Omaha daily bee., 1899-04-02
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Stuart Rtbsons engagement at the Boyd
on Wednesday night and the exceptionally
etrong vaudeville bill presented at the Or
pheum were all that saved the last week
from being as duh in theatrical way as its
predecessor. 1t was Holy week, however,
and many companies rest rather than
play to the small houses which they in
yariaby do at this time OF the year local
theater- goers may consider themselves for
tunate In having the opportunity to see
such an attraction as Mr. Robson, even for
one night The coming week some very
good Legitimate attractions are offered,
while in vaudeville way nothing cXtraor-
dinary is forthcoming, yet a bill Of the usual
standard excellence is promised. The event
Of the week will Of course be the engage
ment Of the Ellis Opera company, which
will sing Carmen" in French on Thursday
evening.
Stuart Robson for some years has prac-
tically done nothing that gave him right
TO command advance prices at any theater
or in any city, but this season he has re-
trievod himself His companies and his
plays, since THE Henrietta" have been
poor-save when he offered revivals-and
the enormous following he built up when
he and Crane were associated had begun
to desert him Had he been fortunate
enough to unearth an acceptable play he
would not have protted thereby, for the
actors he was surrounded with could not
interpret 1t satisfactorily. Fortunately for
Mr.. Robson some kind friend told him that
he must alter his methods or be left far
in the rear cf the procession. Last week
he came to this city with company that
would reflect credit on any star, whatsoever
his standing. and comedy that anus
ing II not wonderfully clever. The enthu-
siasm displayed by his audience could per-
NIT no question as to the wisdom of his
course in strengthening his support and
securing a playwright of tested ability to
prepare a vehicle for his use.
1t takes one back to the days of Robson
and Crane and "The Henrietta" to note the
cordial way in which MIR. Robson was given
the glad hand this season. And he justly
deserves it, for there are few players who
can provoke laughter so readily and who
are so literally provided with the natural
characteristics that make for mirth. The
little impediment in his speech and slight
lisp are essentially his own, and when one
hears him speak, no matter what he says, it
is laughable. He is merely his natural sell
upon the stage and if he were to try to
be otherwise he would be disappointment.
1t used to be that the ability to write a
light comedy of the brilliant sort about mod
ern society was attributed almost solely to
the playwrlghts of Paris. Theater-goers
used instinctively to look at the title on
the program to see from what French play
had been taken the trife of three acts, all
froth, and yet possessed of pungency quite
strong and all its own, in which the sexes
played or worked out a risque problem of
social ethics. But Mr.. Thomas new COM
edy, "The Meddler," happily corrects the
notion that must go over the seas to get
this sort of thing. 1t is as polished, as
pretty and piCuant little comedy as ever
came from Paris. Mr.. Thomas, who has
given such dramas as Alabama" "In
MiZzoura," THE Hoosier Doctor" and
others, has paid far more attention to con-
struction in this play than in some which
have recently come from his pen, and again
he must be congratulated on his proud right
to the title of of the leading dramatists
of America. The merits of THE Meddler"
consist of the direct manner of the story
telling, the avoidance of vulgarty and rough
end tumble methods; then, too, the presence
of any number of bright lines must be
noted, while the attempt at Characterization
must come in for commendation. AS a
whole the construction is free from grievous
faults with the exception OF one two
soliloqual moments while the finale is
neatly worked out.
Mr.. Robson's company contains many
names already honored on the stage and at
least four of the people who were with him
have been stars. Marie Burroughs was the
bright and shining light and shared the
honors gracefully with the star himself. Her
performance of the wife, over whom all the
pother is made, is about the best work she
has ever done in this city, and she has been
seen here many times before. 1t was in
nowise reminiscent of the heavy, dull per-
sonations she used to advance. She seems
also to have grown younger and even more
beautiful and certainly her comedy is better,
so II is not too much to claim that she
stll has a right to wear stellar honors her
self, which 1t Is announced she will do next
season.
Miss Gertrude Perry was very dainty and
= graceful in the part of young woman of
the artistic tribe whose love affairs cut a
figure in the part.
Frank C. Bangs, Maude Granger and Har-
rod Russell lent a luster to rather unim-
portant parts and, in fact, the only one who
seemed to be out of harmony with the au-
thor's key of naturalness was Theodore
BabcocS, who played the part of Chandler
In a remarkably bad way. He was about
as affected as a man could have been and
WAS ever objectonably self-conscious, as If
he fancied he should be admired for his
beauty.
II is quite evident from the interest that
is being taken in the coming production for
charity OF play called THE Rough Mr..
Ryder" by local talent. that Boyds theater
will have another crowd such as attended
the recent local talent affair of the Elks.
What doubtless adds interest to this play
is that it is from the pen of a well known
young lady OF this city, whose name is to
be announced later. 1t deals with the ad :
ventures of one Rufus Ryder, a would be
hero, who pretends to have been fighting
in Cuba with the Rough Riders, when In
fact he was hiding in Wahoo with an eccen-
trio newspaper man named Kan, who in
order to deceive Ryder's family and friends
G. an 0N q