The times., 1898-11-13

worthy to go to the other extreme of
Tenderloin clap-trap and raisined buns
Good fare. such as Secret Service" "A
Fool of Fortune" "Charles O'Malley."
Diplomacy" "In Mizzoura," What
Happened to Jones. THE Serenade,"
"Cyrano de Bergerac," or David Gar
rick" are in their respective lines of
fends neither the palate nor the stomach.
The demand seems to be somewhat in
that direction, and managers would do
well to follow IT,
But what a delightful comedy-the
word farce doesn't apply in this instance
is Because She Loved Him So For
pure legitimacy of method and novelty
in theme, this work of William Gillette
and NJ. Bison has not been surpassed
in long time. The play is neither found
ed on mistaken identity nor marital in
fidelity, while its thorough cleanliness is
only approached by the intense sympathy
that clings about its characters. The
lines contain a degree of wit and the
situations wealth of real humor that
is delightful to an audience and encourage
ing to authors who have claimed for
years that nothing dramatic could be
done outside of established lines. Ger
tainly one could not ask for anything
more above the ordinary run than is Be
cause She Loved Him So" Only because
of the quiet charm of the piece does it
remind one occasionally of "A Pair of
Spectacles,' in which John Hare achiey-
ed so much success in this country. Mr..
Gillette's latest adaptation needs careful
pruning yet, of course. and some of the
long bits of weary conversation must be
torn out by the roots. but there is every
essential of success in the comedy
Stuart Robson once said that the pub
lie would Invariably refuse to relinquish
old memories for new delights when
either was connected with things theatri-
cal. He was largely right. Many of the
plays of by-gone years, than which we
seem to have seen nothing better in re-
cent seasons. would appear very poor and
tawdry in contrast with modern products.
And when the two are placed together
one need not take long to abolish his self
placed halo of time. The general opin-
ion has always been that, while 1.-The
Idols Eye" was a charming opera, 1t
could be compared in no way to Mr.. Dam
iels's former success, THE Wizard Of the
Nile" And yet when the two were done
together last week there seemed so little
reason for preferring the latter to the
tic were astonished. 1.-The Idols Eye is
a less artistic composition than its pre-
decessor, but has a far better book,
while the opportunities for run to be
found in the one have no parallel in the
other. All this was recognized by those
who saw both pieces and probably proved
a source of unlimited wonder.
There is man named VIII A. Page
and he writes for a local periodical call
ed The Afterthought. Here is some
thing he wrote last week:
Willie the Knocker held forth in the lobby
of the National Theater in this wise: perhaps
it is Just as well to explain that Willie the
Knocker writes pieces for the papers about pays.)
'I want to see comic opera that has some
thing new in it. / crave for the original. I
would Danish all crude trite ideas. ! sit through
the average comic, opera and then go out and
drink an ice cream soda, even in the Winter
time. l long for the unattainable. / shudder
at De Wolf Hoppers ideas of humor. l nearly
faint when l am forced to sit through per-
formance of the usual Sotsa opera. The Casino
idea OF Tenderloin musical melange IS
not built to suit me. confess that
am foolish enough to draw the line
at the Bostonians. They are old, and they
know it. l object to age The people l have
newfoundland could name dozen more-have
for years been regarded the leading exponents
object to this l want to turn the cartwhees of
time back few jogs. Either I must transplant
myself into the past, or else l must stop going
to the theater. 1t is grating on my nerves |
want to go back to real comic opera of the kind
that went half a century ago. l want few
other wants. also, but these will do for the
present. don't suppose my wants will ever
be filed 1 don't rap whether they are
or not. II had what wanted, l would want
something else. SO / knock everything that
comes along. I say that art is bad; that the
actors are poor that everything is wretched;
that the play is rotten. like to do so. All,
these are sorry times when a man cannot praise
a production Poor plays; poor people; poor
everybody
A beautiful photograph OF Mr. Charming
Pollock will be presented to anyone guessing who
Willie the Knocker is.
Will A. Page is a very bright man and
in consequence the remarks quoted are
fairly scintillant with wit. They are so
clever. indeed. that The Times critic, on
whom they are intended to reflect. takes