The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-02-14
NEW THEATRICAL THINGS.
LNsoN PONDS "HER A~ToNEMENT" IN
A MARITAL PRODUCTION.

The Aator Battery Among the Troops in n
Play Of the Civil WRr-"A Lesson In
whist, nm Example of Vaudeville Farce.
Fine sights were many last night at the
Academy. The revival OF Her Atonement ="
was effected with the accompaniment OF much
that was SNOWY and interesting In the seem
cry. with players that not only were cara-
BILE. but that were especially we'll fitted with in
dividual parts. and with well-drilled super
numeries to n number that repeatedly
crowded the big stage. The scenes at
tendant on the departure OF a regiment
for the front were strikiugly effective.
Three different settings were used for this one
incident. First. the front OF the Cortlandt
street ferry house was shown Through the
bars Of its closed gate the arrival OF q boat
could be watched. Enough OF the deck and
superstructure pushed into view to suggest
the characteristic outlines OF q ferryboat. Then
the gates were swung open. and passengers
came out. to divide into two streams as
they passed away from the dock. This was
predatory to the appearance of the soldiers.
who followed succeeding passages Of comlcal-
ity. A brass band in regimentals. several com
panies OF infantry. then a drum corps and
several mare companies of riflemen marched
through the gates on to the deck OF the boat
and on out OF sight. Preceding the column
were interested adults. and making n way for
the band were n hundred excited urchins.
Then for a moment the stage was dark. and
when next lighted the regiment was seen
aboard a boat in the middle OF the North
River. Except at the front the stage was in
closed by canvas that bore views Of the river
and the opposite shore. Various sorts of craft
were included in the painting. and in front
was a practicable rowboat, in which were two
sightseers waiting for the ferryboat to pass.
And pass 1t did. Leaving the slip it moved
across the stage diagonally. Soldiers were in
sight on deck and at the windows. and with a
w was roG n Geam SSf3r 3 X rS e wns mpo oss PI,st thpt
the boat should move out Of sight. but II was
moving and in view until, half the stage was
crossed. and it was still under headway when a
second dark ening of the stage. shut il from
view. For the last stage OF the regiments
terror Of a Jersey city train Shed. Here was
a crowd seeing the soldiers get away. and hero
s s9e sGld Iram tTE sfie eSGSFe t fEom t tHe rear At piat a
form tho train pulled out. In a later act the
same regiment was seen, returning and passing
the City Hall. A steady fall OF snow made their
march look unlike a show parade. and the be.
havior Of the plays detectives gave it a ,still
homecoming heroes. charging him with muir
der. At. that point the Colonel took n hand.
hh2i msef b his mh iRf1iIsra dhs q %n ths sli arr esnTesSiG K
that the plays comic, policeman danced a Jig.
and the gallery gods howled with delight. 80,
done service with the Aston Battery in the re-
cent war. Their names were in the playful.
same fortune that befell Sergeant ".BiIl"
Anthony when he appeared IN n melodrama.
ldSks %Pf iik not the 5e SfSsrs. but alter aGs a n a6mpanyo on
two had passed. the comic policeman announced
that the Aston Battery was approaching. so their
more important. parts did, not need any such
iqtroduGtion; Louis Aldrich. Annie Irish.
Johnson, and Jessie Busley were among them.
Though these artillerymen participated. Her
RReepbeilion.. No attemmt had been made 10 hinge
it upon the war with Spain.
There was n timeliness in the fun OF the
short farce that was new at Keith's yesterday.
In it a ~pretence was made that a man who was
to he concealed was i'll with a sudden cold. He
was forcibly laid out upon a lounge. with a
table cover hiding his face and with another
cloth wrapping his figure. After much pre-
paratory talk n mustard plaster was put upon
his bald poll and then he was covered with all
the blankets and comfortables that a woman
could carry. When finally he was released
from his coverings there was direct appeal in
his ~pretence Of uncomfortable warmth. and for
what is STYLED heart interest the rectangular
red spot left upon his head by the plaster was
a triumph. The fun that was unsuited to the
conditions outside for the day. at least. over
came what the playwright had intended as the
heigh hit OF comicality. That lay in the tondness
for whist of a devotee OF the game. A husband
was sh0wn as 20 enamored OF whist that he
could not spend evenings at home contentedly,
and the farce opened with his wife seeking in
struction in the game in order that she might
become a fitting %partnec OF her husbands
hobby. To that end she had called in a friend.
a man proficient at whist: but before practice
commenced the husbands return was an
bounced. The friends visit was entirely inno-
cent. vet as the wife wished that her newly ac-
ouired knowledge should come as a surprise to
her husband. teacher and scholar fell TO fbDing
to conceal her plans. In short order they were
enmeshed In a network OF lies as complicated
as If the motive they wished to conceal, had
been that OF an unreconstructed French farce.
The 1isitor go. the plaster and a short spell of
being uncomfortably swathed. but later his
own wife arpeqred Then i was the other
tim. his Redeemed head shining like a comic
beacon. viewed the others discontinue over
the tor OF a screen. Each OF the four charac-
ters concerned was thoroughly deceived as to
authors best attainment. The language that
clothed this idea was in no way remarkable.
and the general tone of the performance was
wildly ,~farcical; Helen Ripley Matthew was
the writer and "A Lesson in Whist" was her
title. The Dustans were the conspicuous two
Of the players.