Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-01-16
THE FOOTLIGHTS.
Friv olity is the Keynote at the
Worcester Theatre This " eek.
Lothrop's Patrons to Be Electrified by
THE Tornado"-The 6iograph Con-
tinues at the Rliou-Gossp.

/
to grapple with social problems, will
find their tastes catered to by Manager
Rock this week. 1.-THE Belle of New
York" the latest Casino success, is
booked for Monday; Springer and Wei
tvs BLACK Crook" at popular prices
comes Tuesday and Wednesday; and a
mammoth cake walk, employing the
services of some so negroes, all highly
gifted as to feet and voice, is down fol-
Friday and Saturday. Lothrop's Opera
House has secured 1.-The Tornado" ar
attraction under the management OF
Lincoln j. Carter and a melodrama
well supplied with elaborate and vivid
stage effects. The American biograph
will celebrate its second and last week
at the Bijou, with an entirely different
though equally realistic series of views
THE BELLE OF NEW YORK"
This Casino success has been pro-
nounced by every one who has seen ii
as by far the best of the many musical
comedies current at the present time
To begin with, it is American in theme,
location and authorship. There is a
pretty little story running through it,
and the witty lyrics, bright melodies
and stirring ensembles are used to bring
out the plot, not to bury il. There are
keen shafted burlesques on the leading
dramatic successes of the cay. There is
sparkle, nerve and nonsense galore, but
it is clever nonsense and not heavy,
sodden, British rot And, last but not
least there is ballet, before which an
cient spectacular glories pale their in
effectual fires.
1.-THE Belle of New York" is the work
Of Gustave Kerker and Hugh Morton,
the authors of 1.-THE Lady Slavey"
Kerker is known as the composer of
about all the pretty music one hears
nowadays and Hugh Morton" is the
pen name of c. M. S. Mcclellan, a witty
and epigrammatic New York literateur,
at one time editor Of Town Topics and
the hbrettist of "Puritania," and sever
al other comic operas. The theme of
the pieces is a facetious satire on the
extremes of reform government and So
cial agitation in the metropolis. The
people who viii make it go in Worces-
ter are everybody's favorite Dan DAILY;
dainty Phyllis Rankin, portly George
K. Fortescue, droll George. Schiller,
agile William Cameron, handsome
Marie George, and that eff rvescent
atom of humanity, Miss E4na May.
One year ago she was an obscure girl
in the rear row of the Casino chorus,
earning SIS a week and thankful to get
that. Manager George w. Lederer,
wanting bright, new face for the piece
in preparation, picked out Miss May as
having the requisite features and figure,
and as he imagined the germs of the
necessary talent. He instructed her
carefully, and gave her the part To-
day her salary is nobody knows how
many hundred dollars, and she is sure
of regal income and a nigh place in
her profession so long as-well, so long
as she lasts. But every bit Of her bust
ness, down to the mods, flirts and smiles,
was drilled into her by Lederer, whose
reward is the Justification of his judg-
ment of embryo talent.
THE BLACK CROOK"
There is probably no other play that
has drawn SO much money or is remem-
bered by SO many people with a derc-
iously vague sense Of naughtiness com
mitted, as 1.-THE Black Crook" At the
time of its first exploiting, at Niblo's
Garden in the fifties, it was a revelation
in the line of ballet spectacles. and it
has continued to be regarded as the cpl
tome of that sort of thing ever since
~ iAAeeo AAAAANSttk lCNlfdt XIV eli the piece
by Eugene Tompkins at the Academy
Of Music a few seasons ago, is still fresh
In our memories. At that time Sprin-
ger and Welty purchased of TomplSins
the right to produce the piece in the
United States west of a certain terri
tory, and in their production reproduced
the glories of Tompkins' show, as far
as was practicable. Mr. Tompkins dis
continued his company after few sea-
sons, but the other gentlemen kept on
ana 1t is their BLACK Crook we are to
have here Tuesday and Wednesday
There are several big ballots, coryphees
assoutas and all, with plenty of Jug
glers, acrobats and other speciality peo-
pie, costumes up to the limit, both for
scantiness and splendor, and the elab-
crate and costly scenic effects one al
ways looks for in similar plays.
Thls attraction generally PLAYS at
regular theatre prices: but, through the
efforts of Manager Rock with the adj
vance man, the prices of the best seats
Tor the two nights and matinee will be
but SO cents
THE CAKE WALK.
This entertainment is entirely diff
ferent from anything that has been
hitherto seen upon the stage. 1t finds
49, SfAs PiOAOl5 pc III tue Sports ana
pastimes of the southern plantation ne
gro There is no trace of vulgarity or
coarseness in the entire performance. In
fact, the cake walk with its attendant
features, as interpreted by this organ
1zation, is especially strong in it's ap-
peal TO the more cultivated classes of
the community. Nor are the masses
less pleased by it, for in no form of en-
tertainment now before the public. is
there so much wholesome infectious hu-
NOR as is to be found in the merry
FRANKS and gambols of this band or
joyous colored entertainers.
There are over half hundred Of
these jolly performers, and their work
is so spontaneous that it does not seem
that they are acting. AS a matter Of
fact, they do not act iii the common
acceptance of that word, for they enter
upon their dancing and singing with a
spirit of personal enjoyment which leads
them to almost forget the presence of
the audience. The negro voice is adj
mitted to be the most musical in the
world and the singing, in solos and
choruses, of the favorite old southern
ditties and melodies. will be found to be
replete with charm. The buck and
wing dancing Of over % experts is the
finest ever offered. But the indescrib-
able cake walk is of course the chief
feature of the evening.
LOTHROP'S OPERA HOIST