The times., 1898-06-05
FRIENDS OF LAST WEEK.

A comedian Of exceptional ability IS Os-
car Girard, who appeared in the title role
of THE Mikado" last week at Glen Echo
Few people really realized how difficult il
is to make 50 old and often-seen a part
seem anything more than the repetition Of
ancient and familiar lines and business
but it is nevertheless true that remarka-
bic originality is required in the effort
Just as it is frequently more laborious to
literally or literally translate poem
than 10 write one so it is almost invaria-
bly, more trying TO put new life into an
established role than 10 create the part
Itself.
Then. too. an entertainer in endeavoring
to reach a happy medium generally finds
the extreme of disagreeable and often
disgusting horseplay and mistakes it for
real wit or humor. Under exceedingly dis
advantageous circumstances Mr.. Girard
presented the lines with credit both to
himself and to the organization to which
he belonged. Not only were his sentences
carefully spoken and In way to bring
out their latent absurdity but his meth
DDS We're unique and decidedly comical.
The numerous songs which the Mikado is
required to sing within a short space of
time Were unusually well rendered and
the comedians work all through was of
such a happy order that he deserves the
earnest congratulations of his friends.
Next to larceny, amateurshness is the
most unpleasant of crimes and II is 50
universally expected in q, player who has
not as yet made his efforts legitimate by
professional work that an exception IN
the general rule is a discovery worthy a
theatrical Balboa or De Soto Goldwin
Patten is one Of the cleverest of our loca,
actors and his ability is FREQUENTLY de-
monstrated in work of-an extremely haz-
ardous nature. On Tuesday night last
Mr.. Patten presented Bulwer's dramatic
poem. THE Lady ~ lyons" for the bene-
mt OF the orgetFwnIUniversity Hospi-
tai Fund. The entertainments took place
al Gonzaga College Hall and was a great
surprise to the young fellows most ar
dent admirers. The role of Claude Mel
notte, as has been said before in these
columns, presents grave difficulties to
even the most seasoned player and Of
fers almost insurmountable barriers to
the man of less experience.
There is hardly line in the piece that
is not so well knoYFn as to make natural
reading well-nigh jmpOssible and he who
gives grace and ease I'd the part is prob
ably doing his best for it. In his por-
trayal Mr.. PatteR was both scholarly
and realistic, his art being evidently
quite as much the outcome of nature as
was his naturalness the result of art.
None his scenes lacked force in
the giving, while intelligence and care
curbed in all of them any pre-emptory
excess in either direction. His work in
the third and fourth acts was especially
noteworthy while his clever eharacteri-
zation throughout the entire performance
marked him for universal compliment.
If there is any one thing more weari-
some than another in the tiresome line
of conventional specialties given with
the average burlesque show, that thing
is the Sidewalk conversation" INDUCED
in by two absurdly made up and fear
fully ungrammatical idiots, who come he
fore a line of painted brick houses and
abuse each other only slightly worse
than they do their audiences. These men
were never struck with a single idea
They would be shocked did any one sus
gest that 1t would be possible to walk IN
and down the stage instead of from left
to right while telling their vicious Jokes.
They are all alike-both the jeSfs y