The times., 1899-04-23
FRIENDS OF LAST WEEK.

FRIENDS OF LAST WEEK.
The beautiful rendering Of Alabama"
given last week at the Columbia Theatre
by the Frawley Company called attention
TO three members of that organization. one
OF whom deserves advancement and the
oiner two relegation to line of smaller
parts than they have been doing. The first
! OF the trio is George CASTOR and the second
ana third are respectively Myron Calice
ana Frank Matthew. Mr. CASTOR Is the
actor VINO was seen in "Trilby'' as Dr.
Sagot and whose performance marked him
LOT more than usual compliment His i'm
personation of the hypoeritical. cowardIy
iitlie preacher was even more consistent
and fine than had been that OF the roles
| originator, and his portrayal of Decatur
tne Old negro servant in Augustus Thomas
play, was distinguished by the same care
and intelligence. though no two less like
eIorts could be imagined. The writer has
seen any number of clever people attempt
representations OF old darkeys and. not
even accepting Milt G. Barlow, all were
ridiculous. Mr.. Gaston's Decatur was per-
tect in makeup, perfect in dialect, perfect
IN walk and gestures, perfect in vocal in
tonation-perfect in ever requisite TO good
work 1t sat aside its conceiver as one of
the most able members of a irst-cliss
combination.
Myron Calico is beginning to remind one
OF James kearHey. who will be recalled as
the pugilistic looking individual whose sur
geon in Held by the Enemy was one Of
the finest Efforts of the Columbia Stock
season. but whose later assumptions were
merely absurd through their stiltedness
ana staginess. Mr.. Calice made an excellent
impression with his Laird in "Trilby," but
the manner in which he played the broker
IN The Charity Ball. produced the same
enect histrionically that might be created
musically should some one try rendering
Home, Sweet Home" on a penny fife nv
means of a windmill. Mr. CaIfce pufred
and blew and grew red in the face and
ciasped his hands as though in prayer. the
end OF Ii all being that the spectator was
ieIt IN doubt as TO whether he had been
suHering from remorse or collie These
gymnastics were repeated last week in
alabama" and with the same result Mr.
-Caice is an Intelligent man and while he
may not be good actor there is no reason
ior such performances as he has been Civ
ins- MI hearney was not intelligent ani
SO might have been excusable.
one cannot blame Frank Matthew as
inuch tor his OBJECTIONS as one can blame
tne manager who cast him for part so
important as is that of Armstrong in
Alabama Mr.. Matthew has been on
the stage only very short time. and, all
Things considered, does very well. But
II was not to be expected that he would
bring out all the fine points that have so
much to do with the charm of the impetu-
GUS young railroader and he did NOT.
Ihough smooth. he showed constantly the
machinery back of his effort and. there
fore. was not adequate to the Character
Mr.. Frawley should not have put him into
1t. These two flaws in the production were
not small and presented the only obstacles
between it and perfection.
To the average theatregoer an acrobatic
ect Is thing productive of torture. Hu-
manity Is still moved to a certain extent
by sympathy and the effort necessary to
the accomplishment of difficult physical
feats is generally so apparent that cnly
the most apathetic could enjoy the spec
taele. This was not true, however. OF the
three brothers Luken, whose work on the
horizontal bars last week at the Bijcu
was at once remarkable and pleasing be-
cause of an entire absence of the detracting
feature mentioned. The young fellows. all
OF whom were good looking did not grow
red in the face, their painting was not OBJ
servabie, and each of their offerings was
not preceded by a series OF glauces and
measurements calculated to impress the
audience with the belief that the coming
performance would be the last Every
thing they did was done gracefully and
easily, though much of the exhibition has
never been duplicated here. There were
no misses and no apparent weariness. Such
turn has not been witnessed in Wash
ington for many moons.
The few unfortunates who visited the
National last week and there saw a per-
formance of Her Atonement" were
treated TO the rather unusual effect of an
entire evenings portrayal being redeemed
by ten minutes OF exceedingly creditable
work. The actor who accomplished this
was Frederick Perry. whose impersonation
OF the French valet who robbed his mas
ter's dead body was very bad indeed In
the second act of the piece a scene was
presented in which Preterre was arrested
by two detectives and his effort here was
most praiseworthy. The hunted look with
which he observed the approach of the
men in plain Clothes" his attempt 10
deny completely to them. and finally his
struggle were so like those one sees in
everyday life that they caused certain
persons in the house TO shudder There
was nothing OF the two blows-up, two
blows-down, and waltz song by the tenor
about Mr.. Perry's fight. 1t was an ex-
cellent imitation of such a combat ard
most commendable.