The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-06-21
FRESH AT THE THEATRES.
"TRE RAGGED REGIMENT" 4 NEW
CUBAN WAN MELODhAMI.

The time Of tho new Cuban war melodrama,
tho Ragged Regiment" which had its nrst
performance at the Herald Square Theatre last
niFht, was before there had been any hostilitles
Between Spain and the United States. Neverthe-
less, there were Americans concerned in the nc
ton. One was the reckless leader OF n regiment of
Insurgents. 4 second was a prisoner to the
Spanish. A third was a yachtsman who had
called to the robelllous island to rescue his
captive friend. A fourth was q comic com
panion OF the venturcr. All were shown In the
hrnt act In tho courtyard of q Cuban inn,
where some Spanish soldiers were encountered,
and where the yaohtsman ~fatetully met a
Spanish girl, to DO at once entrancsd by her, and
to as quickly win her love. The officer in COM
mand Of the Spanish military was her ardent
and jealous wooer. Thus IL came about that
the interests of love and duty crossed
purposes. Tho second act was at the homo
Of the girl, whose father had charge OF the
prison, and there the American lover dAlllod
with love and delayed his duty until at length
no was Joined BY her in his effort to release the
prisoner. X. N. Stephens, the author Of the play,
had taxed his ingenuity in the Invention of
series Of prodicaments for tho Swoethearts to
got Into ana out of In their jail-breaklng
mission. and some of these complications
were c~ffectual as expedicnts to interest an audi.
once. He created an approciablo atmosphere Of
romance, which Mt times served to impart a
glamour to what was going on, and at other
times failed TO do so, leaving things bare and
theatric. The failure In that respect began in the
third act. whore the hero and heroine hold up
the villain at n pistols mouth, and 1t lasted
noarly through tho fourth. whore there was a
rough and tumble scrimmaEe in the Jail yard
between those two mon, with the girl and the
comic chap mixed in.
Then cAmo q rousing climax, and one which
may do much to save the piece after clearncss
and force have been impaired to 1t. Tho author
has assumed that the ragged r re- Ibn1t
SonF "MSrehInF THROUGH GoOrsia.% and
Whenever they heard It. He makes the almost
bafied rescuers take q forlorn hope from that
Grew In ordor to thus arrest the shooting
OF the prisoner as a spy: The exocutionsrs
becomes audible from the actual regiment OF
tassissuE.' u TSi. ending OF the play win 9ndo%SSt:
eddy be improved into much greater value than
Hot weather is not conducive to melodramatic
uneomforta6ie in temperature. and largely on
that account was not deeply impressed by
p pnfS mSS sG nSsr Ep as me good d' as Chose S0 eo mSs aeS
In 1t should have made It Blanche Walsh
dominant male part: Edgar L. Davenport was
the brave Colonel OF the regiment mentioned
fdI .spSnisrd. while Frank. Doano and Una
Abel. dealt with tho fercicol element, and
Frank Mordaunt had assigned to himself tho
prison. Mr.. Mordaunt also made q speech on
tho S0"'i m% q s%S nUsDfS sS5pefulnsuS. that "The
Ragged Regiments" future was brighter than
its present promise.
Very blond a. to hair and complexion, very
black as to eyes and lashes. and with eyebrows
whose color seemed o blend Of hair and laShes.
Corinne made her nrst appearance In the con.
tinuous shows yesterday ut the Pleasure Palace
AZ to costume there was . ample dress OF gray.
fish white that sparkled at her every turn. That
served while she sang two ballads worry prettily
and in q voice far sweeter than is usual with
vaudeville song servers. For two airs picked
from o mandolin there was . shift to the attire
of . picture troubadour. Hat and bodice were
elaborate enough. but beloW was nothing but
v wos s pndk h heSiain fs1ora tie T .ttsStiSn 'h for t the
singing was replaced for the playing by owl
i GsnfS M mt iG and To sad' ofrort 20 R Rtss' sa uaH gG ao'
c~eptable. Tho musician raj not only a
tSsisnt sesme ! TOO too. e so SsSe SS sSaa nssSiy
urcSins. but. that. for New York city. Was ten
years ago. So last nights gallery OCCUPANTS nj
1aS h1fS.uF fh eSl hsd v Wsii.sst sRf RsTG seanda l%;
to Judge her BY, since the nature. of her offer
;nFS was unni familiar \. Va ,, enough: and their Response pc PsG
cap. Downstairs she was quite a! well liked,
and tho front rev contingent deemed her q salts
tying sight Plainly hers was not O case from
player Of avoiding New York for a spell Of years
John H. stoddart, the aged actor, made q de
but yesterday afternoon. 1t was his first ap
pOarance on the vaudeville stage. and 1t oc
CURED at Proctor's Theatre. Such q thinl
would have been surprising . few years ago
and many would have deemed 1t deplornble
But the variety show has in the meantime beeI
considerably legitimRtized in tho 'continuouS'
houses. Therefore Mr.. Stoddart's departure
from among purely dramatic actors and hi
arrival among tho specialists, while 1t com
manded q duo amount of attention, was no
sufficiently out OF the ordinary course of theatri
Gals as to excite anybody particularly. The fac
may as well be made q matter Of record her
that he made tho transfer of his ability witt
ease and the best effect. He risked no expert
ment with now material, but appeared in "On,
Touch of Nature" tho familiar piece of patho
in which he had acted many times. This littl
drama IL not the work Of the late Benjamin
Webster. as the bills always say. It wa
merely taken from tho French BY, that EnEllsl
actor, who was not conten: with playing It
habit Which English playwrights had BY brazon
claiming translstionS as original somp9sii
GS.over yesterday in his portrayal of the indi
gent father who discovers his daughter in tn
person OF an actress. and reveals himself to he
In the course of a rehearsal, in which mimicr!
10 merged into reality. Ito IL a singular acto
in at once possessing Il strong and never vary
ing individuality with unRlterable manner
isms of speech and action, and also the power t
difkOrentlete q wide range OF characters, iron
the liRhtest farce to the intensest melodrama
In Zone Touch of Nature" he is called upon t
express q parents yeArninR love very tenderly
and no responds to the demand finely. The sci
vices of an accomplished actress are needed 70
the part of tho daughter. and those Of Rose Til
fanny In this reproduction do not suffice. 1t
fortunate for the venture that Mr.. Stoddar
Il able TO got along very well without help.
A new sketch at Keith's yesterday brough
Merrl Osborn into the list OF speciality foil
Hor inning promised for a few minutes to hav
plot. but shortly faded away into a succeSsio
OF songs. dances and kindred material. Sh
was at the piano as the curtain lifted, singing
''ooon song and che folio NED that by explain
ing that she had advertised for q manager I
take her starring" An applicant appoare