The times., 1899-09-28
THINGS THEATRICAL.
coIumbia-lsrhe Beir..p

Matthias ..........................Cr .Creston Clarke
Christian ..-.-.-...-...--..-..G .Georse d. Parker
Hans -........-............Fr Frederick Forester
Doctor Llminer ...-...--...-.....J. J. SambrOok
Sy Soiafy --;-.-:---.-------..---.P. $. Barret
PRESIDENT Of the Court ...............-E Vining
Mesnerist .............-..........G. +. Lurssen
Clerk OF the Court ..-......J. ". Bennett
fri,zei Master Harry
catherine Alice G1te
SozeI v. .-..--.-..-....Jessie Fisher
,foHne '..... .--...-....,...........Mi Miss Helen
annette ........-..-.-.....-.....Ad Adelaide Prince
The audience which yester-evening sal
through Creston Clarkes performance of
The Bells was not so large as that of
the preceding night and, If equally enthu-
siastic, approving with less cause. The
role of the conscience-stricken burgomas-
ter in the piece presented is one likely to
excite applause most readily. though all
but the easiest of impersolations. No few
er than twenty stars in this country now
essay Matthias and mona has ever done il
Dadiy-at least, no worse than did Sir
Henry Irving who buried his own defects
or portrayal beneath such a sumptuousness
Oh production as is rarely surpassed. 1t is
in the first portion Of the drama, when the
murderer OF the Polish Jew has no other
accuser than his own distorted fancy, that
the really fine touches must be put on the
character, the scene that follows as a
dream being placed on q height attainahle
by anyone capable of fire and intensity
possessed of tender sensibilities and tough
lungs.
Ii was in this third act of THE Bells that
Mr.. Clarke appeared last night to the best
advantage. His confession to the conjured
mesmerist was bit of grewsome work that
called forth the heartiest commendation
from the house, while it may not have
left deep impression on the more stoiid
Of the spectators. But Mr.. Clarke's Matthias
of the first and second acts seemed heavy
and almost maudlin. He did not realize
the self-control of the crafty old fellow
who kept hid his secret so long, did not
realize the fullest sentiment of the good
hearted father whose love for his child
was so aramount-altogether was too
much inclined TO broad effects and need
less colorings. His assumption of age, too,
seemed confined to the upper half of his
person, for, while his shoulders stopped
and his head was bent, his gait was neither
halting nor feeble. In such details and in
such generalities was Mr. Clarke's Matthias
wanting.
Neither can it be said that his support
was equal to that seen in Hamlet" Adel-
aide Prince was mature il pretty An
and First Player were so good, made
crude and somewhat displeasIng Christian.
Jessie Fisher, the Sozel Of the evening,
has not yet learned to walk well. Alice
Gale and Frederick Forester were ade-
quate to the roles of Catherine and Hans
But the real delight of the entire render
ing was the manner in which John Carter
gave the comparatively few lines allotted
to Father Walter Mr.. Carter's enuncia-
tion is SO nearly perfect and his reading
so Intelligent that he made much of his
every word and even interested with the
long descriptive speech OF the first act
The production was up to the average from
scenic point of yiew-up TO the average
and no more-histrionicaIly.
David Garrick'' will be performed this
afternoon and ''Richelieu'' tonight
II is only rarely that successful star
avoids Washington throughout an entire
season, but this is the course that was
taken last year by James O'Neill, whose
production of The Musketeers'' will be
seen for the first time here next Monday
at the Columbia Mr. O'Neiu was in
Philadelphia during his tour and In BaIti-
more, where his performance was Witness
ed by many local excursionists, but nearer
than that he did not come. This was large
iy due TO the fact that the Dumas play
and that then it was kept in New York, at
the Broadway Theatre, for considerable
number of nights. When the road work
began, comparatively little of the amuse-
ment term remained and hence the CAPITAL
was left out OF the stars date book. That
the omission means only pleasure delayed
is attested by those who have seen This
Musketeers' recently and who speak OF
both Mr. O'Neill and his supporting COM
pany in the highest terms. OF the scenic
quality of the presentation so much has
already been said that no appendix is re-
quired. Mr. O'Neill's settings are men
toned as being fully as elaborate and cost
ly as were those with which H. Beerbohm
Tree set London a-talking
Not since he visited Washington in 1895
as leading man with the organization
which presented "Jim the Penman" here.
has Harrison j. Wolfe been seen in this
city and, consequently. there is every prob
ability that his forthcoming engagement at
the Lafayette will offer much in the nature
of novelty to theatregoers who have not
kept in touch with what the star has been
doing elsewhere. To those who read ex-
tensively this may not be so. The New
York papers, for example, have recently
printed great deal concerning the new
view that Mr. Wolfe takes of Halmet
and the rather strange il entirely inteli-
gent manner in which he depicts the Dane
In this portrayal the more hallowed tradi-
tons that surround the part are not sup
posed to be violated, but IL is claimed that
the young actor has introduced business
and accent that have never before been
expoited Though Mr.. Wolfe's Hamlet
is to be his most interesting local produc-
tion it will not be his only one, THE Cor
sican Brothers" and David Garrick"
being also portions of his repertoire Seats
go on sale this morning
aJ. E. Dodson. Francis Carlisle Arnold
Daily. William B. Smith. Tully Marshall
w. ]. Constantine Charles Eldridge, Roy
Fairchild, Annie Irish, Kate Meek. Leonora
Braham, Maggie Fielding, Margaret Mayo,
Frances Comstock. and Augusta Close
every important member of the original
company-will be seen next week at the
National Theatre in William Gillette's de-
Hghtful comedy. Because She Loved Him
So.'' This piece will be remembered
locally as being the play which was
brought to town last season just after its
opening and Immediately prior TO the New
York engagement. Subsequently the work
was taken to the Madison Square and there
enjoyed such run as is rarely scored
even in this day of great successes and
greater press agents. Somewhat later Chi
cago even while sweltering in the heat of
summer, also endorsed the Washington
verdict and other cities have since fol-
lowed suit Briefly, Because She Loved
c., is f7,