The times., 1898-11-06

The whole thing Is absurd 1t reminds
one of the dramas children act after hay
ing gone to few Saturday matinees.
True, the wit is broad and some of the
incidents entertaining, but that is all.
There is no pathos because there is never
any reason for any. The worst trouble
in which Crance ever gets comes from
the danger of his receiving $50. .000-not a
tear-provoking episode excepting to Sun
day school teachers and other moralists.
The piece is i'll defined, vague, discon-
nected and unappealing. 1t is not cohe-
sive, coherent. concise, consistent or
comprehensive. The episodes bear marks
of fearful straining for effect and are
utterly without reason--a defect insur-
mountable when 1t Is considered that
there is no story in the piece to suggest
them. Every issue utilized is indefinite,
inexplicable and absolutely without rea-
son.
THE Carpetbagger" has one virtue and
that is the manner in which the princi-
pal role is conceived and carried out Be-
yond that there is nothing and there is
still less surrounding it. Melville GRANGE
is the one distinct and sympathetic per-
son in the entire conglomeration and he
deserves to be transplanted to a story
worthy of him. At present he is in So
ciety that brings out neither his good
nor his bad points
Several of the local critics In their
Tuesday reviews claimed that the beauty
| of The Carpetbagger' lay in the fact
that its plot was only suggested. The
plot is really not suggested or implied or
| even hinted at. There is, in other words
no plot at all. Messrs Read and Pix,ey
may have intended to tell tale but il
! has not as yet reached the audiences that
| witnessed their comedy. Had ii not been
that the press agents descriptions of the
vehicle told what one was to expect and
| brought out reasons and events that the
/ authors ignored no one who saw The
! Carpetbagger" would ever have had any
| idea what it was all about. Outside OF
! the development of the principal charac-
ter in the piece. the effort of the colabor-
ators has no ground work whatever. 1t
1 is merely an acted treatise on human ma
ture and not very clear one at that
| The product is bright and entertaining in
| places just as is a vaudeville sketch
| merely because some of the lines and in
cidents are clever and nothing else If
THE Carpetbagger" was entirely recon-
structed and new series of motives and
| situations worked round the central fig
ure 1t might be an excellent comedy
Tim Murphy can never star successful
ly in the play as it is now.
A bright and generally entertaining
performance was given at the Lafayette
where an English company sang-English sh
companies always do sing rather than
speak their lines-a curtain raiser, enti-
tied Goodbye" and a farce called by
the delectable name OF "A Brace of Par
tridges." The former piece had little tc
commend 1t. The story was ancient and
impossible. the situations stiltei and ar
tificial and the presentation anything bat
u,
though neither new nor strikingly b H.
liant, was well written and handled in a
remarkably novel manner. The tive
Dromio" theme used, while considerab.y y
older than the mother-ln-law idea has
been less abused and Is, therefore, more
enjoyable. Then a deal of humor was
gotten out of H. Reeves-Smith's light
| ming changes and so much pleasure cams
from the quiet and orderly manner il
which the play was given that the small
audience present left the theater nightly
thoroughly satisfied with their eXpendi
ture and sufficiently pleased with the of
fering to enjoy light supper withou
fear of Indigestion. All of which goe.
to show that even SO hackneyed plot a.
must be one arising from mistaken iden
tity, can be made delightful by careful
construction, unique methods and tn
| work of an organization that, If ha-dl.
above mediocrity. has been well traine'
and balanced.
When Frank Daniels comes to this cit,
tomorrow he will begin his third loca
. engagement of the year-or more properl.
. the half year, since all three dates hav
been played within six months. Not oni
has each of these been profitable. but tn
first two experiences succeeded in break
ing couple of the longest cherished rec
ords of which the Columbia could boast
The comedians initial local appearance i
1.-THE Idols Eye" was made in Hol
Week Eight performances were giyer
one of them on Good Friday and two o
the Wednesday preceding 1t. to packe
! houses. The receipts of the series cam
within very little of amounting to $1,000
, A return was Immediately arranged an
: Mr. Daniels again came to the Columbi'
less than two months after his first bi
success there, and succeeded in doin