Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-12-10
become one of the most popular stars
in this country.

become one of the most popular stars
in this country.
When the announcement was made
that The Choir Invisible" had been
dramatized, the Rialto in this city i'm
mediately divided itself into two fac
lions, one of which at once asserted
that the piece was destined to create
yeritable sensation and eclipse the
success achieved by THE Christian. -
By these people it was contended that
inasmuch as the latter was dramatized
by the author himself, 1.-THE Choir In
visible" would at least have an equal
chance in that respect, because of the
lnexperience of Mr.. Game as a play
wright.
The other faction contended with
equal emphasis that while "The Chris
tian' was probably written with espe-
clal reference to subsequent use for
stage purposes THE Choir Invisible"
had manifestly been put together with
out any such object in view and that
it was too lacking in dramatic incl
dents to make it possible as a virle
play. For these reasons and for the
further reason that the play was to in
troduce Henry Jewett as a star the
tour of THE Choir Invisible" attract
ed much attention along the Rialto.
The experiment was made in due time,
and it demonstrated that both factions
were wrong so far as the surface re-
suits are concerned. The tour was
abandoned, it is true, but it is far from
being fact that the play was fail
ure One who professed to know told
me that the play was received with
great favor in many places, and even
at those points where the box office re-
ceipts were least satisfactory there was
little but praise for the play, The star
and the company.
1t would seem that the widely circu-
lated statement to the effect that the
abandonment of the tour was brought
about by the refusal of Mr. Jewett to
play in the small towns does that actor
grave injustice. 1t is generally con-
coded that the lack of bookings at i'm
portant centers was the cause of the
collapse, and that the ending was great
ly accelerated by Mr.. Jewetts attitude,
which, by the way, was a very sensible
one. 1t was, as | understand it, not
his objection to playing in the small
places because of his imagined import
ance as a stellar light, as his enemies
have intimated, that caused the COM
pany to come in. On the contrary, Mr..
Jewett gave up the enterprise most re-
luctantly, feeling that the small places
could not by any possibility yield re-
turns sufficient for the maintenance of
such an expensive attraction Mr.. Jew
EFT is an excellent actor, and he prob
ably knows it. He is not, however,
within miles of being a great actor,
and he probably knows that, too. 1t is
therefore inconceivable that the state
ment to the effect that he imagined it
beneath his dignity to appear in unim
portant cities should have found such
a number of believers, even along the
ridiculous Rialto.
One of the interesting events of the
dramatic season is the elaborate re-
vival of Meg Merrilies" by Nine. Jan
auschek, who is presenting with great
success a new version of the play.
This new version of the play was
luuut ny dul INColSI. anu ulnClS ldu-
ically from the old ones used by Char
lotte Cushman and Nine. Janauschek
and from the Daily version in which
Miss Ada Rehan appeared in New York
two or three seasons ago. Like the
Daily version, Mr. Kester's play opens
with a prologue showing Meg before
the expulsion of the gypsies from Dern-
cleughn, some Is or 20 years prior to
the period at which the old play begins.
The new play is in five compact divi-
sions and dispenses with the singing
and the farcical elements that detracted
so much from the dignity of the work.
1t will be remembered that Nine. jan
auschek's last appearance was in
What Dreams May Come play by
the same author, in which she was sur
by powerful company and in
which her splendid Interpretation of
the Countess Dimitri created deep
in the eastern cities.
Nine. Janauschek is the last of the
great actresses of couple of decades
ago. She has been called the Mother
of Tragedy" and holding place apart
in the history of the theatre, remains
to-day the greatest tragic actress of
her time. Her art is broad and heroic;
in voice, gesture and carriage she Is
commanding and impressive above any
contemporary; her Medea, her Anti
gone her Lady Macbeth are portraits
indispensable in the theatre; her Meg
Merrilies has awakened enthusiasm in
former seasons, and it never fails now
to interest and enthrall all those who
care either for Scott's famous story of
"Guv Mannering'' or for splendid act