Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-10-22

The former members of the old firm
OF Robson and Crane seem to have
fallen upon hard lines. First Robson,
q comedian, went into Wallack's thea
tire in this city with serious play
called THE Gadf1y," which proved such
a financial failure that its stay at the
horse was shortened and the play was
Immediately withdrawn. Crane, Rob-
sons former partner, came in ahead of
time with his new play, Peter Stuyve-
SAINT, Governor of New Amsterdam, "
by Brander Matthews and Bronson
Howard, with the purpose of at
tempting to attract to Wallack's those
whom his old comFade had seemed un-
able to get within hailing distance of.
His effort could not well have been
more Of failure than Robson's, but if
appearances are to be relied upon it
has not been a glittering success.
peter Stuyvesant" is not good
play-in fact, despite It's distinguished
and apparently transposed authorship,
it is not going very far outside the
truth to say that it is very poor play.
1t is neither fish. flesh nor fowl; nei-
Their comedy, farce nor melodrama, al
though it contains bits Of each.
Naturally it does not impress one as
being a well knit work. 1t gives the
impression that the collaborators must
have differed as to the expediency of
emphasizing the historical and comedy
phases, for there is first prolonged
and rather tedious effort to fully eluci-
date the character of StuyveSant and
then a descent into what is not very
high grade farce. The spectacle Of the
doughty old Dutchman who ruled New
Amsterdam with high hand stumping
through dance upon one leg of flesh
and blood and one Of wood is not par
ticularly edifying, and, whatever it's
purpose, it certainly did not excite the
auditors to hysterical outbursts Of mer-
riment.
The melodramatic aspect of the play
Is supplied by the effort of England to
obtain possession of Long Island
through a trick. Her emissary is Sir
Reginald Farquhar, who is, Of course,
also one of the young lovers of the
play Stuyvesant, as Mes5rs. Matthews
and Howard see him, was a crusty old
fellow with a penehant for marrying
off every eligible couple within the col
ony, although he seems to have despis-
ed women as a rule. Like all match
makers, at least stage matchmakers, he
selects the wrong man for the wrong
woman every time. Such role, writ
ten to the end, without any attempt to
faithfully portray a historical eharac-
ter, would fit Crane like a glove, but in
Peter Stuyvesant we have a NEEDLE
some old busybody who pops from his
rather farcial attitude into one of mel.
odrama at brief intervals.
Mr.. Crane is always a good actor, ex-
cept when he tries to play Falstaff, and
his work in the title role of "Peter
Stuyvesant" would have done credit TO
any member of his company. But We
expect Mr. Crane to be more than mere
~ good; he must be very fine to satisfy
Us. That he can be and is when he has
role within his powers, but in his
present offering he is rather out Of his
element and therefore, it must be adj
mitted, is also unsatisfying.
1t is idle to predict that the ordinary
work will fail, but if Peter Stuyve-
SAINT" should not, it is at least certain
that it is not destined to be a second
Henrietta or Senator" OF the COM
pany it may be said that there was no
remarkable acting done, but most of
what was really good was contributed
by the female members Of the cast.
If Mr.. Frank Mckee, the manager OF
Otis Harlan. who is the star of the
comedy in three acts by George R.
Sims" entitled my Innocent Boy,
which is making a bid for existence at
the Garrick theater, is wise, he will i'm
mediately take the piece off the stage.
Then it might not be a bad idea to tear
up the manuscript and burn the scraps.
That is about the only treatment that
will effect complete cure for My In
nocent Boy" which is about as inco-
herent mess of rubbish as has been
seen on the New York stage at a first
class theatre for many day. The
story might have been written by some
callow youth of Is who had imbibed his
knowledge CT dramatic construction
from desultory perusals of the yellow
covered 'playbooks" which, at Is cents
copy, are said to have an enormous
annual sale throughout the country.
Mr.. Otis Harlan. being a star now,
it is but fair that he should be gagged
by the stellar standard. To say that he
falls far below is no exaggeration.
Harlan is excessively funny at times
at short times-but he goes beyond his
depth when he attempts to create the
bulk Of the fun in an evenings enter
tainmeIt His voice, quaint and Pc
culiar at the beginning, pals upon the
ear after a few moments. and in time
gets to be positively unpleasant in its
dangerous approach to a whine
The best performance in My Inno-
cent Boy" was unquestionably contrib !
uted by Frank Doane, who, as Felix |
Jellicoe, an artist, managed to infuse !
some life into the piece while he was
on the stage. The rest of the company
struggled nohly with their roles, but |
1t was an unequal contest all the way
through.
1t is wonderful how much misinfor- |
nation is disseminated about theatrical |
people. Henry Irving is certainly one
of the most prominent actors in the |