The sun., 1899-12-28
TOPICS OF THE THEATRE.
yyUys sUNG ~ VAUDETILLE WITH
,UURCHLY ENVIRONMENT

na1iV
nj, Fidelity - The Revival of n Ten-
ynnr.oid Drama Incites "Reminiscences
, New Lot of wire-wnIkinK Gymnasts
Tho religious specially Is In season. Cake
,slknrs. coon singers and Hebrew dialect
nsrsons may well tremble over the change In
,andeyile fashions. Joe o Haze. boy so
nrsno TO give him his continuous show classi-
erotion, has at Proctor's Theatre. an clabor-
,,e and complete setting, brilliantly lighted
and gorgeous. as n background for his hymn
.Inalng. Keith's puts forward The Girl with
,bc Auburn Hair" and. while sho sings sacred
music. encloses her with an altar rail, backs
her with church organ and furnishings and
works the dim religious light for all there is in
II that Is theatrical. The Herald Square du-
picates these last devices for its current negro
minstrelsy. a surpliced tenor singing tho
church music. Roster Biars does tho new
thing by wholesale. Gertrude Haynes Is the
,pecialist thus exploited. She begins by play
ing on an instrument that has the look OF an
organ. but that abe shows 10 be equal to
the tones. as well. OF a banjo-in rag time
md Of n xylophone. After curtain closes
in her instrument. an usher runs down
tho aisle with what appears to be u
hox o, flowers Shc receives IL. takes of its
cover. pulls out its legs. and plays upon the
yheczy melodeon that 1t really IL. All this Is
sc c,ording TO the standards OF the instrument
talist's turn" But at the next step the cur
tain ia disnlaccd by one showing the entrance
OF q church. Within an organ sounds, sixteen
curtain up tncy are seen grouped In front OF
the altar The specialist OF moment ago was
brief as to skirt and bodice. NOW her attire
snproaches the footlghts, hymnal In hand.
The llmclght hSss him. He sings, looking up;
ward, but In his expression there H. no hint OF
Z boy friend AT the gallery rail, or Of your cap.
tiOus specialists displeasurc with the lime light
operator Rather i l9oSs IKE rS an % uplifting , or
are sweet. the assisting choristers well trained.
and the variety showwoman aggrossively active
repetiiions, and then settle back for John W:
Ransone's limitations OF Richard Croker and
Ter naEf Minutes in Shirt @ Waists I ""'n
Amarkcd change Is noticeable at the Murray
Hill this week. and the only thing to account
for II IL the holiday time. The difference 10 not
in the actors OF Mr.. Donnelly's company. who
ara giving their usual commendable perform
ances. but in the audiences. II is the rule here
10 And an appreciation Of what Is best in the
drama Men and Women" contains much
material OF value. II IL. however. the less com
mendable portion. the gallery speeches" and
the like. that wins applause. The play has an
oyerstock OF that sort OF sentiment. which is
not found nowadays In works OF the first class.
David Belasco and Henry c. De Mile wrote il
ten years ago for Charles Frohman. who
was forming stock company OF the
grade that A. NJ. Palmer. Augustn DAILY
and Daniel Frohman maintained. Belasco
and De Mile had started the latter
wife" and The Charity Ball" They attempted
The ssme thing Tor Charles frohmSn nm a1, In Men
That was in the first month OF 1891 at Proc
tors Theatre. Mr.. Frohman wanted theatre
Of his own for his players. and got II In the
R9ah h ssoona Sas nps Snt wR LS Pare
adise." which De Mile took from the German
.; Ludwig fnlda and IN iT,S SS he m9yed ip,o P
hind Me-" Many OF the actors in the original
cast q Men and Women" are now leaders,
New eS ' York view The principal female par,
was acted at first by Sydney. Armstrong, who
has married and retired from the stage
popular Of American actresses. was In
role o, minor importance orrin John,
son. who Is now her leading actor. played
When Mr.. Frohman made a star Of John
Drew be gave the actor his choice Of aetresses - =
her s9G sS shown ' be Ts ghS9
Al the Murray Hill Men and Women" IL wei
p,ayed. but II REQUIRES too many actors o.
one of the faults Of the play that the interest l.
divided. OF the twcnty-four speaking persons
six have been cut out simultaneously. Miss
Ingham and Thomas Coleman appear To espe-
cial advantage. There is peculiar fact IN con.
nection with the latters acting He is identi.
have to pass in Men and Women" before the
SPECTATORS will believe in the honesty Of the
nohle sentiments that he expresses as the
hgh-minded banker.
The Holloways. tight wire experts. are
strangers in America. They are two slender
chaps In black and third in pink gown. The
latter walks out on the wire at Roster d DIal''
10 test II for the others. which Is a reversal o.
what Is due the indicated sex. yet the flowing
curls may be her own or his own. but her ol
hi- ankles and the headdress are bad match
any wa. The wire is stretched from two
platforms eight feet above the stage. and each
iS reached by flight OF steps. When the pos
sessor Of sweet smile, long hair and bony
shlns has tried the wire the other two begir
balancing. They pass each other on the wire
quickly apd surely. and the larger takes the
o'her halfway across on his shoulder. Stop.
ping midway the two climb over each other IN
the manner of acrobats who have q surer loot
lest eighteen inches above. the wire and
carries the other across Meanwhile there
h9ysrs about fourth member. He's not Z
Holloway, evidently. because they are trio.
Sf9TSpE % to the BILL But he wears ,SS drGS.
ehsrse in H's'. case of fail. The eGnil6rst u
trying 10 leap over n chair from wire TO wire
u was made without fault on n second trial A
more serious trouble came two minutes later
The larger man supported his skirted com
PAM lon on his shoulders and grnsped the thirr
by The ankles The latter held the axle OF {
wheel In his hands and. with head down
was trundled along the wire in wheel
barrow fashion. The journey ended at ;he
further platform. and the first one descende.
wheel IN hand. As he neared the bottom OF The
Hight. the stairs swung loose ut one slde. TIL,
other two ono atom the other. followed. Hal
way down the stairs gave way altogether
There were u smash, mixture OF pink skirt
and two pairs OF thin shins, and evident eN'
element on the part ot the assistant in the
shiny dress suit. The chap underneath limpeC
out ot sight His burden had come down hare
sitting position. Though he. or she. mus
have been painfully impressed at tho moment
with matrix of that stnir-edgc, the victim
trlpped forward, pink skirt uncrumpled ant
smile undimmed He OF the dress suit hRC
seen to IL that the um brcllas were uninJured.
Dances with new features OF showiness Close
the bill here. The stopper is La Falalla. AM
her exercises are not unlik those OF the con
E"ntional skirt dancer But the stage is set II
the fashion Of q spectacles fairy grotto, thu
scenery is liberallv encrusted with glitter anC
"ectr'c lights OF different colors blink here ant
There, The dancer is disclosed by the inten
tlonal collapse OF part OF the scenery, and sh'
inns toward what looks like u huge blossom
with Il half dozen electric light globes n