Evening star., 1898-11-22
ADJUSTMENTS.
LAFAYETTE SQUARE OPERA HOUSE

LAFA IETTE SQUARE OPERA HOUSE.
An audience of such large proportions and
containing so many men and women prom
irent and distinguished in official and social
circles as that which gathered in the
Lafayette Opera House last night has sell
dom assembled, even in this city of such
things. glance over the house dis
cerned the Secretaries of State. Treasury
Navy and Agriculture, the Attorney Gen
eral, the Postmaster General, the British
ambassador, Sir Julian Pauncefote; the
Chinese minister, General Miles, General
Corbin, General Townsend, Secretary John
Addison Porter, Pension Commissioner
Evans, Solicitor General Richards, Con-
troller Dawes, assistant secretaries of the
navy and war, Allen and Meiklejohn; Cap
tain Dickins of the navy, Major Hiestand
OF the army, all accompanied by parties,
while the Metropolitan Club seemed to
have been temporarily deserted, to Judge
by its well known members present. '"The
Fortune Teller" as a production is one of
the most gorgeously arranged affairs that
have ever been witnessed here Scenery,
costumes, properties and calciums have
been provided with lavish hand, and there
is every evidence of desire to please in
every direction. The music Is in many re-
spects the best work that Mr.. Victor Her
bert has yet done, and it exemplifies his
melodic fertility and his versatility. He
the principals and noble strains for the
chorus, as well as rhythmic dances and
pleasing topical songs, while there is in
all this varied national color to the
music that show the composers depth and
extensive reading. The most striking
feature of this phase of Mr.. Herbert's work
is the Hungarian ''czardas," which is work
ed out with remarkable power and effect.
Mr.. Harry Smiths book Is filled with
bright lines and although much of the
c ctiVe
the way in which it is presented. His story
is ingenious, the idea of having the prima
donna having two doubles being novel, and
he has worked out the complications aris-
ing from this state Of things in good shape.
He provided material for the work of three
comedians and Mr.. Perley has furnished
the comedians, who make everything pos
sible out of their opportunities. This music
and book were ordered and written espe-
cially to exploit young woman who SO far
as we in this city know had never done
anything but sing Yvonne in THE Seren-
ade' with the BCstonians, and when she
sang the part here it was under another
name, and not until the next day was 1t
generally known that Alice Nielsen had
sung. There was more in her, however,
than the antiquated Bostonians could see,
or rather she was too handsome, too
bright, too good a singer and too magnetic
to be allowed to remain in that organtza-
ton, and Manager Perley, with his usually
Keen perceptions realized that if he got the
there
was money in her.
The result has shown the correctness of
his judgment. Miss Nielsen has won her
way into popular favor in every city in
which she has appeared. She has an at
tractive personality, and seemingly enjoys
her own performance as much as her au-
dience does She throws her whole soul
into her work-likewse her sole. for she is
a lively dancer-and there is every evidence
of her sincerity. She has not a big voice,
but it Is fresh, with remarkable carrying
power, and has been highly cultivated.
She is delicate and dainty in person as a
piece of Dresden china. She Is great go
and deserves all the success that has come
to her. Mr.. Perley has surrounded her
with an excellent lot of principals, and a
chorus, the feminine contingent of which
is as large a collection of handsome young
women as has ever been gathered into a
single company.
Mr.. Eugene Cowles' popularity was de-
monstrated by the warm reception he re-
ceived when he made his first appearance
and by the applause which followed his
every song. He stands unique as the pos
SCISSOR of the most noble natural organ
ever put in mans throat but with little
knowledge of how to intelligently use it,
Richard Golden, Joseph Herbert and Joseph
Camthorn furnished no end Of fun. Frank
Rushworth was good tenor, Marguerite
Sylvia was effective as the French prtma
donna, and Misses Jennie HawIey May
Boley and Paul Nicholson were all good
The chorus sings as well as it looks and
that Is saying great deal. In fact, the
ensemble work is deserving of especial
praise.
NEW NATIONAL THEATER-The first
scene in Way Down East discloses a
lady on the left hand side of the stage
iDdustriously agitating a churn. On the
porch behind her is huge dinner horn; on
bench is tin basin, and at the opposite
side of the stage is an old-fashioned we'll
sweep. These things are but tiny Incl
dents i'll a setting which is remarkable for
It's general effectiveness, but they are sig
nificant assurances that the play is to have
plenty of action in it. In due time each
of these utensils Is brought into evidence
The country pumpkin, whose laugh sounds
like menagerie at feeding time, blows
the norm with humorous directneSs, into the
lace of a professor whose speciality is en-
tonology. The general conduct of this
professor is calculated to arouse suspicious
that entomology is very bad for the brain
The tin basin is assaulted by the burly
farmer, who snorts and splashes in most
realistic manner, and from the well is
lifted, by fair hands, an old oaken bucket
fun of crystal water from a depth of at
least two and a half feet. These things
nave nothing whatever to do with the de-
Veiopment OF the plot They are merely
in the nature Of corroborative detail. They
prove that the authors are indulging in no
deception when they announce a play of
country life. The embellishments are the
chief attraction and quite justify Mr. Joe
GrlSmef In emphasizing on the program his
services as d professional collaboration. In
spite of his endeavors there fingers a sus-
picion that the piece was originally de-
signed as a problem play. Sentiment is
almost unanimously against the PROPOSE
tion that young women who are made vic
Tins of mock marriages should be made to
bear the social consequences of the Villains
sin. Yet when country boy falls in love
with the victim 50 sincerely that he is
willing to accept her regardless of the past,
1ixrI,t Lit
turn cold shoulder to the expedient which
Goldsmith so kindly provides in the Vicar
of Wakefield and make the individual who
performed the marriage a parson in fact
thus turning the tables on the villain and
putting the young woman on footing
where defense of her reputation will not
require an abStruse thesis on sociology
The fact that this would not be original in
way fails to harmoniZe with the gen
eral scheme. Still, the plot does not OBJ
trude itself very often, and the villain is a
mild unmeaning sort of person, who is
probably bad because he does not know
any better and does OF deserve the dignity
of poetic justice. He is slightly unpopu-
lar. as a man who would wear a dress suit
at a backwoods party deserves to be. He
makes a conspicuous departure from ira
dltion in his total abstinence from cigar
cites This shows a rare dramatic per-
ception of human probability. Quiet eff