The times., 1898-09-11

on tour through the larger cities short
~ with cast composed entirely of ne
groes and headed by Williams and Walk
| er. the redoubtabie. Only the first-ciass
| theaters will be played. and lovers OF
| novelty will be given chance to learn
| that the colored race has a music that.
| far from being burlesque, is as high
class in its way as any that has been
given us by the schools of Europe. Both
| Mr.. Dunbar and Mr.. Cook are stiIl in
Washington.
| Wills and Loretto have been making
emphatic hits with their novel act in
| Western vaudeville houses Since leav-
| ing Roster & Biais they have been
! twice over the famous Orpheum circuit,
! once over the Hopkins circuit and have
played a number of successful dates. The
Fair have number of friends here who
will be glad to learn of their good for
/ tune.
| James o Barrows has been for the
| last fortnight playing with the Castle
! Square Stock Company. Boston. His u
| cess there has been quite as marked as IL
/ was here and his admirers have already
| multiplied largely. Last week he appe r.
| cd as Major OHara in Dion Boucicault's
| drama Lied Astray." and was generally
4 COIQmcnOeQ his WOfh
L Managers Luckett and Dwyer promise
that their house will shortly be fittsd
| with an ornamental galvanized iron en-
| trance There Is nothing which the Co.
| lumbia needs worse and the new work
| will do great deal toward making the
| place what it nearly is at present. one of
the neatest and prettiest theaters in the
I country.
| Gertrude Quinlans profile sets off the
1 front page of one of Gothams dramatic
/ papers this week and shows that the LADY
has not lost any of her personal cha: m
| since leaving Washington. Miss Quinlan
| is a remarkably clever woman and hSr
| local admirers will be glad to learn that
her success in the metropolis has been
| unqualified.
Charles and Nathan Heitenger have
| just published new coon song. 'The
Peach OF Razor Alley" which promises
to be exceedingly popular for stage use
The melody is a very catchy one and
| the words are said to be considerably
above the average attainment in that
class of work. Both boys are Washing
| tonianS.
One of Clifford and Huths most i'm
| portant engagements has been that of
Sam ]. Adams, local boy. whose ability
as low comedian is pronounced. Mr..
Adams has been on the professional stage
for many years, and. while he has never
before gotten beyond the burlesque field.
there is that in him which promises
broader possibilities than those afforded
either in variety work or farce-comedy-
He has a fine bass voice and a Dan DAILY
drollness that is irresistible.
The company engaged for the Grand
Opera House. New Orleans, should be of
particular interest to Washingtonians, as
its roster contains the names of two OF
her old stock favorites. These are Al
Lipman who was leading man one year
at the Columbia, and Charles Dibdil
Pitt, son of Fanny Addison Pitt, who
played Juveniles during the preceding
summer at the New National Both men
| are clever and should have no difficulty
in satisfying their New Orleans audi
ences.
George d. Connor, Of the Western vau-
devilie circuits. was in the city last week
looking after the copyrights of some
sketches which are 10 be presented in
houses under his control during the COM
ing winter. He attended to his business
early and spent the last days of his stay
here in looking about the town Mr.. Con-
nor returned to Chicago on Friday
Della Stacey. who will play the title
role in '"The Girl From Paris this week
at the National is a daughter of the late
Col. Stacey. L. S. A. and a native of this
city. Her education was acquired in ths
| public schools here. where she will be
remembered by many of her old teachers
| Her arrival today marks her first return
in many years.
One of the worst of the number OF
wretched impersonations with which Kate
Claxton's production of THE Two Or
phans'' abounded was in the Pierre OF
Francis Gheen, an actor who, like the
wind, seems to have sprung from oblivion
and TO be in a hurry 10 get back to the
| same place. The meiodramatic stage can
| offer no character of more tender pathos
| than that of the crippled scissors grinder
and yet, in the hands of Mr.. Gheen, it
became simply a whining, mocking per-
sonage better fitted for the employment
of its beggar mother than anything else
There was no consistency in the role and
nothing to provoke either admiration or
respect. If the lines had been read intelli-
gently one might have forgotten many
other faults in the portrayal, but they
were not. Altogether. one could not re-
frain from thinking that Mr.. Gheen was
more unkind to the role Of Pierre than
the dastardly brother had been, since the
latter only crippled while the former mur-
dered it. Any local amateur could have
done better.
PEOPLE I'VE LAUGHED AT.
Memories of Contemporary Players
| Mark Twain once said that for trr1lv
poetic souls was reserved such romantic