking Of paving stones upon
bIS uGHu, q MS Ill " WOEh IL ICpol
the victorious invadersi
Tho English dramatists have got into the
habit Of selecting curious heroes. The prac-
tice commenced with Henry Arthur Jones. His
astronomer in THE Masqueraders" was one of
the first of these personages. Haddon Cham
bers followed with "JohE a Dreams" In which
the leading man was an avowed victim of
opium. In "'The Physician there was little
choice between the young or the old hero. Ono
was a wearied egotist and the other a confirmed
d~ipsomaniac. There was not much in either Of
them to gain tho sympathy of audiences. 1.-THE
Rogues' Comedy" did better in that direction,
and possessed at least one sturdy, honest figure.
In THE Princess and the Butterfly" young
Oriel could have fascinated nobody but the
Princess Pdnnonia. In 9TH Tree of Knowl-
edge" Nigel has never recovered from his as
ISOLATION with a woman who deceived him. and
the rest of his life is spent in complaints against
real life would be an intoierable pris.. Tho
culiar types, and they, come directly out Of ID
sen. In the French drama these have now no
place, though tho free" theatres may possess
them, and some REALISTIC pieces put them for
French stage fiction are ibertines. but they do
not figure as opium eaters. dipsomaniacs, or
i isafo' wh ssaSserAt they t do. a are m that is ana a r sPlsfi
from the characters which have lately been set
up as heroes In the contemporary English au-
By the selection Of the eccentric for heroic use
This fact does moro than anything else to cur
tail tho popularity of their works in this coun-
try. whore there is always the demand for a
sturdy hero. Rather with the French than tho
aeTse. f Roah hero Us Macy nisw n oe be hm ienoeent su and, IN.
deed. may have been wicked, but he must at all
events be manly.
Maurice Barrymore will go to London to play
tho hero in 1.-THE Heart of Maryland" there.
Ferdinand Gottschalk. who has been six months
in.that city with "Nevcr Again" Is on his way
back TO resume his place in the farce here.
Clara Morris ts the latest volunteer for the
Actors Fund vaudeville matinee. J. Lester
Wallack, a grandson of the late Lester Wal
lack, will be in Minnie Seligman's revival of
Comedy and Tragedy" Oscar Eagle Is laid
up in Louisville from q gunshot wound re-
ceIved in n melodrama duel.
Henry Miller and his company got to Worces-
ter in the big snow storm, but the baggage and
scenery did not, and 'Heartsease" was per-
formed that night in modern costumes and
with makeshift scenery. The audience was
good humored and inuulgent- The bad weather
played havoc with travelling companies through
out the whole sweep OF wind and snow. In one
Western instance a company footed 1T five miles
over a hill because a railway tunnel was choked
and reached q theatre in time to keep a $500
aSsomDlaBe.
The Boston Cadets are giving performances
IN that city this week, and the receipts will
reach $50. 900 through an auction sale OF seats.
II. A. Barnet's burlesques are written for these
amateurs. and afterward developed for use
professionally. The present piece Is called
''The Queen of the ballet" and Is more nm
bilious than Its predecessors, though 1t is regard
ed as less likely to become popular.
The drama which Henry Guy Carleton wrote
for James J. Corbett is being played this week
in Illinois. The former prize fighter enacts O
devil may-care hero with kindly Instincts and
ready fists.
Washington is getting tho first American
performances Of "A Paris" and 1t is a pleasant
surprise TO read that the farce Is not salacious,
as its title threatened. Nine. Pillar. NORM.
whom we know here only as a pantomlmist,
plays a speaking part with what is described as
happy effect.
Nathaniel Goodwin has produced In Chicago
the play written by Clyde Fitch on the life OF
Nathan Hale. and IT has evidently met popular
approval. in spite Of the contrary reports Of Its
tragic and at the same time lacking In vi.
tally" II closes. as The DEVILS Disciple"
does. with a gallows In view. Mr.. Goodwin's |
personality Is said to be unsuitable for the role