The times., 1898-05-03
AT THE THEATERS.
NationaI-.one., :, Summers Day.

a thoroughly and caarhcteristically John !
Drew comedy before q distinctive John
Drew audience ard there was nothing re-
markably excep ,ional about any of them,
The star still wears his famous mus
tache, says ''old chap" and swears with
elegance and grace The play gives room
for much sentiment and some sense
without stirring any emotion stronger
than a mild sympathy. And the audience
laughed at everything and seemed TO en-
joy the performance hugely. If a little
too fashionable to be en- .husiastic over it.
This is always a summary of the annual
or semi-annual John Drew engagement
here and yesterday evenings entertain
ment did not prove an exception to the
rule.
This time the vehicle in which the actor
appears is a piece by certain Mr.. Es-
mond and it's title is "One Summer
Day." 1t is a pretty, pleasing, plain lit
tie play which never loses its lghtneSs
nor its friYolity. The title suggests PIC
MICS and white sunshine and other things
of the sort, and the settings justify eX-
pectations. In fact, the first two acts
seem for awhile to be given up entirely
a
appears to be in reading sermons and
making people laugh at Mr.. Barrows:
large tree in which the youth sits most
of the time. and three haYstacks, which
bound the territory covered in the pri-
mary action of the comedy. One of these
haystacks allows Mr.. Drew opportunity to
indulge an evident penchant for leaning
against the fragrant piles After these
airy and more or less irrelevant impress
| sions, one is let into the secret of the
small boys talks and learns that the
! theme of ''One Summers Day is embod-
! led in the ancient line, Why don't you
| speak for yourself John?''
! AS matter of solemn and critical fact
| the piece has many virtues. There is lit
! tie wit in its makeup, but there is often
/ plenty of humor and never the slightest
degree of WEAKNESS. Dramatic action
and dramatic interest is largely lacking,
/ but st is not by these means that Mr..
( Drew has won admirers and, therefore,
/ his selection may have been wise. Ger
tainly "One Summers Day is as charm
ingly dainty and as daintily charming a
little play as Washington has had in sew
! eral moons. Moro than that, there is
! breathed through the entire production
| the essence of refinement and elegance,
/ of neatness and tidiness, of calm and
! quiet pleasantness. 1t is not a play one
would remember long but an entertaining
%
/ merges into quaintness. This is espe-
| cially true in the cimaxes of the first
and second acts the former of which is
so altogether unique that one can forget
that it leaves the audience knowing less
than upon the first rising of the curtain
OF course there are faults in the pro-
ductiOn, as the limitations of human ge-
MUS has dictated .here must be in all
things, but they are by no means over
rrtIiu In he tiv+t yNI n aa1
of the piece seems so strained that a
break is frequently threatened and some
times closely approached. This is proba.
bly, due to the fact that the author has
chosen a rather improbable theme anC
followed it blindly to the end, refusing tC
alter his course by obstructions that have
appeared in the way. To this may also bt
attributed the fact that there does mo-
seem to be enough OF the comedy to gC
around. There appears TO have been som;
difficulty in supplying the plot with Incl
dents, and the result has been that Mr.
Esmond was forced 10 put his hand OF
the scale when he weighed full measur,
, for evenings entertainment. Blu
, these are minor faults that do not ma
, terially lessen the value of a produc
, which in its quiet, even. rather indistinc
way is the best piece which Mr.. Drew
has yet brought TO Washington.
; The actor himself Is not overburdenet
, with things to do. His part has neve
been smaller since he made his stella
5 debut, but he does it with simplicity tina
e is a relief after the studied artificialt!
g of "A Marriage Of Convenience" H
e walks around the stage talks natural.
and appears so much al ease that on
can only praise him for superiority in hi
? sort Of work. 1t was only when he trie
to fill an impersOnation in the last par
n OF the comedy that the audience was per
g mitted to remember that Mr.. Drew is no
:, an actor. This was not true of lsabe
= Irving, whose playing is hardly NOR
= clever than of yore. Miss Irving is
; sincere and conscientious woman and sh
gave her part last night considerabl
: charm but the effort was apparent an
; 1t is plain that most Of her accents an
meanings have been jaught her. In othe
words, one thinks of her interpretiu
touches more as she means to be- tha
she is" In common with the rest c
the company she eZagGCrates a littl,
= ( too, though in a hardy perceptible III
a gree. James o. BarrOws is as ever. dt
Il lightfully unctuous and generally worth
of the highest praise u. II. Harkir
l. gives a fine imparsonation of an ovel
fond uncle. but Arthur W. Bryan al
pears TO be stilted and Incapable in ii
"a studious reading he gives the role of
r second self sacrificing friend. Morga
jr Conan and May Buckley are pleasingl
G Juvenile children. though both overdo
trihe-a very small trife-and Mastt
Henry McArdle made himself omnipr
sent with convincing case. Frank Ian
- speaks a rather polyglotic gypsey acceI
= but is good in other respects and it d
=, not require an over strong imaginatit
- to think Bijou Fernandez pretty Char
Two other small parts are well filled.
After the second &C OF the play Pre-
Schroeders orchestra rendered ''Tl
. Star Spangled Banner. The entire a
dience rose to its feet and cheered hear
- iIv the echo of SUNDAYS victory.