The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-19

me TWelrth Nisht club ana IT'S Rr,ends 1t .
Riattaee-A Rsadinr ~ Ls Ganiennc.

me TWElttn NtnnN CIun uun utn EFteWon ~ =
Hfattnee-A Reading ny LIE Ganiennc.
A rare conjunction Of good writing and good
acting mado "DanGerfield 90 " the distinct sue
cess. in nm artistic sense, Of tho Twelfth Night
Clubs matinee at tho Empire Theatre yester-
day. Tho writer was Mildred Bowling. and the
actors wore Annie Russell and Edward j. Nor
gan. The man In tho nffair acquitted himself
well. but 1t wns the work of tho two women that
prevailed. Miss Dowllng's play was short, and
its idea, that OF an inately gentle girl pretending
to DO n rowdy in order to retain tho lover whom
she was losing, was not Of itself Mt all novel, but
the composition was 80 delicately humorous and
pathetic by turns that IL proved its author At to
write dramatic literature. Miss Russell enacted
the pretending maiden with exquisite art. OF
course, this actresses personality would not let
her be rudo or coarse IL she tried to. but, quito
apart from her fitting individuality. her Dor.
formancc was n revelation Of exportnoss In
light comedy. "A Christmas Tiding." a din-
loguo between tho husband and the son of q
divorced woman. was Clay NJ. Grccne's contri-
button to tho bill, and 1t was spoken with excel
lent effect by William II. Crane as the husband.
who was at first cynical and obdurate. and
Francis Carlyle as the son, who succeeded in his
attempt to rcunite his parents for a Christmas
eve reconciliation. Tho sex.against-sex act Of
"SowinR the Wind" was played by Henry
Miller, Viola Allen. w. II. Thompson, and w. H.
Crompton Of the original American cast assisted
by Frank Mills and Maggie Fielding. Ballads
were sung by Chauncey olcott and Eleanorc
Mayo Elverson. An address was read by Helena
Modjeska, who praised tho Twelfth Night Club
rs n body OF self-rcspecting and respcct-com.
mandinF actresses and counscllod them to ad-
here to high aims in thoir profession as well as
The entertainment. which had begun at 1880
O'Clock with music by Mr.. .Furst's orchestra.
nearly four hours. The final one being occupied
With VIII, q 4 h traryesty entitled "A Glimpse S,i, of Ely.
poked irrcrerent fun at Shakespeare by giving
sShsSss nrs" In the 20 fi fso act M%y R Re soe S Ssiiis
f fyle N %iSnio A baprse. s si}E WIFI m,iz a a
Russell, Bijou, Fernandez. Alice Fischer. Ida
e oOpSuesai' as A i%eiSe fh, eroines OF Sp shs MSrS La%i sod
the dozen heroines held q meeting TO pass res
%olutions against the neglect into which tho
public had permitted them to fall. In n second
act twelve heroes were represented by William
Gourtleigh. George Fawcett, Robert Edeson.
Holland, Ehcn Plympton, Robert Cotton. Wal:
ter Hale. John Findlay, William Faversham.
e cub. n Each m pnrtieipant Is in l tSi ! msrri IN g
was made up and oostumed properly for
the designated role, but what these personages
said and did was far from, the original purpose.
They were fippant in their discussions of the
drama. they wrangled for precedence. and the
%unctious humor. There was u crowded and dis
tinguished audience, which found ample amuse-
ment in the performances.
Richard lie Gallienne. the English writer,
who is known to few persons in this country,
appeared yesterday afternoon at the Lyceum
Theatre and read O number of selections from
his writings. Whatever notoriety Mr.. Lc Gal.
lienne has in New York-and he is doubtless
wholly unheard of anywhere else in the United
States-is associated with the popular impress
sion that no wears black satin boomers when
he takes to a bicycle, ornaments himself at that
time with lace and rarely looks like ordinary
persons whether he be on n bicycle or not.
There was much in his looks yesterday to jus
tify this opinion. The audience was large. and
either Mr.. lie Gallienne's peculiarities of dress
have created some interest in him or Major
Pond gathered the audience in out of the rain.
At all events the spectators had enough to in
tcrcst them in the sight OF the reader. even il
they were looking for something as curious as
he has been said to be. There were no bloom.
crs to be seen. and if Mr.. lie Gallienne was wear
ing old lace yesterday afternoon it was not Wis
ible., He Is a pale young man, very shrunken
crop Of black hair Which made him appear to Be
black frock coat. and the only satin to be seen
MIR. Lie Gallienne apologized to the audience
for not being more OF q decadent in his work,
take an interest in such old fashioned subjects
as love. the moon. spring and such matters;
Without waiting Tor an answer ne commenced
to read from one of his books, called prose
F'ancies." Mr.. lie Gallienne has a thin voice
to make himself heard. He reads, with tho
monotony of an English curate and some of his
peculiarities Of pronunciation are remarkable.
He invariably pronounced the word bright as if
it were written "sroit, and a night, light and The
rs had a burr to them that reverbera,ed
through his sentences. Most of the time Mr..
lie Caffeine kept one hand in his pocket while
with the other he held the, book from which he
read. There were u number of selections on
the programme, and IL would have taken very
earnest admirers OF the author to have found
enjoyment in the session which he held at the
theatre yesterday, But it was rainy outside
and few of the audience retired. MIR. lie Gal
lienne read, in addition TO "A Spring Morning.
"A Borrowed Sovereign" which was an utterly
that was touched with some delicacy OF imagina.
ton: three lyrics. Marjorie and the SPRING"
''SlGep for London and what of the Dark
ness and from ''Prose Fancies'' two numbers.
1.-THE Dramatic Art CT Life" and THE Burial of
Romeo and Juliet" There was no single charm
of voice. elocution or magnetism in the reading
of any of them, and there was, indeed. a need
for some of these qualities to make the selec-