Omaha daily bee., 1899-09-10
nA@n
Z :
u a. %

lllloLsOU QeleI nlutQ 10 revive IT, ne eIdEtu
the words Two Lives and set down in their
stead the more lurid title Dens and Palaces
This name, for some reason, was soon aban-
doned and the domestic title A Young Wife,
wes finally chosen. The play Itself, how
ever, remained practically unchanged
through these various tamperings with it's
title, and with the exception Of an altered
line here and there, and the introduction OF
a song, the performance on Thursday was
an exact counterpart Of the performance
given a decade ago.
The two lives that figure most promi-
nently In the drama are those OF Hubert
Douglass, the scalawag son OF Judson Doug
lass, and Ethel Douglass. the heroine, wife
OF the old mans adopted son. On the ]teeter-
board OF time Hubert sinks from the exalted
social position that Is his by right OF birth
to the level Of a crowd OF Baxter street
thieves, with whom he finally makes his
home. Ethel, meanwhile. is lifted from that
Identical den OF thieves to the Fifth avenue
palace Of Hubert's father.
In the first act Hubert robs the palace
safe, kills his own father, when discovery
is imminent, and juggles the evidences OF his
crime about in such mastery fashion that
Ethel believes her husband guilty of the
murder, while the laws officers are led to
suspect that the charge should properly be
laid at the door OF the young wife herself.
John L. Wooderson, as Judson Douglass,
lived and died quite aristically.
with this sadly tangled situation to open
up, the characters have all the work they
can manage, struggle they ever so indus
t%riously. to bring about a happy ending in
the nnaf act. The plot is worked out with
a cool disregard for probability unusual even
among the most sensational melodramatists.
Ethel, believing that her husband is a MUIR
derer, Is filled with JOY when she finds that
he does not suspect her OF having committed
the same crime! Dobbins, a country bump
kin, who is represented as little better than
an idiot in the first act. becomes almost a
Hawkshaw in the second. and succeeds in
winning the hand OF the aristocratic ~ingenue
in the third. At the conclusion OF the second
act a song is sung by Dobbins that absolutely
ruins the value OF what otherwise might be
an excellent dramatic climax. The song
itself Is not bad, and 1t was not badly done
by any means. but the idea that Dobb' rs
should know just such an up-to-date ballad
is too ridiculous by half. In the last act
the villain and the heroine have a most noisy
scene, which is not overheard by the hus-
band, although his own voice can easily be
heard through the door, behind which he
stands. 1t is not explained, either, that he
is hard OF hearing. Ethel is not arrested for
the murder, though in any city out Of stage
land she would have been taken into custody
precisely fifteen minutes after the opening
OF the third act.
There was a similar disregard for any
thing like accuracy In the dressing OF the
play. The settings for three OF the acts were
appropriate. The thieves den was plctur-
esque and we'll arranged for the action that
took place therein. but. like the costumes
OF the residents. It was unlike anything to
be found this side OF Whitechapel."
personnel OF the Trocadero Stock Opera
company during the last week. Harry
Davies, who has been the leading tenor since
the company opened here early in August,
| returns to Chicago to rejoin the Castle
Square Opera company, and will be replaced
here by Jay c. Taylor, who has been leading
tenor for the Carleton. Castle Square and
other we'll known operate organizations.
Mr.. Taylor opens his Omaha engagement to-
night.
During Mr.. Davies stay in Omaha he made
many friends and admirers by his clever
work, and despite the fact that Mr.. Taylor
comes with a reputation as a singer as good
as that OF Mr.. Davies, II not better, the
%latter's friends regret his departure.
William Riley Hatch, who has been the
company's leading baritone since 1t opened,
, leaves to join the Woodward company In
Kansas City. During his engagement in
Omaha, Mr.. Hatch demonstrated that he is
a most clever actor. His place with the
Trocadero company will be filled by G. Byron
Brown, a baritone Of fine reputation.