The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-24
ACTRESSES IN NEW PARTS.
.JrLIA MARLOWE AND ALICE NIELsEN
rms BRoUGHT FORWARD.

|, was an open question at the Criterion
Theatre last night whether tho new play or the
,rnripal player was the more important thing.
/. WAS clear enough that Julia Mar
lowe, the actress. and Clyde Fitch. the
author. were doing very well by each
other. But It was not so easy to apportion the
credit between them for the success oil the
Miss Marlowe Is an exceed
,uyly winsome young woman by reason
o, gifts and accomplishments. But enc couIu
not get along without opportunities. and those
Mr. Fitch had provided for her abundantly IN
"Barbarn Frietchle. the Frederick Girl" 1t
was singular piece in that 1t took up Whit
liars ballad a. a theme. or promised to, and
,beu did hardly anything with 1t. About as
nuch had been suggested to the writer by
Romeo and Juliet" seemingly. as by
m, Quaker poets rhyme OF the woman who
.scared a rebel bullet for waving her countrys
plsg This barbara Friptchie OF the stage was
mo ,eeble old woman. but an energetic girl.
II WAS in the first act Of the piece
TINT, ike Juliet. she hold sly converse
from a balcony with her forbidden lover
below. This Romeo at Frederick was
C,ptain in the Union Army. while her
father was an ardent Confederate. and hence
,be parental inhibition OF the courtship. inc
action started quietly OF an evening. with the
couettish maiden driving the young bache-
lors Of the Maryland village to distraction
hy reyecting them. and favorng the stranger
from the North. Her hetrothal 10 TINS suitor
was a chalmingly natural incident IN compo-
.,,ion and in acting \ second act took
the pair to HaGerstown. where they
meant to be clande-tney married. but where
i, LATHE separated them. \ third act returned
them to the glrl's homo at Frederick. BY
this time tho play had been sprnkled with
hlood The heroine had shot soldier in order
10 ur.yrnt h shooting the Union hero and he
Ladin hi. turn been des perately wounded by her
own rebel brother The incidents Of night
in which she sought to save her lovers life
ly protecting him from disturbance.
her effort being opposed and almost
defeated 10 various ways. involved sue
cession OF Theatre devices. fourth
act hsgan with the death Of the wounded hero.
and ended with that Of .he heroine. 1t was at
the climax that the Whittier ballad was para
phrased The girl maddened by her bersave-
nent, flung out the Union flag in the faces Of
the Confederate troops. Stonewal Jack
son commanded that she be not molested.
But a crazed sutton fired on her. nevertheless,
and she fell ifeess on the same balcony from
which she had earlier spoken to her forbidden
sweetheart
IL
was a success artistically. popularity and posi-
lively. 1t may be- added that 1t was by
no means iaultless. There we're lapses
in logic. breaks in interest. and
lacks in motive. Some people may
hav. disliked the development OF sanRuinary
n slo ramairom beginnDg in gentlsr comedy.
b.. their disapprobation was hardly tenable.
This was war piece and 1t had to show some
ofthe dreadful results OF warfare. That 1t was In
geniousy original In its devices was proven by
the fact that it absorbed the audience in lovers
between whom the rebellion raised trouble.
We have had that in uncounted plays. Still 1t
was presented so we'll again. so differently from
ever before. that 1t took an absorbing
hold on the assemblage. even before
anything tragic came OF it. Indeed. the
peaceful charm OF the first act and
hat of the second, was relished so keenly that
drama seemed at first aImost a pity Perhaps
that was a genuine feeling throughout the
the Gd act s than had bsen given s. S at he
snd on the hrst and the author was not called
curtain iell everybody seemed to have sf been cen
won over. The enthusiasm then was tremen-
dous. There were eleven curtain calls. and
him and Miss Garowe She had acted t HH1 Hshr
of in h hnd osst wth @a1
he FEFfsdisss s. rIf;II, t.. She hsd Passed
with wonderful facility in suitable depletion.
In nearly all ways the piece was helped by an
7%f''or' 19 Hs5fHs%an arnold bay d RSsI
Adams and several others realized char
acters very distinctly. The scenery was ex.
marching troops and a maddened mob. with
the maiden killed for flying the flag. was a fine
achievement in the management OF a stageful
OF people.
Alice Nielsen came forward last night at the
Casino as the heroine OF the second operetta
prepared to show her talents at their best Lhe
circumstances were similar to those under
which year ago she was first heard here in a
company subserylent to her prominence. Vic
tor Herbert had once more composed score
Tor her. H. b. Smith was again concerned in
the authorship OF the text. The beat available
singers in operetta had been collected to assist
her. SO Miss Nielsen. so far as the comfortable
conditions were involved. appeared last
night quite as auspiciously as she did in her
hrst attempt. Personally she was seen and
heard to nearly the same advantage. She was
as engaging az ever in tho one number that
Afforded her the opportunity to do that for
which she is best suited. She sings better
than the average comic opera divette and he r
graceful youthful figure is source Of delight
so long as She is on the stage. 1t is quite as
amentable as ever that she is compelled by the
exigences OF opsretta 10 speak. Her provin-
Sausms o' accent are az offensive as ever to
NeW YORK ears and intelligence fades out
OF her voice" whenever she attempts the
SPOKEN line. But her personality. manner and
hIehts are quite as acceptable to her
Almlrsrs as ever. Any disappont ment in this
RESPECT last u ght came from the limited oppOr-
her.
The FIRST net Of The Singing Girl" Ms the
tyM w"rk IS called. passed IN uninterrupted
teaium. Stanlsas StanRe. who was reSpon-
hpe Tor the teXt and construction OF the H.
parsto' peprerei it with no witty phrase. The
score provided by Victor Herbert was
antseoRRzabiy commonplace. The audi
onre, charged with euthusasm, had no
pporthniiy to manifest it after tho singer had
heeh Welcomed. No dulicr opening had heen
nrh'G nero IN wears The slight story showed
a}ouhg girl disguised as her brother and COM
TnL"n 10 marry titled lady whom she had
kSeri, a. HAT was the penalty for such u
I,t4nh ot lropiety between man and woman.
iurhIN the second act revealed improvement
~ ~" mus" and greater humor in tho actors.
e'holEh the text kept down to its first level.
y Wali song tor Miss Nielsen. which was
ARMY sung, q dancing trio for three m en- ami n
.prii"d anal" came near turning into real
s.Hg''Ns what had been unquestionaby
Mo, second net Victor ITcrbert's score
t-fhH east NE .odlou- and the most botanical
u" mas ever written and there is neither humor
ha IN afsit tFNi