The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-20
VAUDEVILLE DISCLOSURE.
THE PROFESSIONAL DEBUT or MRS.
LEI ter, FROM CHICIGO SOCIETY.
Mnudc Granger Acts for the First Time in
Il NnrlntN ThnnIrn IllIInn IinrLhnrt An

nNnricty Theatre Lillian Burkhart An
pears In New Fnrcr-Rosc Melville
shows Her Natural Face on the stage.
Mrs. T. Benton Letter has let tho public
know in every feasible way that she Is con-
nected by marriage with the wealthy Letters
Of Chicago. that she has been figure in Chi
caRo society. and that her husbands relatives
oppose her becoming an actress. She made
her dchu: Yesterday afternoon at the Pleasure
Palace. There was mixed audience Of fire..
quentsrS OF that theatre and others who had
come especially to see Mrs. Letter. The PIE.
iminary ado had led some to expect that It
would be funny affair. They were manifest
~ ready to mock an absurd novice In that
respect they were disappointed. She gave nc
excuse for ridcule. Nor did she do nytbing
to rouse her friends to great enthusiasm. The
Fart she played was a secmly one in comed-
eta called "A Stolen Kiss" neat polite and
entertaining piece. lately reviewed In The
SuS. The character she assumed was that OF
an Italian Countess.who. led by an inadvertent
kiss. melted u gallant young artist to uaint the
incident into picture. A complication en-.
sued. and. by visiting the man TO make an ex.
PLANTATION. sho became involved further to the
extent OF betrothing herself to him. Mrs
Letter made this call in modish evening
dress. A veil AM wrap piuued tho audiences
curiosity awhile. When she threw off those
things she was revealed as II handsome woman
with bright. mobile face and smoothly.
rounded form Her experience as an amateur
actress had famiarized her with the STAGE
sufficiently to.save her from awkwardness and
tn give her some facility Of speech and move
ment She did no. appear 20 he at all fright
ened. She did not fater .or evince any OF the
INDIGESTION OF ba=inner. Her part was not
wordy. She had TO listen more than she was
listened to. Amateurs are apt to be bad listen
crs. She was not. Her dumb show Of inter
est was first rate-better than. her speech.
though that was not below mediocritv. Her
voice wasmusical. and her enunciation clear
She mastered an Italian accent pretty we'll
though her debut was ina continuous" vaude-
vile show. there was nothing undignined t.
tors with her were Wright Huntington and
Alexander kearney, legitimately accomplished
r.aNsrs and they carried her along into con-
siderable favor with her first audience.
lgliness assumed by a comedy girl for the
sake Of dramatic art must he an acute sacri-
fee Of personal feeling. Rose Melville is a per
tuent example Miss Melville made her first
appearance the New York stage several
years ago in caricature Of country maiden.
Her sister was with her. and they made such
funny eNaggarations of a rural type that moth
ing else In the play. In the action OF which they
were merely incidental. made the audiences
laugh half as much. They were marves OF
uncouth awkwardness. II was said that they
we're daughters OF an Indiana clergyman. that
they were well educated and that the social
crudity which they held up to ridicule on the
stage was in wide contrast with their own re-
fnement. one OF them married and retired to
private life. leaving behind no public proof
that she was not as Gawky as she purported to
he. Rose has continued as an actress. reap
bearing here last winter in substantially her
former impersonaton Of an extremely ugly
rustic. interpoated this tim" In violent farce.
or late she IS acting practically the same role,
but now il is the principal one in sis Hop.
Kins." a short piece at keiths. Yesterday she
showed her face at its best for the first time on
our stage This was at the end OF the sketch.
which was otherwise the same as before. with
the addition Of chorus girls to the number Of
heT ma said that there here wasnt no use doing
gave med. Ley of sopG ga Miss Melville then
sell to be graceful skirt dancer. Blu. this
dance vas very different from the shaken
III "S Miss Mevs Tho scE ss RaF and
rig,ails wer, done up IN pompadour and
stirred stockings AMI Dig shoes we're replaced
tEy dainty black ones. The blue leans apron
which aimed to be Frenchy. Unfortunately
a e d BE- Ms ers Gd mott T aot
Partisan nor even uo.to date New York She
Vas The exact picture OF n,,, country gri with
a" sTs ii ReFn Of frroq dsshsd
audiences With Heterogeneous from the
tough girl to a distinctly swell one. The
charm of Miss Lewis 8 change is that she looks
@nce, Let us hope that Hiss Meiyiile:doess not
waitress out for sunday. She should get some
one to dress her with more taste for this dis
play Of her own Individuality. But she surely
does show that the ugliness OF Sis Hopkins Is
all put on.
Two OF yesterdays short plays in the con-
tinuous shows we're new. At Proctors Lillian
Burkhart was both the chief player and the
author OF the work that had its first trial. Her
Soldier Boy was tho title that she gave to a
series of incidents employing Captain Of the
Seventy-lrst New York Volunteers and the
daughter OF former army officer. The one
was thin and pale from wounds. the other an
attentive nurse. and both were affected senti-
mentally IN the manner that with authors is
90 common an outcome OF sucr association.
The play IS occurrences were marked by the eX-
aegeratveness that frequently characterizes
the actors play. AS comicality was aimed at
n most Of them this feature vas not to be con-
sdered as a defect. The nurse fed cruel to
her patient. and .he made wry faces as she
secured his lips and cheeks with the spoon.
She carefully mixed toidy. seek ing his opinion
"a 'othe drink temperature and strenRth hand.
when she had him eager Tor the treat he Ak.
iected took it to her father She striped his
goat Of buttons. saying that she intended them
i2r souvenirs Tor her pretty girl friends, and
Shs III his cigar Tor nm. making pretty
furry Of coughing over her first puls at it,
Failing into a recitation OF verses that told tho
gories Of martial action. she became enthu- |
slastic ut the thought Of leading men into |
battle When her Captain spoke Of the dread.
tul duty, OF picking UP the dead and wounded
her declaimiEg ceased. and at that moment |
the dirgs of a military funeral was heard out
side. For this moment OF sadness there was
offset OF absurdlty in what followed. The sol |
der took to writhing with pain. His be- |
haviur almost paralleled that OF the s!eciaists |
who comfort professionally and the only rem |
suggest
hood when thus afflicted his mother used to |
Kiss him. Maidenlv hesitauce was prolonged. |
but satisfactory substitute for his mothers |
Kiss was forthcoming. nevertheless All this |
suggested strongly so much OF a war drama |
u would he allotted to 4 pair Of comic lovers. |
More than that the incidents we're hinged to- |
Gether a bit loosely. as il the process OF the |
u.ay wright had been TO construct an entire |
war drama and then cut out all but the comic |
doinGs. But the climax that fetched the cur
II down made up for this defect. 1t came |
iron.t he:wcI worn device OF having the officer |
rlmtess his love by having the mnid write a |