Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-03-15
AMUsEMENTs.

collection of shapely young women twin
killed. iridescently behind the footlights Of
the New National Theater last night. 1.-THE
Ballet Girl is distinguished by having
more title roles than any other entertain
ment hitherto arranged for the delectation
of an anatomy -admiring public. Front row
and back row, coryphee and premiere dam
seIse are kept in may activity, with only
such intervals OF repose as are offered by
the Interpolation Of dialogue. Even the
sorgs do not give the ladies upon whose
limbs the fate of the show depends much
opportunity for rest, and the dialogue, even
should 1t fail to appeal strongly to an au-
ditor's sense of humor. would be esteemed
and encouraged as humane Intervention.
The young women meet their responsibility
-unfinchingly and capably. They are as
sisted by gentlemen who are nimble. tune
full or comic, as occasion may demand and
their efforts do justice to the scene paint
ers and modistes, whose bewildering crea-
lions give the piece its principal reason for
being. In only two noteworthy cases have
the contributors of words and music con-
spired to divert attention from the scenic
surroundings. The Broom" song in the
first act is one of the wittiest and most
enjoyable specimens of topical rhyming
yet evolved from that much cultivated but
still fertile field. 1t was admirably sung
by Mr.. Edouard Jose and Mr.. David Lyth-
goe. THE Old Stage Door," in the second
act, gave Miss Airline Crater an opportu-
nifty to score a succession of encores by
Telodious illusions to the giddy folk who
are supposed to haunt that mystic portal.
Some idea ofethe spectacular glory of the
performance may be cleaned from the cast
as printed on the program. 1t leads off
with the eight gentlemen of the company,
among whom Mr.. Snitz Edwards Mr..
Thomas Ricketts,. Mr.. Charles Seagrave
ard Mr.. Fred Solomons should be- men
as IT,
self to the feminine contingent, which from
Miss Marjorie Relyea to Miss Maize Fol-
lette inclusive, numbers no less than
twenty-scven. This takes no account OF
those who are modestly recorded at the end
Of the list as fishers, villagers, etc." 1.-THE
Ballet Girl as performed last night carried
out. the evident intention Of Manager E.
p. Rice to make strong appeal to the eye
the chief quality of the play. He has at
tanned some decidedly unique effects in his
mammoth and fascinating display OF
fluff and hosiery.
LAFAYETTE SQUARE OPERA HOUSE.
That sweet. simple New England pastoral
play, THE Old Homestead drew quite
a large audience last evening, and, with
Mr.. Denman Thompson as Joshua Whit
comb. the simple, great-hearted old New
Hampshire farmer, supported by an ex-
cellent company, presented the play in
manner which delighted all. The play is
too well known to need an introduction, its
which are now familiar to every one. Yet.
Its picturing Of New England life and
ways is as fresh and natural as when first
presented several years ago, its pathos
humor is as delightful AS Uncle Josh,
Mr. Thompson is the hig-hearted, simple
New England farmer himself, and Mr.. Will
M. Cressy, as Cy Prime, is hardly less
gard. and Mr.. Charles H. Clarke. as Seth
Perkins, gave excellent account of them
selves, while Miss Annie Thompson, as
R,ckety Ann. and Mrs. Louisa Morse, as
Aunt Matilda, were entitled to commenda-
ton. The singing of the Old Homestead
double quartet added much to the pleas
ure of the audience. The scenery was, as
usual, feature Of the production.
COLUMBIA THEATER.-In Paul Kes-
ter's new play, What Dreams May Come"
presented for the first time at the Columbia
Theater last night, the author has illustrat-
ed anew the tendency of the dramatists of
the present day to cater to the deep in
terest Of this generation displayed in that
which pertains TIC the occult. In "Triloy"
and In DIR. -Belgraff" hypnotism served as
the theme upon which their stories were
strung. In What Dreams May Come" Mr.
Hester has utilized the supposed power at
tributed to their Mahatmas by the believers
In theosophy, and has produced a play
whose strength and intensity relieves it
somewhat of its unmistakable somberness
The story related is that Of the Countess
D1nntri, Russian noble woman, married
to Charles st. Clare, the private secretary
OF an English prime minister. For the sake
of Russia the countess has stolen govern
ment papers in the possession of her hus-
band. which leads to the latt.rs ruin and
the separation of the couple. Following the
separation a child is born to the countess
and consigned to the care of its father by
her relatives. st. Clare believes the boy is
the offspring Of Count Grcgoff, who was
the Russian ambassador to London for
rnryn fno Afrrir ~ ufo1a
With this belief the father attempts to
force the boys own mother into killing him
by exercising the peculiar mind power she
through being Mahatma She Is
doing this when she learns that the youth
upon whom she is exercising her deadly in
huence Is her own son, and after revealing
to st. Clare that he is really the boys ia
ther she reaches her son and disspates the
effects of her power that are exercising
their potent deadliness. Madam Janau-
schek assumed the role Of the Countess
Dimitri last night and added another to
her list of histrionic triutnphs Those who
remember her Lazy Macbeth and Lady
DEADLOCK could not but admit that in the
character last night she displayed all the
strength and all the keen finesse and acute
perception of the requirements of her part
that made h3r rendition Of the former
characters SO notable. 1t is no reflection
upon Madame Janauschek's presentation to
state that John Blair as Roger Hazleton,
the son and victim, shared the honors of
an admirable actor in difficult charact ter
which If given to g. less capable one would
have lost much of it's strength and Impress
iveness. He was forceful throughout Jo-
seph Whiting as Count Gregoff Jonn Hol-
land as Gerald OBlake and Frank Lyman
as Lord Dairy are to be commended for
their representations, while Maud Banks
as Mary O'Blake, in love with Roger, gave
a delightful picture Of the devoted and I'M
questioning woman. Margaret DeWolf
played Interestingly the part Of Kathleen
O'Blake, and Mabel Washburn had good
conception of the comedy possibilities Of
Malissa, the maid of all work. The play it.
self has many shortcomings in the dialogue
which will probably be remedied by the au-
thor. There Is no denying that thu first
two acts are rather tiresome in the long
involved speeches, both to the actors and
the audience, but the last two acts closely
approach the powerful. This Is partic ularly
true Of the third act, when the Countess
Dimitri learns that her slowly dying VIC
tim is her own son, and then reveals to St.
Clare the fact that he is Rogers father.
In the last act, whers Roger is awaiting
the stroke of II o'clock, which he is sure
will mark the moment Of his death, John
Blair gave q remarkable illustration of his
power. The scene where the Countess Dim
itri told Roger that she was his mother
was touching in the extreme and the eff