The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-05-19
THEATRICAL S%INGULARITY.
AN ILL-WoMIN REORGANIZATION OF
1.-THE THREE MUsKETEERs."

Dumas's Melodrnma Performed by 40
tresses Belonging to the Professional
woman's League Some ComicaIity.
and None of Il Intontionsl-"A donis.'
An all-woman performance OF The Three
Musketeers" was given at the Broadway Thea
tire yesterday afternoon. 1t was q funny az
fair. Notwithstanding the earnest efforts Of the
actresses to be seriously impressive. The
three who played feminine roles were fortu-
nate. as we'll as capable. They were Mary
Hampton as Queen Anne. MAZDA Craigen as
Lady de Winter and Bijou Fernandez as Con-
stance. Under strict discipline they would
have been fined for imperfect study. Il Is true.
but II such a rule had been applied to all the
offenders breaking 1t the fund raised for the
Professional Woman's LeaEue--for which the
matinee was Riven-would have been larger.
The voice OF the prompter was heard almost
constantly. and SO. after all. the women didn't
get along without a man. The best OF the act
Ing In the male characters was excellent only
negatively. The worst was iudicrous. But
IL was q friendly audience. and 1t did it's laugh
ing inwardly. except for IN occasional light
outbreak. quickly suppressed. Perhaps the
acting OF one part. Bonacieur. should be set
down as uneauivocally excellent. In it Sarah
McVicker showed herself a first rate low CON-
edian in makeup. speech and action. Maude
Banks played UArtd0nGn with considerable
facility and dash. though there were lapses In
both those merits. She looked boyish. with
the ~faintest Of mustarhes. and no disilluslon-
airy fulness OF figure. JEANNE Winston. with.a
mustache and chin whisker which really looked
as though they had grown right where they
were. was surer in poise as Porthos than any Of
tho others. She was a handsome and swaR-
SerinR guardsman. Beautiful Grace Hunting
ton had much difficulty in sitting in the same
chair with her sword. and her mishaps 10 that
matter were giggled at. She led the lot OF imi-
tation men in womaIly.bulge. and that is say
ing much. as this was probably tho weightiest
cast tina. had ever been given to the Dumas mel
odrama or any other. But Marie wainwright.
as Cardinal Rtchelieu. on.the contrary. was too
ligh: In every way. 1t 10 well to have the sly
old plottee lean. but not short. and he should
be at least a contralto. II not bass. instead
Of a thin soprano. Miss Wainwright wore hair
on her fair face In the Booth way. and was
made up to resemble him in the character.
Maybe it was a recollection OF the great actor
that damped her courage. else how could 80
accomplished an actress have been indistinot
and uncertain
Some Of the women made their voices crate.
walked with long steps and abjured ladylike
gestures. Tho only complete success. in all
these endeayors. however. was that OF Julia
Ethel Winthrop us King louis and Marguerite
St.: John as Aramis. sought hard. but mostly
E . Is'n soS y e IRA Fran noes Has Hssri msH Vas eq ) i tnii.
6ePy i've R tsei 11 biTb' 9 Tb. her sIb marital Hsrs m PnnI Tss
Thornton. Elizabeth Aldrich., Elma Smith and
Gertrude Dawes. While this singular per-
renee. In dramatic. art. II. was not at all deplor-
able; ABLE from wos any ~. Other ths p poR ai 9i view; The .r big
OF paraust seats had IA been rails Cd to s.. 5 and
SO the receipts, were nearly $1,000. most OF
Thieh will go into the worthy treasury OF the
tc9l Of the:aflair;, She sent Aunt Louisa Fl
had helped. but she had to respond In person
to q general call for her. The .audiencs was
nine eli ih, feminine en- n and It had a pretty good
One OF the women who belonged formerly to
that chanReable quartet known as the Ouch
eSs's four fair daughters" sat in an orchestra
chair the night "Adonis' was revived at the
Bijou. She looked young enough to take her
place on the stage and revive for the audience
some Of the traditions Of beauty that clustered
about the burlesaue in it's bloom. They were
founded on real grounds. New York never
saw Vernona Jarbeau as the amorous sculr-
tress. as she had dropped out OF the play after
the Chicago performances. Lille Grub. one
Of two sisters who had figured In previous
Rice productions. was the Tdldmed OF the first
"!Adonis" night here and Emma Carson was
the classical, party" known as Arteo. Miss
Grubb retired and Miss Carson was her sue
ceseOr.- They wero pretty women. who re-
that. A'subsequent revival OF "Adonis' at the
beautiful Louise Montague. who had as a foil
Elaine haafnea Eileen i FHse &c sfsn IN few SsW York oTs
sad costiy pulc hTHn H'' Was a0 not sup : sn@o on
this occasion, as Fanny Ward had not then
laid aside the lighter duties Of a chorus girl to
End theatre in London, None OF the group
that has sung the SIrls' ohSrHs from Solo:
iairer than She. although they Included some
beauties In the course Of the pieces duration.
MollIe Fuller was one Of these and Ber,is Fisch
themselves in that Quartet. The comic operas
which. the women suggested BY their costpmes
which 1t Is q wonder that present reverence
for the work has not restored. Since "Adonis"
has b %Ss'G 1H e cIa ssr, tI, Sss, Is g, iRter TS. even sSa1d In
qpeIa by, Arthur CeIlier called The Merry
work here. but it found no more favor than it
had in, London. where Kate Munroe. then at
the the n neiTh su OF nef HopgAl no.ber e3 american 9Ss m isii.
.princess Ida" IN the SECOND act: The song q
operetta. Polly. rim which. Lillian Russell re-
appeared here after her nr;t elopement:, it
was Sung Ut tne IldslnO. uuu SINCE tntt Iln6
scarcely a word OF II has been heard outside Of
this chorus retained for 'Adonis." Some Of
the music which should never have been put
In is contained IN the new numbers allotted to
Whites ,,Hoolla- Hoola" Hawaiian song is a
new derelict from a wreck more recent than
some Of the other operettas from which this
Capt. Cook" at the Madison Square Garden
two years ago and Is the only thing now that
rovives memories OF 1t.
Henry Irvlng's son. Fl. B. Irving. looks and
acts 30 much like his father that. In 4 drama
lately brought out in London. the likeness is
said to be startling. II Sir Henry's variable
health should incapacitate him at times on his
American tour. wouldn't the son be feasible
understudy2
Clay NJ. Greene has had a play called His
japanese Wife" produced In San Francisco.
One OF its men incidentally. and. as he intends.
transiently. marries n girl while travelling In
japan. He; returns to America :and Is about
to we'd. this time permanently. The Japanese
girl arrives and claims him. But 1t turns out
that the emo In Jnnan was not binding
In law. and 80 the moral bigamist Is free to
discard her. Scarcely q pleasant theme. hut IL
% fraotaH ~ 10 anI1 nth TDirfhf,,l aItnnaao