Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-12
AMUsEMENTs.

| LAFAYETTE SQUARE OPERA HOUSE.
MIR. Uriah H. Painter inaugurated his
| season Of sliding prices and of independ-
ence last night with Leon w. Washburn's
| southern MINISTRIES as the bill. The OPEN
| ing was rather suspicious for the pretty
Lafayette Theater was filled, top and bot
tom, with audience that gave every evil
dence of being entertained the perform
ance progressed. For the present week Mr..
| Painter has fixed the scale Of prices with
| a top limit of seventy-five cents for orches-
ira chairs. At these figures it must be
| said that Washburn's MINISTRIES are clever
attraction and there is doubt about
ones moneys worth being secured. The
aggregation heralded as an ''old-tim
minstrel show and such it was in setting
and scheme, although the songs and jokes
were very much up-to-date-this years
output from the professions factory. About
the singing, however there was draw
back in the inability of at least two of the
solo artists. who. might have been suffering
from colds. These selections could have
been eliminated from first part that
otherwise all that could be desired. The
curtain rose upon old familiar setting of
bandsmen, dignified songsters and gyrat-
ing end men of bones and tambo variety
Jokes and business much of it excep-
tionally funny, flew thick and fast about
the stage to the evident amusement of an
audience that was willing to laugh. Willie
Patton's, I'm Living Easy coon song
was the vocal hit, and he was called upon
for many repetitions Harry Merich sang
a ballad very well. There was no percep-
tible change in the temperature when Cool
Burgess and Sam Horner, premier come
dians,' were introduced.
The performance was continuous, and af-
ter jolly chorus by the entire company,
the olio feature went right ahead without
drop of the curtain. The seven acts at
this end of the bill included several clever
creations the laurel-winning turn being
that by Leliott, Busch and Leliott in
m f1r,
to any seen in Washington for many DAYS
The music was good, while the fun was
rare, In that it was really funny, a duet
played on one violin and a slide-trombone
solo with foot manipulation Of the slide
being but incidental features to an act
that brought forth a storm of applause.
The Horner Brothers did The toughest
act on the American stage" The slap
stick, it seemed, must surely go on
strike before the conclusion, as there We're
excellent grounds for complaint of cruel
over-work 1t made the gallery split Sides
with laughter, however, and the gallery
must be pleased, especially at a minstrel
show. The Three Brothers Hickman were
good in spots and the other acts were en-
pertaining. Matinees Wednesday and Sat
urday.
NEW GRAND OPERA HOUSE.-The
Grand Opera House, or as Managers Burke
and Chase desire it hereafter known, the
New Grand. was thrown open for the sea-
son yesterday afternoon. At the afternoon
performance, however, the very threaten
ing weather was responsible for limited
audience. and the opening may be said to
nave really occurred last evening, when the
attendance was one of the largest seen at
this house for many years. The New
Grand is today one of the handsomest and
best appointed places of amusement in
Washington, the decorators and painters
having, since the close Of last season, trans
formed this local home of refined vaude-
vile from house of somberness and dark
ness into one of light and cheerfulnass.
The great lobby of the theater, with its
pleasing effect of salmon red, Nile green
and gold, tastefuly furnished with hand
some furniture, has been made of the
most attractive loung.ng places to be
found, and combination of these colors
form feature of the Transformation of
the immense auditorium The house is
really a New Grand and the great crowd
of last evening had nothing but words of
approval and delight for the enterprising
managers, who determined to provide
the national capital with vaudeville of the
highest order. The bill provided for the
initial week of the season is uniformly
good, one of the best indeed ever seen
in Washington. There was. however one
regret universally expressed last evening,
and that was that Miss Lillian Burkhart
has not provided herself with something
more worthy of her talents than Her Sol
der Boy" the sketch she presented with
Mr.. Willard Curtis as her support. 1t -
not only disconnected but is also devoid
of originality. OF course, Miss Burkhart
made all out of it possible to be made, but
that not much. and her abilities de-
serve something much better. George Will
son, Waltz Me Again. great local IA
vorite. was as funny as ever. even with the
jokes he has told before, and the audience,
which included Mr.. John Addison Porter
secretary to the President: the Chinese
minister. his son and suite. and many 9TH
ers prominent in official and social circles,
was very loath to allow Mr.. Wilson to re-
tire. The Streator ZouaVes, a company OF
seventeen men. gave novel and most en-
joyable act. The drill put up by them was
a marvel of precision, as was their foot
movements, the closing feat being the
scaling of a twenty-foot wall in rapid
and marvellous manner. Edna BaSsett
Marshall and her street urchln quartet gave
a unique and decidedly pleasing act, the
dancing of her youthful supporters being
one of the most attractive and enjoyable
features of the program. Nile. Salinas,
acrobatic dancer, was pleasing, although
attended with a great deal Of sameness
Arthur Amsden presented a popular mus
cal speciality. and John l.. Flatlow and
Carrie Dunn, assisted by n small colored
boy pleased with an exhibition of cake
walking singing. dancing and tunhling.
The program will be repeated every after
noon and evening this week
ACADEMY OF Observation-Disclosures will
prevail at the Academy of Music through
cut this week. The rollicking presentation
of Mrs B. O. Shaughnessey' by Geo. w.
Monroe in the leading role is sure to draw
large audiences, and to produce conVuls-
ing laughter the part of all who see ii.
The farce comedy is enlivened with a
number of laughabe dialogues and song
specialties and has a plot which involves
the fortunes of the wash lady, Mrs. Il.
O'Shaughnessey." The character work
done by Monroe is clever, especially in the
counting scenes The first scene presents
Mrs. O'Shaughnessey at the washtub in
Shantytown. She is the mother of three
promising girls and inherts a fortune,
which carries her into a luxurious home.
She loses her money, and is ready to start
back to Shantytown when a lottery ticket