Evening star., 1899-03-07
AMUSEMENTS, A

COLUMBIA THEATER.-The information
that Browns in Town" has at any time
in its career been discredited victim of
wasted affection and misplaced confidence
aHords new evidence of popular ingrati-
tude surely no piece has been character
lied by more unreserved effort to make
itself agreeable. The management worked
hard, the author worked hard and the ac-
tors worked hard. And the result, as ex-
hlbited last night at the Columbia Theater,
was hailed with hilarious approval. De-
spite the lavish condemnation to which the
piece had been subjected in New York, su-
perficfai indications last night were all in
favor of the rollicking farce which has
been so ingeniously doomed and litho-
graphed into popular attention here. The
piece deserves measure of success, If
only as a reward for the philanthropy
with which it has caused every billboard
in the community to blossom with gratu-
ttouS glee- 1t has action in abundance, and
Is comparatively free from the labored at
tempts at bright dialogue which often
become annoying in such productions 1t
Keeps strictly on the safe side. The char
acters say very little that is not absolutely
gernare to the plots, which follow one
another in rapid Successiou-pOssibly for
the reason that the characters are out of
breath most of the time. Miss Belle Davis
Is an exception to this rule. Miss Davis is
colored woman who sings coon songs"
superior in this especial field. Her part
in the play proper is comparatively small,
for the reason perhaps that 1t is necessary
for her to econOmiZe her breath in order to
sing her songs. The novelty of introducing
her speciality into a production which is
otherwise legitimate farce is striking but
1t is not inharmOnious.
The singing of negro ballads by a colored
| girl in search of $50 wages Is certainly
no more improbable than some of the situa-
tions which this form of entertainment de-
! veloDs. In Browns in Town the COM
! plicaticns tumble after one another like
| apples out of barrel. 1t is in no sense an
! intellectual offering, but a rollicking me-
| lange of misadventures, in which apparent
| ly sane people are called upon to believe
| the most palpable lies, merely for the sake
OF accommodating the author and keeping
| the play from stopping all of a sudden
Even to the acetic and unresponsve OBJ
server of current made-to-order farce there
must be a grain of satisfaction in contem-
| plating the misery of the characters on the
! stage; 1t is retribution for their asinine
| credulity. The entanglements are profuse
| and the piece IS very little, if any, below
] the standard of number of similar efforts
\ which have been successfully exploited 1t
| IS unpretentious and indefatigable full of
| amusing episodes and devoid of anything
! which ought to excite Vindctive scorn
| The company includes a number of clever
| people, who are, for the most part engaged
| in the impersonation of love-sick young
| people. James Q. Barrows has a part in
| which he says ''Myi N.Y. with his old-time
/ grace and JUNCTION, and impresses the audi
| ence once more as one of the most amable
| middle-age character comedians on the
| stage. There is no reason why Browns
! in Town should not establish itself as one
| OF the ephemeral successes. If some of the
| material now at hand proves Intellectual
/ there is more available. If it is found that
| there is too much play, the young woman
| VINO sings coon songs might be called in
| for some additional contributions. AS an
1 q q flIr CHI. ie-., IL,
| for an additional attraction Manager Jake
| Rosenthal might prevail upon himself to
, give an instructive and entertaining lecture
| on how and how not to boom a new pro-
| duction- The manner of presenting the play
| is extremely creditable, two very beautiful
| settings being in evidence.
| NEW NATIONAL THEATER.-WiIliam
| Gillette's Secret Service" as presented
| last evening at the New National Theater,
| Is one of the most striking if not the most
| striking. war plays produced during the
| last few years. 1t has been seen here he
| fore, but that had no effect on the attend
| ance last evening, other than to crowd the
| theater During and since the war with
| Spain this character of theatrical venture
4 has proved most successful and the racep-
| tion accorded Secret Service at the open-
/ ing Of its present visit was the most en-
| thusiastic imaginable. Secret Service"
| ranks right in line with Shenandoah" and
| Held by the Enemy in the opinion Of
| some ii leads both. While by no means as
\ spectacular as Shenandoah" with no
| horses or cannon operating or active war
| fare in progress in view of the audience II
| Is remarkably strong in situations that are
intensely dramatic. Mr.. Gillette has work
| ed out his climaXes with cleverness and
| originality that makes his play entirely out
| OF the ordinary. He leads the audience to
| believe that certain something must GER
| ta1nly be the outcome of a certain chain
| OF circumstances. and then surprises eyery
| one by invariably bringing about a result
diametrically opposite in its nature In his
portrayal of the principal character-I.ewis
| Dumont. United States secret service
| known in Richmond as Captain Thorne-
| Mr. Gillette Is the cool and imperturbable
| offlcer-self-possessed almost to an impossi-
BILE degree Captain Thorne is a type of
character very similar to that which Mr. GIL
| lette had in Too Much Johnson" Mr. GIL
| lette evidently had his peculiar attainments
| in mind when he provided for the part The
climaxes are more than interesting. perhaps
the one of greatest force occurring inst
Captain Thorne is about to be led out and
shot by firing party. He is informed by
the girl he loves that the lead has been
removed from the cartridges and that Inv
| pretending to be shot when the rifles are
discharged his life may be saved CAPTAIN
Thorne causes something like sensation
| among the audience when he prociaims Ia
the sergeant commanding the firing squad
II beg your pardon. but think these rifles
have been tampered with" Equally unex.
peeted is the way the play ends which is ir
a manner satisfactory to everybody Miss
Sara Perry, as Edith Varney the southern
girl. with whom Captain Thorne is in love
fills the role most acceptably. and, in fact
| shares the honors with Mr. CSilletfa NJ