The times., 1899-03-12

I takes VIII Happen the complications be-
gan with the fact that two men OF assumed
prominence have forbidden those under
their direction TO marry. With the first
comedy this obstreperous individual is the
father Of one of tne contracting parties
and with the second he is director of 4
place called the Morality Theatre and
Whics therefore. could not possibly ex-
| list IL New York, the locale set forth on
the programmes. In each case. the young
people under the ban proceed to be we'd
ded and endeayor to keep the affair a
secret-a matter rendered difficult in both
by the presence of four impartinent SER
wants. From this point or the episodes
are no longer Identical and in Mistakes
vii! Happen" they are largely original.
! The means Of obtaining laughter remain
parallel Twc personaGes aiming at cross
purposes take each other TO be insane. i'm
proper relations are alleged against the
married couples, and several mere things
( happen in all OF which the property man
( figures as principal jester and the busiest
/ fellow liz the building.
There is no denying the fact that Jacob
Lifts eX-pCsslssIun is far the better OF
the two and that in due season it may be
made IN extremely enjoyable work. Tna
chap who wrote it and the one who staged
il shared in having some ideas of repose
many moments curing the enactment OF
Mistakes VIII Happen" in which the
auditor may catch and have time to I'M
I dalstaEd the comedy OF a sentence or the
| charm Of Il sentiment. The piece is es-
sential!y clean and vCry simple besides
which it presents at least three unique
| types ard points a pleasing ii unobtrusive
moral No two OF the incidents are alike,
and several of them are new. The re-
N N ha
! six OF the complications that are tangled
there the scene in which Gne man of the
| world attempts to lie to another, and that
/ cf the trial are positive novelties and dis
! tinctly humorous ones. Then the farce
| fairly bgistlcs with good lines which show
no straining for effect. Altogether while
| it drags fearfully in places and is acrobat
| caily dull in others, Mistakes Will Hap
| pen" is a refreshing and entertaining af-
| fair when contrasted with Browns in
| Town"
In reviewing the Columbia's Offering it
| might be well to state early that the effort
does not exhibit that purity and whiteness
that would be implied as a qualification
from the name Of its writer Some OF the
speeches which transpire-one might say
perspire when considering their warmth
in the first act would make ghost blush.
None of the lines contains a particle of wit.
save uHlS one, anu tHaJ was Originally
penned by an English gentleman called
Sidney Smith. who was much thought of in
his day. a score of other jests bear marks
of having been bodily removed from The
Farmers Almanac" for 1872. The compli-
cations are hung on threads that NIGH.
break with a word. and are so badly mixed
up that one despairs of trying to follow
them after the primary scene. Nor is this
proceeding necessary. Each of the follow
ing incidents is but repetition of that
of those that have gone on before
But Browns in Town" does not rely on
its verbal strength for commendation.
When Mr.. Swan compiled the play he evi-
IDENTIFY was laboTing under the impression
that he had been ordered to construct an
other 'Fantasma" or 'Superba-" Nothing
more like an athletic exhibition has been
seen here in some time. After the first
curtain the audience expected some one to
come out and tell who had won the foot
race that began when the comedy did.
There are several virtues in Browns in
Town" but they are not what might be
called prominent. The story is quickly
and forcibiy explained without long lines,
and this would be commendable were IL
not repeated so frequently during the even
ing Some of the final episodes are pleas
ing. and three of them are really funny.
The climaxes are well built and serve their
purpose. That is all. And the pity of ii
is-pity because J. ]. Rosenthal is man
who deserves success and who is going to
get 1t sooner or later-that this is not
enough.
In conclusion IL may be said that last
weeks audiences laughed at Browns in
/ Town" and that the assemblies which
greeted Mistakes Will Happen" made at