The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-04-21
A GOOD LAUGH.
Mildred Irving Had Il This Week at
Ksith's New Theatre.
Points In Entertainment That Particularly
Struck Her Fancy.


i can't remember when / laughed so
much or 50 heartily as did at Keith's
this week; and, though in one or two
instances | felt afterward like sticking
pins in myself, as rule the fun was OF
the jolliest, most genuine and keenest
kind. II must have been To make a
hardened theater-goer like myself loos-
en- up her dignity TO the extent that
did. 1t must Soe said. too, that the whole
audience was sensible and kind enough
to be with me; and l can't recall an
occasion when / have seen a Providence
audience thaw out TO the extent that
this one did. / guess we must be learn
ing thing or two and coming TO know
a good thing when we see ii.
After learning by long and bitter ex-
perience the irony OF the term comedy
acrobats," 1t is refreshing indeed TO see
team like Reno and Richards, one OF
whom is surely far and away the best
acrobat OF his kind Providence has seen
and the other much the most original
and really funny member of such
team who has visited these plantations.
After IL Is an OVef, you may say IT WITS
silly; but you keep laughing just the
same every time you think OF his comi-
cal antics and the monkeys he made OF
the stage hands for your benefit. 1t
gave those gray uniformed minions
good opportunity, too, To display their
beauty and at the same time 10 prove
that they have not been behind the
scenes" all these years for nothing, for
several OF them slyly contrived To add
not little TO the general hilariousness,
nd nt,.. ~ otrr cd h4
performers thmselvs by a daring indul-
gence in little bit Of acrobatics on his
own hook which was not half bad. One
act like this affords enjoyment enough
10 be worth double the price OF an or
chestra seat; and IL Is no wonder that
Reno and Richards have suddenly
jumped from the ranks OF comedy ac-
robats" pure and simple to comedy
acrobatic headliners."
Frey and Fields certainly display
courage i'm visiting Providence a second
time in two years; and il is refresh
ing to find Mr.. Frey honest enough To
say II was an actor once" Perhaps ita
because he doubts our Willingness tc
believe IL that he stays on so long and
dallies so tenderly with the jokes that
Roger Williams used 10 tell his neigh
bors he laughed at in his boyhood. in
nocently failing TO realize the asper-
SloDS lie mus cast upon illHlStll.
used to think the old team of Con-
roy and Fox was "corker" for fun
making-and, by the way. it's a coinci-
dence TO find them both. with their new
partners i'm the same bill here; but Fox
was never so entertaining as noW.-In
the first place, his sketch is one of the
very best; and IL seems as If not a
thread OF the material IL provides has
been permitted 10 go to waste by either
himself or his clever little wife. for GER
tanly Katie Allen is one of the bright.
est and jolliest soubrettes one need
look for. AS nirth- h-provokers they are
away up in c.: and. considering the
fast company they are in this week. ita
a pretty rich compliment TO say that
they make one of the pronounced hits
of the bill. Ii is done too. by methods
and on lines quite their own.
It's hardly fair for an audience to
want all the fun To itself: and IL seems
only reasonable for the performers
themselves 10 want to enjoy something
occasionally. For that reason, nobody
should envy Lew Carroll the enjoyment
he seems TO find in his jokes, even if the
cores are ripped and they are frayed
at the edges
think I detected a new feather. and
glass hat; and why shouldn't she put
il there. for did ever Joe Hart and she
seem to be more popular with a Pro-
violence audience than now2 OF course
it's a way they have. Harts Stars
and Stripes" song seems to go even bet
ter this time than before; and he haa
added. several new and delicate touches
| TO Or Chauncey," which give il even
a richer flavor than ever. They are
both very hard and very conscientious
and thoughtful workers. though possi-
bly, not everyone who sees them realizes
it: and I'm sure no one can justly be-
grudge them a bit of the exceptional
popularity they enjoy as entertainers.
the country over. They know the secret
of pleasing a popular audience, and
Hart doesn't hesitate to tell 1t when
he is interviewed: and sometimes ]
wonder. then, why others don't profit
by it. / suppose it's because there is
only one Joe Hart.
I wondered whether there was fur on
MoITells voice, or whether he was at