The evening times., 1899-03-21
AT THE THEATRES.


Nationnl-"A Stranger I'm New York;
/. Collier Downe and his sanity wife,
Ida Downe: Wright Innitt and his vocally
accomplished friends, Carroll Sweet and
Cumming Swift; Baron Sands, with his
feminine stand-bys, Rosie Hope and Kit
tie Winne !. VIII Chase and his sweetheart,
Virginia Pryde, with Hattie and the genial
guest himself, all wandered about the
stage of the National last night in Charles
Hoyt's familiar but pleasing farce, "a
Stranger in New York. An audience CT fair
proportions and a great capacity for up
roarious laughter greeted the piece and its
characters heartily-so heartily that the
play would have run double Its usual
length of time had not its stage manager
become SO .used to encores that the afore-
said usual time has been made very un-
usual for an effort of the sort.
"A Stranger in New York; Is sort of
second edition to "A Trip to China own
and 1t has other demerits that will seem
as much like merits to some theatregoeIs.
But it is consistently funny and it is gen.
orally witty, while its author has had suf
fcient appreciation of his work to place
it in the hands of as admirable Cast as
has been seen here recently. All of these
things go toward making farces en-. oyable
and "A Stranger in New York-as PEE
sented yester- r-evening-has few peers in
that way.
First and foremost in the company, of
course, is Harry Conor, who looks more
like an enlarged Frank Daniels than ever
and whose humor is simply irresistible.
Then there are Harry Giifoil, who whis-
ties in the same old way and portrays
Baron Sands maryelously. with Clayton E.
RI 7
Campbell and Charles DUNCAN, who make
quartette of pleasing good fellows. FL
nally one may admire the acting of Anna
Boyd and Florence Lillian Wickes the an
kles and dancing of Eta Gilroy and Lou So
de Wolfe, and the-and may see charming
Agnes Paul in pair Of tights which well
become her. John Hyams, William F.
Ryan, Margaret Fitzpatrick, and Margaret
Ashton also do many things well. Incl
dentally there are several new, excellent
terpsichorean effects and a cake-waIk in
the piece. All OF these ingredients go to
make up a thoroughly pleasing Offering
"A Stranger in New York"
COlumbfa-"HoteI Topsy Turvy.v
Return dates betoken the end
ing OF the season. One of the earlier pre-
sentations of the present theatrical year
evening, the scene of its advent being the
Columbia. Since its premier, Hotel Top
sy Turyy' has enjoyed life of dubious
| prosperity, during which several changes
have been made in the cast. These al
| terations have not been altogether for the
better. The operetta was never exceeding
| ly good-cheapening the company has not
improved it perceptibly.
Despite the inferority of the work, the
large audience assembled last night was
charitable; mindful of small merits and
| forgetful OF immense effects. Eddie Foy
as the clownish bogus count is one OF
| the most eccentric artists in his line OF
business and achieved continuation OF
his previous local success. He stands
alone in his work; with touches of Hop
| perarien eiongation. the senility of a Dan
| iels, and the neither pinnings of Bige-
| low, Mr. Foy has remarkable personali-
| ty. In popular estimation he is the at
| traction of the Hotel entirely overshad-
owing all in the support
Chief interest centres in Amelia Sum-
| meryille, who succeeds Marie Dressler in
| the part OF Flora. While physically capa-
BILE, Miss Summerville is vocally and his
| trionicaliy imperfect. The organization is
! only fair-or little worse than fair The
| scenery is good and the properties ade-
quate.