Evening star., 1898-12-13
AMUsEMENTS.

ally excellent performance of Sheridans
Rivals than was given by the Jefferson
Comedy Company at the National Theater
last night. That one exception was in the
days of stock companies at the Boston Mu-
seum when Lawrence Barrett was the Cap
tain Absolute, Miss Kate Reynolds the
Lydia, Mrs. J. K. Vincent the Mrs. Mala-
prop, VIM. H. Smith Sir Anthony, Chas. r.
Thonre, jr. Sir Lucius OTrigger; John Will
son. Falkland, and William Warren Bob
Acres. Then the play was given in five
acts, and all the people seemed to fit their
parts perfectly. While some of the cast
afterward achieved national reputation, 9TH
ers are remembered only by the playgoers
of the Hub; but those of the profession who
remember them can well understand how
excellent the performance must have been.
The same adjective can be applied to the
presentation of this sterling old comedy
last night. Nearly all the players scented
to enter into the spirit of their parts and
the atmosphere of the play. There was the
od-time courty grace of manner that har
period, and all wore their clothes easily
rs if they were their everyday apparel.
That the audience appreciated the superior
work OF the company and also the brllllancy
of the play was manifest by its emphatic
but discriminating applause. Each of the
cast received a warm welcome. for all are
well known here, and the work of each was
generously rewarded.
In order of merit lie honors were shared
by Wilton Lackaye. Ffolliett Paget. Werner
Charges and Otis Skinner. No actor since
the late VIM. j. Florence has given Sir
Lucius with such richness of brogue and
such JUNCTION of manner: and even that
splendid actor had not the grace of man
ner that chaIacterizes all of Mr.. Lackaye's
work. Miss Paget did not overdraw Mrs
Maiaprop in the least, but gave her fine
diffusion of epitaphs in the most natural
way possible. Sne is the youngest and
most beautiful Mrs. Malaprop that this
har no
lack of years did not seem out of place, so
completely did she identify herself with the
character. Werner ClaTges has been trained
in an excellent school, and he played the
irascible old Sir Anthony in splendid style,
his outbursts of passion ,eing always tenn
pered with discretion and illustrating his
artistic method. That admirable actor, Otis
Skinner, reanZed fully the English officer
Captain Absolute. He made a dashing
lover, ana was at all times gentiemanly in
bearing. reading his lines in a scholarly
manner. Else Leslie manlfests sufficient
SiiiineSS and Sentimentaiity for one phase
Of Lydia LanguiSh character, but she
falis to respond to the stronger demands,
and her dismissal of her suitor whom she
adored in his assumed character was
weakened on that acc ut
There are two Jehersons in the cast-Jo-
seph, jr., whose David was a good bit of
character work. and William Winter who
assumes the part of Bob Acres, made IA
nous by his father. 1t is idle to expect
from a young man of twenty-five the fin
lshed work of an actor of more than twice
that number of years experience on the
stage, but Mr.. William jefferson deserves
encouragement for the creditab.e work he
does Cf course he pays on the same lines
as his father, and hls impersonatlon may
be called an imitation but he couid not Sc
lect better model tor the technique of his
art, and the fact that he does fairly we'll
now is an earnest of what he may do when
time and experience shall have ripened mis-
undoubted talents.
COLUMBIA THEATER.-If there are
not full houses at the Columbia TO see "A
stranger in Strange Land this week it
Will be Tor the reason that Washingtonians
DO not know good thing when they see
1t. AS such piay-b -indness has never been
exhibited here. it is safe to assert that This
newest farciCai structure will get all the at
tendance and applause its originality and
spontaneity merit. In threshing over the
field of play themes. the authors, Sidney
Wilmer and Walter Vincent hit upon the
clever idea of satirZng the notions of for
egners. especially of provincial English
men, concerning the social and geographi-
cal conditions in the land of the free II
has been touched upon but lightly in soli-
tary characters and bits of dialogue in
other plays, but the whole notion has not
until now been given complete exposition
in suitable farcical environment Crit
1cally considered, the Stranger has been
constructed with cleverness and direct
ness that gets out of the subject nearly
all there is in it. OF course it bears in its
development resemblance to other constr1lc-
tons involving confusion of Identities but
that Is to be expected, because no other
treatment would so thoroughly exhaust the
novelty of the theme. The humor though
bordering on the rough, is entirely within
the propreties of a first-class house of
amusement, and the plays unfolding holds
the most absorbed interest of the audience
to the end. The lines that tell of Omaha
as a suburb of Buffalo have a freshness
and witness that Is pSb tba
situations fulfill every expectation and an
ticipatiGn OF the complications to come
The character of Ah-La-Nee, the lone In
dian, who becomes multiplied by two bogus
RED men, is but nttle below the Il one FISH
erman of Evargeline memory, and in
tune, as the part is developed, Mr. William
FAMOUS, who acts it, will present a charac-
terizatiOn as complate and as effective as
are his thefts of everything movable in the
mansion of mis- benefactor; his appreciation
or the good points of the white 'squaws"
his neVer-quenched thirst for ''fre water"
his thick, gross delight over the new things
OF civilization. Almost equaling it as a
character study is the Indian bitters
maker. DR.. Boiler, who thinks heap of
thdt lnJun, and then emphasizes his af-
fection by efforts to kick off sections of his
anatomy He is well played by Harrison
Armstrong. Thomas Kierns as Duryea
Warley, was forgiven by the audience
when he disguised himself as a red man
his Well-conceived creations Charles w.
Swain was life-like butler. Robert Fisch-
er was acceptable as the uncle. H. G. Ions
dale was good the detective The man.
aSement has not been so fortunate with
the women. Not one of them is Young or
pretty, Or much of an actress and thev
dress in very poor taste. They are Agnes
Proctor, Lulu Klein and Maude White
Win this element streng thened, the talky
lines chopped out and the Indians preda-
tory habit a little more diversified in
action and "A Stranger in a Strange Land"
VIII become oce of the seasons hits As if
is, IL furnishes an evening of rare entoy-
ment, unmarried by any disagreeable faa-
ture, thanks to the dscernlnent and taste
of Mr.. w. NJ. Wlkison. who presents il.
LAFAYETTE SQUARE OPERA HOUSE
Magnificent of physique eloquent of
tongue and graceful of gesture Mr.. Charles
Dalton must fully realize Wilson Barrett's
conception OF Marcus Superbus, the ure-
feet of ancient Rome. He at last came IN
to the standard desired by a large audience
AT the Lafayette Square Opera House and
ms speeches WerH applaudcd to the echo
Mr. Daiton speaks IN subduCd tones void
or the rant so often marring the other wisf.
excellent portrayaIs of the robust actors OF
today, but withal one is aware of the force
lAE h.A