The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-29
nan be A, oomnlo..lr dountrodd.n. Mob. n,.

beautiful and clever actress. Only In the earlier
portion OF the prologue OF More Than Queen"
10 Josephine anything but disheartened. This
was the only part OF the drama in which Miss
Arthur was little lacking. She was not in any
sense bad hero. but her Eayety seemed some
what forced. This defect was forgotten long
before tho final curtain.
An actress who closely resembles Miss
Arthur in appearance and abilities has figured
| in New York 8 theatricals during the past week
This Is Blanche Walsh. playing Fanny Daven-
ports Sardou repertory at the Grand Opera
| House. Miss Walsh had been an artistic Of ac-
! ccptsd capabilities for some time whom she
Joined tho Empire Theatre Company two years
ago. Her only part while there was as tho re-
vcngeful peasant woman in THE Conquerors
which she acted with an amount OF force
that brought her step forward. That
| Same season she headed one division OF
| Frank Mordaunts summer stock company
| at the Herald Square and Columbus. TWAS in
| this engagement that she brought herself into
| artistic prominence. As the Countess Zickn
| In Diplomacy" she not only showed herself
the possessor OF the same sort OF power as that
| OF Julia Arthur. but to be a thoughtful orgina-
| tor This Sardou adventures s familiar to us MS
| a heartless. scheming woman. a manner Of i'm
| personating by which Rose Coghlan added to
| her reputation. Miss Walsh showed n
| sympathetic side to tho woman's nature
| and at the same time lost mono OF
| her power In the role. 1t was then that
| the death OF Fanny Davenport left a place
| to be filed on our stage. In certain phases OF
acting Miss Walsh is Miss Davenports equal.
| This is shown in the sardou rspertory. Last
| season Miss Walsh played Cleopatra through
out the country. but did not bring it to New
York. This part must have suited her. 1t
brings into use all the vengetul nature which
Miss Walsh can depict so we'll. without requir-
| ing comedy. The lack OF liRhtness was the
| fault In her performance Of Fiorid in La
| Tosca' last week. Her herones in "Gis-
monda" and Fedora" were eHcellent
Alice Nielsen has the youthful lines OF figure
| that make her as we'll adapted to mascu line
| dress as to the customary garb OF her own sex.
| In The Singing Girl" at the Casino most OF
| her time is spent in brooches. and the audience
| finds that garb positive charm. One OF those
| comic opera com plicatlons which has unse xed
, temporarily so many OF its characters leads
Miss Nielsen to become her own brother In a
| Jiffy. but evidently not unexpectedly. as she
has suit OF green cloth at hand. and assumes
| 1t with the familiarity OF what used
| to be called lightning change artist
| That accomplishment 10 part OF every
comic opera prima donna's duties now.
| and Miss Nielsen has acquired 1t. The boys
! tight green suit is one that few women or the
stage could wear with the grace and beauty
| Miss Nielsen shows. None OF the insistent
| feminine curves that usually make this at
tempt failure DESTROYS the slender symmetry
| OF the little woman. who manages to look no
moro than sixteen although there are good
| reasons to believe that shc must he more than
| that 1t Is the delightful air OF extreme
| girlishness and in!antile confidence that
seems to be Miss Nielsen's greatest
charm. and In that particular she Is
unlike any other woman that the comic
| opera stage here has known. II the con-
ditions were different In this country she
would be put into the riskiest sort OF operetta
| and her own Guileless manner would he util-
lied 10 its ultimate extent by its contrast with
the words she uttered. That Is what she would
| do in Paris, but here. appealing to a healthier
| taste. her peculiar charm Is delightful enough
| in itself Miss Nie!sen's suddenly acquired
masculinity continues during another act with
slight Interruptions. She Is a bridegroom
at first in white satin and silver stee! so becom-
| ingly placed in the mans dainty dress as to
prove that the rule must be true which holds
that women never look their best in male at
tire. Miss Nielsen Is such a striking exception
! to IL that tho general rule must hold. This act
! brings q return to the peasant costume OF tho
| Danube country. In which the action OF the
operetta passes.
The Singing Girl" does not reveal Miss
Nielsen in as many guises as she wore in Tho
Fortune Teller" But 1t has tho advantage OF
keeping her during most Of the time in tho
costume to which she Is most suited She
would be an ideal heir for The Little Duke"
who has not been represented here in years by
any but women 81 pronounced and uncontrol-
liable avoirdupois II Lerocq's opera were ever
sung to-day Miss Nielsen would be an admit
rable central figure for its intrigue which de-
| Ponds so essentially for its success the person
| OF the woman who undertakes to represent It,
| Rarely Is the appearance OF youth added
to sufficiently developed talent with Ruch
success "a 1t is in Miss Nielsens case. SO that
port OF the public which complains that bulk
and corpulency are necessary features OF the
surcasstul comic opera prima donna should see
this singer who looks and acts like a child in
certain precoclous phases and yet has the
routine necessary to hor calling
! Clara Lipman has hitherto confined herself
| to depicting that intense feminnity which is
rsvenled by billowy lingerie. silk stockings
and an uncomfortable disposition to shoot
| her toes into the air. This last ten
| dency Is rs strong with Miss Lip
man In Tho Girl from the Barracks"
/ as it ever was and her efforts o gratify it some
times lead to ncroDatic positions which look
| like the manipulations 0. st. Nitus's dance
| When Miss Linman sits quietly on a sofa. under
| SphultipuN " HIcIi WbuIu In'ifuSo llo COlH lbTL
| Of any ordinary person II the feet were on the
| floor hers are pointed at an angle 81 forty i've
| degrees toward the ceiling II she lies on n
| lounge her feet must Le aimed ostentatiously
| skyward. even II tho physical strain OF tho
situation is apparent to everybody In the audi
| ence and bones ache alphabetically as
she twists and turns. never forgstiul
that tho toes must be kept up whatever tho
physical strain may be. This has always been
Miss Lpman's disposition in skirts. and. rs
abe wears those In the first act of the play at
| the Gerrick. there is ample opportunity to OBJ
| servo this peculiarly Of the actress. who. what
ever the physical wear and tear OF the thing may
| be. certainly manages 1t with greater caro- than
any OF her kind. This has TO end with the first
act. She next enters in the costume OF q young
| Partisan. She wears flat-brimmed silk hat.
mouse colored frock coat and trousers OF tho
same material. which seems OF clinGinC. con-
| fding nature. A short black wig OF straight
| hair covers her customary head-drsss, In this