The times., 1898-02-08
Iafaye..e-rhomas w. Keene.

"RiChelieu' was the bill at the La
fayette last night. and Thomas Keene
was the hero of the occasion. Mr.
Keene's work in this part is too well
known TO need much comment. His
Richelieu is a strongly marked charac-
ter, with plenty of life and color, high
lights and black shadows He is pos
sIDiy at his best in the strong emotion
al scenes, where he can bring into play
all his power of voice and gesture all
the picturesque effect OF which ne is
master. In the finer and more subtle
phases of the character of the willy car
uInai ne is at a disddvantage and al
though the Richeleu of the play IS call
ed fox, and acts very much like CAe
there is little of that animal In the
character as Mr.. kenne plays it, He is
more like liou-savage, majestic. and
noisy. He gains his point by overbear-
ing and strenuous will, not by subtle
diplomacy. There are some stage ira
ditionS in keeping with Mr. Kenne'S
idea of this role, but the real cardinal
was much too complex character to
be disposed of in this way. However.
Mr.. Keene was throughout striking
and absorbing figure. and carried the
audience completely with him. especial
~ in the famous curse scene.
The rest of the company are all well
fitted for their parts, and support Mr..
keene's Richelieu both skillfully and
well. Charles Hanford. whose reputa-
tion in this city grows with each visit
impersOnated Adrian de Mauprat in
spirited and enthusiastic way Lucia
Moore as Julie gave her part in very
much the same manner in which Mr.
Reene played his. She was a beautiful
and striking heroine. and in the third
1
but her comedy in the first act would
have been improved by little more
subtIety and a little less posing.
Columbia Anna Held and Company
Long before the time set for the
doors to open last night at the Colum-
ba Theater. there was a long line in
front of the box Office window, and
when o'clock finally arrived the string
of people reached considerably past
the front entrance. Ten minutes later
a good sized fringe of spectators had
begun to gather back of the orchestra
chairs and Treasurer Stein looked into
the future with enough of the spirit
of prophecy to begin busting the
Standing room only" sign at once
From nine out of ten points of view
LilC ciISi SlNtI WAS thorough
ly delightful, the extreme variety off
setting any tendency to WEAKNESS that
might have been caused by the length
Of the performance.
Washington has heard so much of
The Cat and the Cherub and its near
relative, The First Born that it is
safe TO say that nearly everyone pres
ant last night was familiar with the
plot of both plays, and on speaking
terms with the characters. Few. how
aver, were quite ready to take either
seriously and without doubt no one
present who had not seen THE Cat
md the Cherub" had the faintest idea
If the wonderful power, the weird. un
canny force condensed into the forty
minutes time given this "CavelIeria
Rusticanna'' of the dramatic stage.
That the entire gauntlet of human
could be run in such linn
ted scope seemed impossible. and there
vas not an impressive situation. from
he murder of Wing Sun to that gIor
Gus scene, where, with the walls of
Ali Yoi and the sound of the distant
og horn for company, the wronged
Wing Shee murders the slayer OF his
son, that did not awaken astonish-
nent as well as admiration in the au-
Hence
OF the two plays The Cat and the
Cherub"' is probably stronger than
The First Born" but there can be no
between the companies. |
Florence Ziegfeld is undoubtedly a |
1ustling young manager, but in his
Effort to emulate Augustin DAILY in fore