Evening star., 1898-12-20
AMUSEMENTS,

| LAT L StlUARE OHEfSA L.
Miss Olga Nethersole is popular in this
| city, as was demonstrated last night at the
Lafayette Square Opera House, where a
| large and brilliant audience assembled to
| welcome her return after a years absence.
| Washing ton took kindly to Miss Nethersole
| when she first appeared here. 1t perceived
| the real ability in her work and her ca
| pacity for improvement, and with each sue
| cessive visit the actress has deepened the
| impression she first made. Her art is more
| refined now and she is consequently more
! pleasing than ever. She has also gained in
| physical charms, and while she was always
! attractive, Is now thoroughly beautiful
woman. Miss Nethersole chose to make her
| bow this season in Pineros problem play.
! The Second Mrs. TanGueray." play first
| presented here by the Kendals, and in the
| part where the mature Mrs. Kendall tried
| five.
This play is one of the brightest. wittiest.
| most cynical and at the same time talkieSt
| of Ptnero's productions He has drawn the
| woman with q past in strong colors, has
| set forth her struggle to reform by mar
| riage with an English gentleman, has de-
| plcted the anguish she suffers when con-
fronted with social oStracism her craving
| for the love of her husbands daughter and
| the constant nervous strain which finally
breaks her down and eliminates in suicide
| 1T is tragic story and yet the sympathy
OF the audience goes out to the woman
and there is a feeling of almost contempt
| for the pure and sanity daughter. Miss
Nethersole fufills every requirement of
| Mrs. Tanqueray, and throughout acts with
rare discretion and convincing effect. She
| Is easy, graceful natural, never doing any,
| thing theatric, but moving and speaking so
as to V1talize the character and making it
appear that she really lives the part. She
created positive enthusiasm in her audience
and was rewarded by repeated curtain
calls. Her company is generally an excel
lent one, Miss Emerson being good Mrs.
a TiccN ToIr
ana MISS richards as Lady Correyd, while
Messrs Homework. Browne, Thorne and
Revelle We're all that could be desired. Mr..
Thalberg failed to realize the possibilities
| OF the part of Aubrey Tanqueray and car
ried the repression idea so far that it took
nearly all the color out of his work He
Is capable man, however and will do
better as Don Jose in Carmen" tonight
NATIONAL THEATER-The return en-
gasement of The French Maid" with
anna al Held in the title role, had the effect
| OF ming every seat a the National Thea
ter last night, although the weather was
anything bu, pleasant. The French
MAID has been introduced to Washington
before but familiarity seems to lend ad-
dltlonal charm to her bright, breezy ways,
her catchy songs and dances and the ex-
tremely pretty stage settings that serve
10 frame her daintiness. Anna Held of
course was the attraction, and it must be
Sald that the way in which she carried her
part through was an agreeable surprise
lie speciality in the second act elected en-
thusastlc applause, although she gave her
audience nothing new, and was compelled,
1or lack OF other material to work with, to
beg her audience to come again "tomor-
row.. Her costume in her speciality turn
was gorgeous and excited no end of COM
ment among the feminine contingent in the
audience. The real star of The French
Maid Is, however, that inimitable COM
edian, Charles Bigelow. who invests the
part OF the English waiter with his thank
you kindly, sir, with degree of humor
that is simply irresistible. His greatest
hit was in the table d'hote song in which
he was forced to sing himself completely
out OF verses and voice as well. Every
appearance he made upon the stage was
the signal tor an outburst of laughter and
applause, and it must be said that he earn
ed fairly every sign of approval that was
bestowed upon him. EdW. j. Heron made d
very capable Admiral Sir Hercules Hawser,
hC.B.; Matt Woodward was acceptable as
Cen Sir DruInmond Fife, VIC, while
Edouard Jose, as the eccentric French
gendarme; George Honey, the still more
eccentric maitro d'hoteI; Richard Rdgeley
as the Indian prince, and Charles L. Stur-
SlS as a waiter, We're also equally capable
in their respective parts. Hallen Mostyn
made splendid sailor, and his good bari
tone voice was heard in a couple of very
catchy songs. Miss Eva Davenport has a
part. that of Lady Hercules Hawser that
is Disappointing, in that it does not give her
half enough to do. Eleanor Kendall as
1OiotHE IIdNtlS ana OldlUe wallace as
Nine. Camambert the latter with scarcely
nothing more to do than to look pretty
were acceptable. while Mamie Forbes made
a very bewitching chambermaid. William
Armstrong. a favoriCe in this city, as Lieut..
Fife, was heard to advantage in a couple
of songs that served to show off his pleas
ing tenor in good style, and showed his ca
pabilties as an actor in several Wavs. The
French Maid is mounted in a very pleas
ing style, while the hallets are all that
could be desired, both in the matter of cos
tunes and execution. Herr Augustus
Sohlke a gIOteSGue dancer. gave q rcmark-
able exhibition OF his art in the second act.
The French Maid" will continue at the
National all this week, with the usual mat
inees.
COLUMBIA THEATER.-The woes of a
widOWer, who married an actress in haste
and then tried to hide the relationship from
his elder sister and moral guardian and his
two budding daughters, furnish the farci-
cal complications in "a Bachelors Honey
rnoon," seen 1t the Columbia last night.
There is novelty in the motive, and the
author, Mr.. John StapietOn has consist
entity and humOrOusiy worked ii out. The
play was given here for the first time last
spring, and was one of the most enjoyable
comedy menus of the season. 1t is full Of
incident, vivaCity and wit. Geo. F. Nash,
the eVer-remembered Small Bottles in
''Chimmie Fadden," plays Benjamin Bach
elOr, the perpleXed benedict with his
customed dash and consistency. Geoffrey
German professor who nurses a secret sor-
row, and was easily the hit of the perform
ance. His methods are legitimate and his
dialect delicious. His acting of the singing
scene in the second act brought the most
vigorous applause of the evening Edith
AtholstaEe, who was here recently one
of the charming wives in That Man. is
the actress and newly welded wife. Sha
has sprightliness, grace, a clear conception
of the hunor of her part, and is pretty
picture in the climax, where she appears
in tights. Jessie Burnett, as the redoubt
able sister, presents a familiar character in
an agreeably new way. She has at
tractive personality and wears handsome
gowns. James 4. Pittman, jr., as Stephen
Howston, very busy man, was decidedly
comic in the scene where he is led to be-
lieve that he has hydrophobia. Irma La
Pier, as a literary maid servant, was pleas
ing, and that is about all she is required to
do. Nanette Francis and Eieanora Allen,
as the daughters, were acceptable, but not
at all like twins, as the lines suggest.
Minor parts were well played by Frank
Caldwell ard w. f. Buttertield. Between
the acts Signor A. Coda of Director Min
ster's orchestra gave a clarinet solo, which
received an encore measure of approval.
Matinees Thursday and Saturday.
ACADEMY OF MUSIC.-The rescue of a