The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-03-22


i~mpossibility for anyone, had he SO de-
sired, to keep a straight face. Laugh
laugh. laugh-people laughed till the tears
ran down their cheeks u laughed 70
hear themselves laugh, and then again at
some new caper of Miss Ifwin's. Both
Miss Irwin and the Widow II you can
separate them. scored another success.
Miss irwin is delightful. throughout the
play. She has an attractive way of SEEM
ing interested in all She does and in all
the others do: she sings her songs with
that same interest and she sings them
well. But ii is the first act that is the
act and it is in that act Miss IRWIN. sA-
cells; it is in that act occurs thai inim-
itable. crying scene. Miss Irwin cries IN
do it, in that helpless "1-couldn't-stop-if-
I-tried" kind of way; il is its realism that
is so fetching. And then in the last act
she sings some songs in Rag. Time,
some new ones, too. some of the songs
her sister. May Irwin, is singing now, and
they take.
A for the play, it is unnecessary to tell
all its plot. 1t has n big enough TO
bring in plenty of catchy ongs,- some
jigs. some high kicking, a great deal OF
slang ard some jokes. many OF them
good jokes. 1t also brings in one perfectly
unnecessary piece of vulgarity which adds
nothing to the interest of the piece ailu
detracts greatly from its tone. The APP
pearance of the model at the end OF the
with the story; she is dragged IN. as many
of the other things are, and she had better
nave been left out. 1t gives one disagree.
able touch to an otherwise delightful
Miss Ada Lewis is, of course. excellent
as Felicity Jones, the "derelict's daugh-'
ter" She has quite the vagg air when
She ions her dude attire and in her farm
rags she is amusingly gawky. Mr.. Walter
Hawley. as Billy Bike, "a prompter,
whatever that isl as the play pill mas
it. is admirable. He plays his part dash
ingly, as does Mr.. George Barnum as
Senior Romero Canovas. These two hunt
in couples and they never fail to bring the
house down. There is some good sing
ing, pretty dancing and a thoroughly jolly
time in .tThe Widow Jones'" 1t will be
given at the Academy this week with the
usual matinees.
Fun at the Bon Ton.
"Dat shows a corker," was the COM
Nment of one of the young patrons of the
BON Bon. as the large audience strug-
gled to reach the street last evening after
the performance, and that young gentle
man." in his own way, voiced the senti..
the straight variety kind, and no better
show of a like character has ewes been
given in this city.
acter sketch. ian East Side couple
were fairly good. The Dillon Brothers.
in their twenty minute turn, kept the au-
dience busy following them in their rapid
and exceedingly funny paredies; they are
novel as well as clever. OF course when
the names of the Russell Brothers Were
fedc1GQ OH tflc pfOSTdlfllltt, ever DOdy
settled down and prepared to laugh, and
no one was disappointed, for one could
not hear oneself talk from the noise of
the delighted audience. La Belle Mai in
PRODUCED a novelty in a~~drapery dance on
a wire.
Imogene Conan has a wonderfully pow
erful voice and uses it well. She is one
of the best descriptive singers on the
vaudeville stage. O'Brien n Havel
made the hit of the evening. Herbert's
troup of dogs contributed their share to
the evenings amusement, especially the
little chap that climbed to the top of a
forty foot ladder and leaped into a cam
vass cover held by the stage hands. There
is not one bad turn in the whole show.
SWAY Down Eass,' Mt tho Manhat
tan Theatre.
"'Way Down East at the Manhattan
continues to attract crowds and win golden
opinions from all sort of people. There
is no suggestion of Lent in the long lines
at the box Office or me nightly throng
that are content with standing room. A
play whose simple pathos, quaint humor
and remarkable stage realism can crowd
the gallery, attract society to the stalls
and boxes and win unsolicited endorse
elements of success. Many people of dis
tinction see this picturesque and forceful
portrayal of every day life upon the New
Hampshire farm. "'NYay Down East" is
being talked about in club and in count
ing room, in mansion and tenement, and
the comment is of that kind that arouses
the interest of all classes and ensures
long and prosperous runs. Special events
will be a matinee next Thursday after
noon for the members of the theatrical
profession, and the fifty-first perfor-
nance, Tuesday, March %, when the SOU
venir offerings will be dainty and expen-
sive library lamps with artictically deco
rated shades.