The times., 1898-12-04


do more.
Despite the opposition offered by Mr..
Russell, and knowledge that the Muse
is not working eight hours a day Just
now. one could not help feeling surprised
at the comparatively small business done
last week by Blanche Walsh and Mel
bourne Mcdowell. The star first-named
certainly proved herself possessed of
great ability. and the local critics did
their best to circulate this fact. but still
houses at the Lafayette remained out of
all proportion to the merit of the attrac-
ton, white Cleopatra, Fedora and La Tos-
ca suffered in solitude the different emo
tions which NJ. Sardou had provided for
them. After carefully considering this
fact in one way and another it becomes
apparent that matters OF sentiment
probably had much to do with the slim
attendance that at first rewarded Miss
Warsn's efforts. While people are not
prone to confess the fact, even 10 them
selves. the average man wonrin re-
tdinS most tender regard for those by
whom he or she has been entertained, and
this feeling, dormant so long as 1t might
accomplish anything. often ripens into al
most morbid intensity after the death of
the entertainer Thus 1t is that there are
probably many amusement-loyers who.
nounced shrinking at the idea of seeing
some one else in the roles which Fanny
davenport created in this cvuLtry and
with which she was SO completely identI-
fled.
This rather absurd sentiment is
doubtless increased in its effect By the
TACT that the new star Is paying with
the husband Of the old one While such
a state OF Affairs would seem calculated
srfftr
many almost unconsciously are repu.sed
by 1t, and their desires to attend produc-
lions which they remember as being
meritorious are checked.
or course. these inner reasons for going
TO see or staying away from Blanche
Walsh are not all that have initiated
against her Strange though 1t may saem,
there are thousands of theatergoers who
nave, as yet. no idea as to who the ae-
tress is and numbers of others who had
never thought her capable of what she is
now accomplishing. The latter class have
been unable to Danish this prejudice and
still cling to the opinion that Miss Walsh
is much too light for the roles now In her
keeping. The former one is surprisingly
large. a seemingly intelligent woman
asked Treasurer Rawlins last week IL
Miss Walsh was not 4 buriesque per-
former The next question In order SEEM
ed to be a query as to how many libret-
tos Sardou had written
In time, the new star will overcome all
these obstacles and be able to reap the
full benefit of the rare opportunity that
has been offered In her present position.
Certainly no woman deserves success
more and no one seems to be more in the
way of achieving it,
d9tfS
AS an object lesson of what that sort
| of performance once was, Haveriy's Min
| strels are. doubtless yaiuabIe-as 4 mod
| ern entertainment they are merely a fear
ful bore Aggregations OF comedians who
have outliyed their usefulness may some
day be interesting in a museum but their
possibilities as puryeyors of amusement
are decidedly dormant. For several sea-
sons Colonel Hayerly has been telling
the public what a wonderful thing was a
minstrel of the old days-now that we
have seen his we are quite content to
| stick to those of our own time
As We were led TO understand the mat
| ter last week. the main difference be-
| tween an ancient and a modern attraction
| of the, burnt cork variety is in the fact
| that the latter Is elaborately staged and
in competent hands, while the former is
not. BY the side of any popular-priced
continuation in the country Manager Hav-
| erly's aggregation sinks into insignifi-
cance- William West, for example,
brought TO the Academy an organization
in which we're. besides himself, such men
! as Carroll johnson, Charles NJ Ernest,
| Richard ]. Jose, Charles Kent, TrovoIlo
and Ezra Kendall His first part was set
in a magnificent and tasty manner. hand
somely eostumed and given by some forty
clever people. Manager Haveriy. on the
other hand, ventures into the high-prcsd
houses with q performance In which ev-
| erything Is misunderstanding the
jokes. His people are Billy Rice, a come
dian whose efforts to be funny are pathet-
ic. and Arthur Deming, the product of a
| ten-twent -thirt' combination well known
to amusement lovers. Outside of an lily
painted drop representing the deck of a
battleship Colonel Haverly carries moth
ing in the way Of scenery, being content
| to use stock canvas. The costumes in his
first part seem to be cheapiy made of cot
ton and flannel, while the entire COM
pany does not include twenty-five men.
The one feature of the olio of the show
that held the boards last week at the Co
lunnbia Is provided by the Nichols Sis
ters, and even they are not what th y
have been advertised. by a great de- al.
Manager West closed his perfo-mancs
with a patriotic march the details of and
training for which must have consumed
several weeks of hard labor. Manager
Haverly ends his with supposed bur
lasque which for general absurdity and
puerility has never been equaled here.
The only other difference In the attrac-
tionsl relates to the fact that the rate OF
admission charged on the road by the
better Is precisely half that gotten by
the poorer. Undoubtedly Jack Haver-
iy's combination would have made a sen.
sation in its time and undoubtedly it is as
good as it can be and stil show the pub
lie what original minstrelsy was Ike
But nevertheless one feels at liberty tc
| state that the present style of entertain
. ment seems the more enjoyable-if no ont
minds.
Perhaps few people who speak fiuentl.
of that district lying between Forty-sec
ond and Fourteenth Streets. on Broad
, way, in New York, know that Washing
ton has attained Rialto of her own. Tn
, writer himself did not realize the fac
clearly until last Wednesday, when h
noticed that that portion of the city ly
ing between Vermont Avenue and Mint
. Street, on Pennsylvania Avenue Is at Ger
J tain times in the afternoon filled mainl
, with actors and newspaper men. With
three books distance on the Wednesda
in question he saw Colonel. Haverly
} Sol Smith Russell. William Farnum, Al
fred Hudson, Fanny Addison Pit.
Blanche Walsh. Melbourne MacDowel
5 Pat Reilly. the Nichols Sisters and
number of other professional people
Either on or near the local RialtO ar
, seven theaters and variety of newspa
-per offices. unknown in any other city i
| the world. Truly, the Capital of the Ma
tion is attaining prominence from a the
atrical and literary standpoint that Sc
riously threatens to rival that Of Gotham
l