The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-09-22
THEATRICAL HAPPENINGS.
A NEW ENTERTiISMENT ny WKBER
& EIELDS'S COMPANY.

Lillian Russell with Them In The Whirli-
gig" and THE Girl From Martin's',-
Ada Coiicv and Her Very High TOP ct.
Actors Whom Conried Has Imported.
Lillian Russell was the best liked thing in
THE Whirligig" at Weber 4 Fields's IL eatre
last night. That 10 putting 1t strong in the
way OF praise OF Miss Russell because no en-
tertanment at this house had been so
successful as this one In the first pub
lie trial. There was none OF the slow
ness. uncertainty or miscalcuation COM
mon to such pieces OF nonsense. Tho
matter written by the two Smiths. Edgar and
Harry b.. was quicker and sharper than usual
Genuine wit was plentiful. The funny ideas
we're original lauRhable and numerous. There
was a lot of tuneful music from John Strom-
berg. The rehearsals had been sufficient TO
put everybody concerned into excellent order
therefore. 1t was no easy achievement for
Miss Russell to be the best-liked thing
In The Whirligig." Her superlative beauty
made her the finest in the stageful OF feminine
exhibits. She sang well. as expected. and.
what was not expected. she acted the part OF a
Queen OF Bohemia with considerable vivacity.
Another recruit in the COMPANY Irene Perry,
was contrastingly neat and nice in q role
involving q clever imitation OF Annie Rus
sell in Miss Hobbs" Two others
were the Nichols sisters, known hitherto
In vaudeville as expert 'coons." but
here appearing also with their faces
white. Two daughters OF Bessie Bone hill were
active In the chorus. But the audience did not
let the new actresses lead their loyal hearts
away from the established favorites. Never in
the palmy days OF the stock com panies OF Wal
lack. DAILY and Palmer. nor yet in the present
ones Of the Frohmnns. were tho members
greeted more enthusiastically in new plays
than the Weber and Fields comedians last
night. Each had his own ovation.
The two actor managers were much the same
as usual with the fresh Jokes in which their
German dialect abounded. They represented
pair OF schemng inventors. Charles ]. Ross
was handsome as a naval officer. singing a
Dewey song and dancing hornpipe. John J.
Kelley was an Italian with a performing bear
to be funny with. Peter F. Daily was bank
rupt hotel landlord. with chances to be laugh
able In his old ways. and with a flrst-rate
negro ditty to sing with pictures1uely help
full lot OF girls In the chorus and tho Misses
Nichols as principal aids in the pantomimic
dance.
Luckiest OF the actors in the matter which he
had to deal with and capable OF treating il in
a spirit OF truly artistic grotesquery. was
David Warfeld. His carioature OF a Polish
Jew was familiar enough in face and manner
to have made the people sigh for relief from
the repetition. had his entrance not shown
him in the outland!sh garb OF a
bather with abnormally big bare feet.
He clawed with these arti1cially enlarged
members. and had the dainty Miss
Perry for a companion trlpper. Later his facial
ugness and uncouth behaviour had a still
more effective contrast in a wine and woody
scene with the resplendent Miss Russell. As a
suddenly reckless orderer Of champagne his
humor took an unlocked for turn. and Miss
Russell played the alluring siren with not a
little abandon. In the burlssque OF Tho Girl
fromMartin's." shewas disclosed startlingly In
bed with arms and shoulders bare and not until
she got out from under the sheets. completely
gownsd. vas the apprehensiye tension re-
farce was in the second act Whch vss no
oyer until past midnight. 1t was audaeious TO
the point OF immodesty, So was some OF the
language OF tho frat act was altogether de
cent. the humor was seldom coarse and what
bs drssed to the revsato o1
oostuminE. Speeches had to be m ade by most
sen seemed surprised. but responded neatly.
Altogether It was a characteristic Weber L
Fields occasion.
New York heard before Ada Collsy sang at
Roster Bias. one soprano who claimed atten-
ton chiefly on account OF her top notes. al
though she never gave the music hall public
an opportunity to say whether it liked
them or not. Ellen Beach Yaw sang
oHCo hcio pclOlo q hcaitlcsSy
preciatve audience in a place dedicated
previously to musical performances Of a more
serious character The gathering heard her
squeak family in the topmost registers and
remained cold She had not selected the
atmosphere in which her talents would
produce tho best effect. Such achieve
mcnts as hers were sadly misplaced.
They made no appeal to musical enjoyment.
They were a species OF entertainment
ltxt. .<l.n, AI-
ural and acquired extravagances such as aero
bats and trained animals. Ada Coley. who fol-
lows the American singer as the possessor OF
some phenomenally high notes. has selected
the right medium for displaying them.
She has wisely como forward here
as one feature of good vaudeville
programme and finds the most congenial at
phenomenal as Miss Collsy's topmost to tones,
They are quite as remarkable in range as they
shows already and the suggestion Of fatigue
snd ~es, .ccned not os to BE ignored Miss
only an effort at the note. She reached it and
he'd long nonG to that she rsa
poor. No other resHI. could have been
expected when everything else has been
ia more tone there than ono would ex-
possession Of slight musical training. 1t is
evident that the art Of song is to her an unex-
pored sphere. still she manages to
give the impression that cultivation
might have done something for voice
Shows eyen in tho Music sRs Sing. the Tnm
taxable quality OF the vaudeville divette. Tha.
may he an unfortunate acquisition or it may ts
natural But 1t does not affect the truth or the
fact that she possesses n remarkable range in
the upper tones and is truly phenomenal in
this respect
The German company engaged for the Irv-
ing Place Theatre by Heinrich Conried. while
recently In Europe, arrived on the steamer
Saale yesterday. Numbered about forty.
Among its members were Jaroslava Roberts
Martha Schffel. Anna Leonardo. George Raseit
Karl Bender. Paul Faber A. Meyer Eygen.
Gustav Olmar and Rudolph Klein Rhoden
These came directly from Berlin, Munich. Bres-
lnu and Cologne theatres. Most Of last sea-