The times., 1899-11-21
Al fHE THEATRES.
Columbin-s,JIc Eia

MIC. + tn.
Mr. Be>S Stafford ... Marie y,i,,r-;o,ts
NlcoWte de Ptls-Jc. ........... Aubrey R,r.i.s1lr
Florence de PUiSs8C. .JelTnette Iov-ri.
- Hs ''t-SS'-- ,.---..-.. Thomas II. Burns
- ~ .'Ht -''-.---...-....--- Dore DJvids IA
yI.s i-e"a'u'e -.'-..--...-.-.... F. L-vst Fraser
gGStsh -...--................C Charles f. Mitchell
Thercse ..-.... ~ - ~ =
'''' 'i-'-'-'- '.......-..,.......Al Judsun
Before an audience that early manifest
ed its Willingness to laugh at clever lines
and TO howl at suggestive ones. Mile.
Fiji, the third-or the fourth-or The fifth
of the French farces which those consider
ate gentlemen. the booking agents Of the
syndicate, recently have sent to Washing
ton, Was presented yester- evening at the
Columbia Theatre. The house was quite
enthusiastic and it made point Of proyid-
Ing curtain calls for Brady & ZiegfcId's
people after every act. Only the gallery
rendered itself trifingly objectionable by
detecting the yulgarity in questionable
speeches, and then by evidencing its appre-
citation in no uncertain terms before others
IN the place had got the milk from the
co2oanut. 1t really is too bad that re-
hncd assemblages cannot sociably enjoy
imported nastiness without rude Interrupt
tion.
Mile. Fiji" in some respects, is rather
=
To be sure. it contains the usual young
fellow with the unusual past the wife and
the actress, whose chief employment seems
10 consist of convincing all concerned OF
her naughtiness; the mother-in in-law, and
the man and the maid servant There are
the necessary curtain -cOncealments and the
marvellous benedictial bluff which French
authors are convinced always brings the
spouse to her senses. But there also are
fhs.~ H+ I
farces, and there are not others which one
invariably does see. The marital couple
the Vicente de Puissac and Florence de
Puissac, are in love Their trouble arises
from the fact that they are in debt too.
and that they find it impossible to get out
OF the latter difficulty without pretending to
get out OF the fOrmer-ConditiOn. The wO-
man 5 maternal parent is wealthy, but can
NOT be made to surrender any considerable
amount while her children live together.
So, at the advice OF Israel Mendoza. an
usurer the pair decide 10 feign estrange-
ment. The plot is discovered by Mrs. SAT
ford, the aforesaid maternal parent, but
not until a certain bogus letter has been
delivered, the person addressed las re-
sponded, and the daughter has become IN
reconcilable in earnest. In this earnest
ness the hoodwinked old lady refuses to
believe and from her skepticism come the
complications of the play. There are no
wild nights out or drunken orgies or inf
delities-which is unique.
Another unique circumstance is in the
fact that Mile. Fif' would remain a sub
stantiaI dramatic property were its nasti-
ness cut completely. OF course this
superhulty Cniy makes the nastiness more
offensive but still, one cannot help being
glad that the writers have conceded him
intelligence beyond that requisite to the
appreciation of double meanings and un
pleasant bits OF business. Minus many Of
its speeches and minus even the scene IN
which Mile. Ftf attempts 10 win back the
Vicomte, the offering would have excellent
chances for success. Not that it is re-
markabIy clever or astonishingIy brilliant
but that lis authors have evidenced an
amount of originality and real wit that
were shown neither in The Turtle nor
Ior in The Founders" Mile. Fid' al
ways is mildly amusing, and sometimes il
becomes exceedingly funny.
Brady & Ziegfeld have been sufficiently
kindly to send Washington a company quite
as efficient as was that exploited in New
York Marie Wainwright, = trife less portly
than of yors. is entrusted with the role Of
the mOther-in-Iaw, and she plays Il with
deliciouslyquiet humor. Her poker game
with Thomas IL Burns, he father of the
EicOmte, and the best actor in the east
proved to be real art. Mr.. Burns methods
are admirable, and his impsTsunaJiOn OF
the duke is as Enthusiastically French
as Julia Arthur's Mercedes was Spanish Or
Robert Patton Gibbs Signor MagiuCs was
Italian. DoFe Davidson furnishes por-
trayaI Of Israel Mendoza no less perfect
because unusual; Aubrey Boucicault does
good work as De Puizsac, and Jaanuette
LOwrie's Florence is rare piece OF comedy.
&. Lovat Frasar's Partisan dandy is con
spcuously English, and Alice JudSoE's Fiji
is commercially c0ndemnable, while Charles
D. Mitchell and Isabelle Bowman are ade-
quate. The scenery is handsome and sJrik-
ing in design.