The times., 1899-10-01

NEW YORK. Sept 30.-EXcepung Tor
few weeks in the province of Canada and
the United States, "A Stranger in Strange
Land which followed Willie Collier on
Monday at the Manhattan, is indeed a
stranger. The farce-for this new Offering
of Brady & Ziegfeld is a farce evolved from
the brains Of Sidney Wilmer. Walter Vim
cent, and Joseph Grismer-can hardly be
said to be the wittiest thing Of its sort
ever heard on Broadway but its story is
rather novel. and the fun it contains ap-
peals 10 audiences-whieh is the main
thing, after all. Then, the play is clean.
Nowadays, when one cannot find any
other virtue in a theatrical presentation he
remarks that IL is clean The principle is
the same responsible for the fact that, aft
er girl has been decided 10 De homely and
idle and tempestous, she is invariably call
ed good d-hearteG. But "A Stranger in
Strange Land" is just a trifie more than
merely clean. and so, while il is not likely
10 achieve a remarkable run here ii has at
talned al least temporary success.
Though you in Washington have already
seen the piece, ! believe. some time has
elapsed since that event, and so brief
description Of the plot may not be amiss.
This tale concerns Jack Thorndyke.
young Englishman, who has been going
the pace so rapidly that he is sent to
America TO reform. The migration does
not help matters, excepting in the love of
q quaint old uncle, who eontriyes to keep
up the idea that the youth has been de-
voting his hours while away TO the opera
ton of a cattle ranch near Buffalo. ="
When Jack returns to London he finds
himself not only obliged to face this out
Tageous yarn, but also a borrowed Indian
whom the kindly relative Charles Dudley,
has procured as corTOboTative evidence. A
few earnest lies save The day for the wan
derer and matters begin TO assume rose
ate hue when Arthur Lowe. an u Brit
isher, appears, also in the euise of . red
skin, said guise having been assumed for
the purpose OF assisting lis unlalky friend
Confusion ensues and is tWo-se confound-
ed" when a third aborigine comes into
existence IL the person OF a willy detee-
tive. From this on everyoae in the cast
is in trouble until ten Minutes before tie
final curtain, when there is a general par
ing of and division OF waiting fortunes
The cast engaged 10 interpret this irife is
exceedingly clever First there is George
Osbourne, whose impersonation OF the real
Indian is surprisingly realistic, and next
there is NJ. A Kennedy. who invests the
role Of the uncle with 2 deal Of unctuous
humor In my humble estimation, third in
order OF merit Is Katherine Mulkins, VINO
plays the part OF an English girl so dain
lilly and unarectedly that j do not hesitate
10 prophesy an excellent future for her
Cyril Scott is the traveler-aDd has lost
none OF his finish or intelligence Walter
Hale is the patent medicine Vender from
whom the original red-skin is borrowed.
Charles w Swain is laughable butler.
Maud Ws-ste 5 bright American misz
and Kate Lester is the conventional
stern guardian. The company works 10
gether admirably and deserves eonmenda-
tion collectively as well as individually.
Although "A Stranger in Strange
Land was the only new play seen last
Monday in New York it did no. mark the
only opening. James X Hackett. VINO had
a run some months ago al the Lyceum,
returned TO the Garden with Anthony
Hopes Rupert CT Hentzau' and drew a
house full of his friends. Mr.. Haekett is
very popular locally and to this must be
sscTibed his success, for he Is not a sur
passingly good actor and Rupert OF Hent-
Eau IS surprisingly poor drama. Je5yna
HOwlaDd. who was given the role OF Fla
via in the production merely because she
had posed for pictures Of the Princess. con
tinues TO prove that one may look a part
without being able to act it, The rest Of
the cast is fair. Mr.. Hackett viii remain
at the Garden until Henry Miller takes
that stage with his successful The Only
Way. Mr. Miller. in turn. viii surrender
the theatre, somewhat later to Richard
Mansfield, who purposes to revive "cyrano
de Bergerac"
With the Dewey celebration as an ex-
cuse, Lee Arthur's We 'Uns of Tennessee
has been put on temporarily al the Ameri-
can and is pleasing the Castle Square eli
entelle The piece cannot be said to be
even a cleyerly written melodrama. but il
was welI-liked last season and premises TO
do well this. The presenting organization
is not quite up TO the earlier one but is
capable and efficient nevertheless.
II Is not often. by the by, that an actor
sees the error Of his plays with sufficient
promptitHde 10 save himself the loss OF
thousands OF dollars. This rule has held
good with neither Stuart Robson nor Fran
els Wilson, whose utter failures in seriou:
roles recorded in my last letter The
local press was q unit IN coademning boti
The Gadhy'' and the operate "cyranC
de Bergerack" ] saw Mr. Robson tht
other morning. and he looked more like ;
tragedian than ever before in his life
From him ! learned that the work OF tbs
Countess Nornich is 10 be Withdrawn thu
evening. The stars tour may not be re
sumed for several weeks. but lack of gaiI
is better than surfeit Of loss, and henc
the move Mhen Nr. Robson Rets DaCh II
the boards il viii probably be with com
edy. entitled oliver Goldsmith, and writ
zen by Augustus Thomas. who was re
TponsibIe for The Meddler" Mr.. Wilson
Is about TO bury his vehicle. too for th
purpose of resurrecting it so reconstructe'
that instead OF attempting 10 be Richar'
Mansfield he may appear simply as him
self
Even the Telegraph which usual,
records big business at the local theatre
whether business is big or not, has beer
crestfallen s bit this week. Almost ever,
house in town has been empty for severa
days, the festivities attendant upon tn
Dewey reception being the cause assigned
This afternoon and Monday matters threat
en- 10 be worse Many managers have Civ
en- up their Saturday mstinees and al ont
place OF amusement there VIII be 10 per
for1nance tonight. And this in the face o
the fact that We have something like Ter
established successes here-Mrs Fiske il
Becky Sharp" Al the Fifth Avenue: Henri
Miller IN The Only Way" al the Herai.
Square; Annie Russell IN Miss Hobbs" a
the Lyceum: The Girl From Maxlm's" a
the Criterion; why Smith Left Home" a
the Madison Square; In Paradise" at IN
Biion; The Ghetto" al the Broadway; -
Young Wife" al the Fourteenth Street
The Rogers Brothers in Wall Street &
he Victoria. and John Drew in The Tyr
amy Of Tear" al the Empire.
Pearl Ancrews-she OF the fatted cslve
lis appearing with Lillian Russell
Frankie Bailey and several other respecta
bic old ladies az Weber & Fields. Tw