Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-02-08
AMUsEMENTs.

COLC MBlA VHEAIER.-"AloEe worth
the price Of admission is strong enconi-
UNI to apply to a one-act piece, which is
offered only as an incident to an evening
entertainment. But THE Cat and the
Cherub' has merits so exceptional and so
conspicuous that it claims emphatic praise;
praise to be qualified only by doubts of its
being acceptable to theater-zoers WHO have
been trained to look upon the stage solely
as vehicle for frivolous diversion. 1t bears
the same relation to the drama that "Cav-
alleria Rusticana" and Il Pagliacci" bear
to opera. And as tragic conception 1t
surpasses both those productions In it's ap-
peal to American audiences, because it
deals with a phase of life which Is we'll
known, and yet mysterious. The Chinese
quarter of San Francisco has been a potent
inspiration for short story writers, but one
which was never very extensively used,
possibly for lack of close knowledge of its
inhabitants. THE Cat and the Cherub" is
less important because of its revelations of
the manners of the Chinese than because of
the simple terror of love hatred Jealousy and
revenge-the old marvels of existence which
inspire awe, whether the subjects of their
manifestations be the highest types of a cul-
tured civilization or the hopeless denzens
of the slums. Grotesquely horrible as the
picture is, it has the force of probability.
There is no doubt that effort to make
more than one act of the play would mean
drawn out, is always uncertain, and in this
instance the author, having achieved the
distinct triumph of bringing an English
speaking audience into sympathy with
remote a race, does well to refrain from
seeking to press his success too far.
The performance of the piece was admir-
able, the only exceptions to be noted being
the obviously Hibernian countenances of
some of the supernumerary Chinese and
pronounced amateurishness on the part OF
the cat. Neither the cat nor the super
numeraries can be cited creditable
amples of Washingtons local talent. Pos
sibly it was stage fright incident to it's first
appearance in title role which caused the
quadruped to lose its temper and involve
its connection with the story in slight oh
security. However, in such an emergency,
the tale by Poe, in which the whereabouts
of murdered woman Is revealed by the
mewng of a cat that had been entombed
with her, affords valuable suggestion to the
auditor, 1t probably did to the author.
An Industrious determination to make up
for any lack of fun in the first play is
shown in the three-act farce, "A Gay De-
ceiver,' by Paul Wilstach and Jos. Girls
mer, which follows. The laughter it pro-
voked was spontaneous and frequent.
But despite the artistic worth of 1.-The
Cat and the Cherub'' and the excellent
work of some of the characters in "a Gay
DeceiVer,' it must re conceded that the
true explanation of the presence of the
standing room only sign was the an
nouncement that Miss Anna Held would
look on the audience with lustrous eyes and
extend to an eager public the courtesy of a
few familiar songs. Miss Held received the
ovation which customarily awaits her Ian
guorous and insinuating charms.
THE NATIONAL.-Whene er Sol Smith
Russell comes TO town witt one of his
plays it is as If great breath of Clean re-
freshing air had been inhaled into the lungs
of theatergoers, and they come away from
the play house with a sense of purifying
and invigoration which is as good for them
as 1t is creditable to the actor end author
who continue to produce such "esult We
live in hectic time. in dramatic as we'll as
In other respects, and whatever comes to us
to cool the fever and stop forever so short
a period the decay Of the moral tissue is
social benefactor. To the FULLEST extent
Mr.. Russell is that, and he presents a total
dissimilarity to all other reIormers in that
he Is delightful in his methods. In this
Bachelors Romance of his, written by
Miss Martha Morton, he introduces for the
second time here bookWorm, not quite in
vertebrate by reason of years of study yet
old and withered and we'll niehehopeless OF
heart. To this recluse, simple and thought
less. comes suddenly ward whom he had
quite forgotten in his other charities and
she. bright and young and ready for the
worlds happiness, brings to him the sun
shine that can come but once to such a
life. He feels it and lives in it for the mo-
ment, and then he is told it cannot be for
him. Here is the pathos of the story. But
there cannot be all clouds: the rift comes
for the sun to shine through and David,
the bookworm. is happy at last in the love
or this sweet young girl. To those who
know Mr.. Russell and all who seek to
know the best, 1t is plain how naturally he
fits such a character, or how such a char
acter fits him, and it is not necessary to
elaborate upon It, No one can do 1t as he
can Next after him in quaintness and
natural art was the Martin of Mr. William
Sampson. almost as perfect in Its way as
Mr. RusselIs David. Very pretty. indeed
was Miss Nanette Comstock as the ward,
and done with girish grace: Miss Edith
Crane as the widowed sister of David is a
type OF wdowhood to make all women
want to be widows, and Miss Margaret
robinson Is typical society girl, as Fan
ME Addison Pitt Is type Of the bad-tem-
pered good-hearted woman. Alfred Hud-
son as Mulberry, Mr.. Orvin Johnson as
Gerald Holmes, Mr.. Thurlow Bergen as
Savage and Mr.. Sidney Booth as Harold
reynolds was each in his line an artist and
Mr. Johrsons drunken gallantry on a lad
der In the library was extremely realistic
Mr. Bergen is another Washington contr-
button to the stage and the young fellow
IN face. figure and talent gives promise of
permanent success. The house was full.
and 1t Is not necessary to say that it was
thoroughly well pleased.
LAFAYETTE SQUARE OPERA HOI-sE
With keene in the title role and Charles
y. Hanford playing the romantic part of
Audrlen de Mauprat, theater-goers had rea-
,oi " eAptSt superior presentation of
RlchelIeL at the Lafayette Square last
night. Their expectations We're realized
and the audience, who filed the house com
fortably. manifested their appreciation of
the efforts made by the principals and their
support. Mr.. Keene Is recognized now as
holding front rank among the few Ameri-
can tragedians of merit. His work has
been followed for years by the weli-earned
approval of the public and his place is fixed
IN the galaxy of tragedy stars. Richelteu
Is an ambitious role essayed by many and
not filled by all. Keene makes the great
cardinal to descend from history, to clothe
himself in the general conception which the
average mind entertains of the most con-
sspicuous figure in Christendom of the era
IN which Richelieu lived to move and act
before the eyes of jewellers in this waning
end OF the nineteeth century. Besides the
Interpretation of the character of Riche-
lieu, SO clearly manifested by Mr. Keene
his representation of the physical decline
OF the statesman. the struggle of the pow
erful mind against the encroaching weak
ness of the body, the rally under the stimu-
lus OF the peril of France, fills a high meas
ure of artistic work.
Mr. Hanford is easily at home in the
romantic character of Audrien de Mauprat
the reckless, brave young officer who is
made to run the gamut of human emotions