The times., 1899-10-01

of Error" The piece was a nonsensicality.
OF course; but from it's title to its curtain
cue it was bright and witty But how,
in all conscience, men like t. w. White,
Franklin Fyles. E. A. Dithmar, Norman
Hapgood, Frederick Edward Mckay, and
Acton Davies can find interesting such
doggerel as that quoted is not readily un-
derstood. And The Rogers Brothers in
Wall Street is not the only recent New
York success that is full of like rot.
While on the subject of New York .gos'
it might be well to say word regarding
the system by which kilograms concern
ing local frst-night productions are sent
to the press in Gotham Nothing could
be more farcical and absurd than these
same dispatches Excepting for the Gnfor-
| tunate "A Dog in the Manger, which could
not have been mistaken by deaf mute,
there has never been presented in Wash
ington a play that was not recorded in
/ the New York papers as a great hit"
Rev. Griffith Davenport and "A Misit
Marriage were both triumphs last year;
Children of the Ghetto and IAN Indiana
Romance have both been triumphs this.
AS a matter of fact. the third piece men
| toned was a questionable success. while
the others were unquestionable failures.
When time goes by and the offerings reach
Broadway they are so described by the
! metropolitan critics, and that almost in
! variably after the sentence, So and So,'
| which pleased Washingtonians during its
! first week. is the most tiresome". The
| fault of this condition is not with the
! senders of the messages. Correspondents
/ Fettis. Warde, Osgood, and the rest are
| capable, intelligent men, who have had
i long experience in their business. 1t is
/ the editors of the metropolitan editions
who demand their copy some two hours
/ before the conclusion of the local Ier-
| formances, and thus are misinformed or
not informed at all. This is the reason
for the reports that make the playseers
! of this city seem to be a collection of
| bucolic enthusiasts. Either the system
| should be so altered that matter may be
! sent after there is something on which to
base opinion or the sheets supplied should
! be honest enough to hold back their com
ment until the Sunday following the pro-
| duction reviewed.
Arrangements for Washington openings
continue by the way, and the prospect
| now is that professional critics will have
| no intarmisson in their labors from a
week after tomorrow until well along in
! December. No fewer than four important
premieres are now slated for the next
month and three others are understood to
| be in the nature of probabilities during
| that time. The certainties among these
| are most interesting. Henry Jewett will
| show 1.-The Choir Invisible for the first
time on October at the Lafayette; Anna
Held brings "Papa's Wife" to the National
seven days later, and the Monday of Octo-
Der % will be marked by two initial per-
| formances Sherlock Holmes being done
at the National and THE Girl From the
Barracks at the Columbia. William Gill
lette's play, a dramatization of A. Conan
/ Doyle's stories, will have himself in the
title role and is to be under the direction
of Charles Frohman. Louis Mann and
Clara Lipman will be seen in the fourth
piece mentioned and will be under the
management of Rich & Harris. All of
these offerings are absolutely new and
should be successes.
The most sensible of the many sensible
things that Burke & Chase have done since
making the fortunes of the Grand Opera
House their fortunes was accomplished last
week, when the programmes of that the
atre appeared in simplified and more quiet
form than ever before Thompson and
Green-musical comedians and Arthur
Rigby-monologue entertainer" those an
nouncements read and those who noticed
them must have found the novelty of omit
ted adjectives decidedly pleasing. To the
writer, there has always been something
vulgar and inconsistent in such lines as
Buck and Wing-the Worlds Most Fa-
nous Dancers" or Swing and Bar in
Their Marvelously Daring and Gorgeously
Equipped Presentation of the Most Won
derfully and Sensationally Fearless Feats
Ever Performed in the Air" Clever folk
find no need of explaining their cleverness
In type and with the other sort such mat
ter is only ridiculous. The Grands peo-
pie are making point of polite vaude-
yille'' and there is nothing more polite
than modesty.
The audiences that have assembled dur
ing the last two weeks in the Burke &
Chase place. by the by, have been of size
that lends color TO the old proverh
about merit" being "its own reward .
These two gentlemen have certain
ly done more TO deserve patronage
from Washingtonians than have maiIy To-
cal directors. Coming from out OF town
and taking hold of what had already S5ms
to be known aoodoo house." they
began at once, without waiting to see what
chances Of profit they had here. to improve
|. a building that might have been their
property only for period of five months
When that period had elapsed, though they
had not received much encouragement
both agreed to extend their lease OF The