Evening star., 1899-04-08

Nat. Goodwin, the authenticated come
dian who shows in Nathan Hale that ne
Is capable of doing more serious work thah
has been his custom heretofore. has done
the biggest theatrical business this week.
Miss Lillian Russell. who is neither airy
nor fairy-like any more. has made neither
an artistic nor big financial success IN
the alleged up-to-date production of Often
bach's Ia Belle Helene" The Frawiey
company has made a splendid impression at
the Columbia and has drawn good houses
1t is undoubtedly the finest organization OF
its kind ever seen here. Sousa's Ell cap
itan'' has done good business at the Acad-
envy The Grand has also been numerousiy
patronized and the Lyceum and Bijou have
had no cause to complain
Next week Mr.. Joseph jefferson, the dean
of the American stage, will be seen at the
National in two Of his well-known plays
"Riu Van Wink,e'' and THE Rivals 1t
was feared when Mr.. Jefferson was taken
Ill last winter that he would never be able
to play again but he has wonderful re-
c11nerative powers and Notwithstanding his
great age Is now as active as ever. AT the
Columbia the Frawley company will pre-
sent The Charity Ball" which VIII serve
TO introduce some new members OF the
organization as well as those VINO nave al
ready become favoriteS. AT the Grand Op-
era House the first half of the week the
Harris brothers will present symposium
of opera, being scenes from their own
works fnterpreted by the best local talent.
The last part of the week will see Mr..
Grau's splendid grand opera company at
this house. Devils Island a pay found
"a on the Drevf1lss case. will be the attrac
ton at the Academy, while the Lyceun
and BijOu will present good vaudeville pro-
grams. There is nothing booked at the
LAFAYETTE Square next week, but Manager
Painter says he has the promise OF SeVeraI
important bookings before the season
closes He says, however, that unless they
are first class in every respect he VIII not
open his house. for he will accept no sec
ond-rate attractions and charge first-class
prices for them
THE GRAND OPERA SEASON.-The
season of grand opera which will begin
next Thursday evening at the Grand opera
House promises to surpass in many re-
SpectS all others which have PRECEDED II.
All the old favorites of former years VIII
be heard again, and in addition to them
AIr. Grau will present some great artists
who are wholly strange to this public, and
al least one who has not been heard mere
in opera for several years
OF those whom Washington knows there
will be IilH Lehman. Emma Eanes, LII
liam Nordica. Marie Brerna Jean and Ed
Guard de Reszke. Salgnac, BisphaTn, cam
panari and PlancOn. This in Itself is
formidable list. but the additions make it
still more so. Leading the names of the
new women singers comes tlIbl VI -hSii
celia Sembrich, past mistress of the art or
bel cdntO. She will be heard on Friday
evening in La Traviata," an opera in
which her voice and dramatic ability are
admirably blended.
Next only to Nine. Sembrich is Ernestine
SChumann-Heirk, who. on the continent
and in London, has the name of being the
greatest dramatic cOntraltO. Although she
has been the stage for twenty years
she is still a young woman. in the very
prime of her vocal and dramatic powers.
She will make her first appearance in Shis
city Thursday evening, as Ortrud, in "Lo-
hengrin''
OF the new men, Ernest Van Dyck stands
out pre-eminently. His skill as an actor
singer has been greatly praised in Paris,
Vienna, London and New York. He will
be heard here in Die Walkure." which he
frs: introduced to the Paris public in 1893.
He is seen at his best in this music drama.
and II was Nine. Wagner herself who Sc
lected him to interpret the works of her
husband in the French capital. where they
had been hissed thirty years previously.
In the same performance will be heard An
ton Van ROoy, the Dutch baritone, whose
reputation at Bayreuth has been more
than justified by his subsequent appear
ances in London and New York, where he
added greatly to the success of the ring of
the Nibelung cycles.
Albert Sa!eza, the new French tenor.
comes from the Paris Opera House. His
first appearance here will be in Faust in
which opera he is said to follow closely in
been hailed by the London and New York
critics as the coming man In operate cir
cleS.
The four operas to be sung here are well
calculated TO show the full strength of the
Metropolitan Opera House Company. In
Lohengrin on Thursday evening will be
heard Mines. Nordica, Schumann-H HI eink
NM. Jean and Edouard de Reszke Muhl-
man and Bispham- LA Traviata" on Fri
day evening will have for its interpreters
Mines. Sembrich, Roudez and Bauermeister.
NM SaiiEnac Dufriche PrinPia
Nanni and Campanari. At the Saturday
matinee Faust will be sung by splendid
cast. which includes Mines Emma Eames
Bauermeister and Meisslinger NM Saleza
Campanari. Meux and PiancGn- In Die
Walkure' music lovers will have a taste of
the Ring of the NibeIung performances as
given in London and New York. The extra
ordinary list of artists who will take part
in that representation includes Mines. Lilli
Lehman. Schumann-Heink. Mantelli Pew
ny, MeissHnger, Roudez. Della, Bauermeis-
ter. MOlka-kellOgg and Marie Brema NM.
Van Dyck. Bispham and Van RoOy.
'Lohengrin" and Die Walkure'' will be
conducted by Franz Schalk. the successor
Of Anton Seidi- La Traviata" and Faust
will be directed by Signor Mancinelli The
great interest taken in the series of oper-
attic performances to be given here leads
one 10 believe that their financial success
will be very large.
COLUMBIA THEATER-The announce
ment of The Charity Bar as the second
weeks Offering of the Frawley Company al
the Columbia has aroused pleasant antici-
patiOns among local theatergoers who like
a little backbone TO their comedy in tbs
shape Of powerful plot. and who also relish
a little sweeteuing of their dramatic cakt
in the form Of some dainty love scenes. II
has been several years since The Charity
Bali has been seen here, but all who evel
Witnessed ii remember 1t as the best of the
school of paTlOr drama with which those
talented collaborators. David Belasco anC
Henry c. De Mile, laid the foundations o.
the present prosperity of the New Yorl
Lyceum Theater. Together the playwright:
sketched their characters from real life in
the fashionable world of New York and 4
is the cOmmendatory comment of actor.
that there Is not poor part in the piece
While none of them is a caricature, there
are some most amusing types, as well a:
some powerful personalities, prominent il
this play Take, for instance the rector
John Van Buren,. who is the highest type
or the modern minister of the gospeI-he
roic and self-sacrificing yet thorough,
human-while Ann Cruger is a refreshin:
picture of the society girl who devotes he
time, talents and money to charity Th
part VIII introduce to the Washington Duh
lie new leading woman in the person O
Miss Selene johnson, who, as the successo