The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-02-16
PLAYS AND THE PLAYERS.
CHARACTERS FROM AN OLD COMEDY
FIGURE IN 4 NEW COMEDY,
Cartons lord and Lady AlRy' Resembles
Shrridnn's "rhe school for scnndnim-

Shpridnu's The school FOR Scnndnlm-
Points in several Currcnt Entertainments
Tho new comedy. Lord and Lady Algy."
Tears a striking likeness to the old comedy,
The School for Scandal" Only MIR. Carton
can tell us at what poin. in his writing he be.
came aware that the two brothers in his play
we're but slight variants from Mr.. Sheridans
two brothers. lie may have set out with the
purpose Of transferring them from the London
Ito Of tho past to the London life Of the pres
eut. lie may have created them in his own
mind. II Is manifest, however. that by tho
time he got into his second act he knew Just
what he was.doipg. for at. the fancy dress ball
bo,makes one Of the characters mention the
resemblance. Charles Surface reappears In tho
p~rofiCate young neer.do-w-ll. who really does
no III, but is n CHEEKY fellow and assuming
without caro- the reputation OF n roue belong
ing by. right to his cider brother. Joseph Sn,-
face is introduced with his temptation OF q
Lady 7tas'P kind OF Young wife OLA Sir Pete.
Kind Of old husband. While It may be that
Mr. Carton started out with an entirely origi-
nal scheme. there is no doubling that subse-
qGently he followed tho Sheridan model pur-
posely. There was safety insso doing. The
central set Of characters are as humanity true
aud engaging now as they were half n century
ago. The audiences at the Empire like them
very much. But the copies are not slavish.
Tart ilgy is contcmporaneous in his horse
racinE tastes and his convivial enjoyments.
Mrs. lti,r1g is a modernly sentimental Lady
Yeas'e. and VI. TIirov is a modernly jealous
81. p'u. But Mr.. Carton has added an.import-
ant rersonage to the otherwise familiar set.
This is LOdv .A'gN. n frank. bouyant creature,
who has fallen out with her husband, but Is
eager 10 fall in with him. She is a tutfwoman
who talks with the slang of the racetrack.
bets ike a female pittsburEsPhil and smokes
cigarettes like a born loafer in petticoats. But
she redeems herself by sincerity. LOYALTY and
womanly tenderness. II she were a New
Yorker. she would be classed Ivy the general
ruh.io A. q TenderlOiner. even though her res
idvncc were on Murray Hill and her social ar-
iuiatious in the -Four Hundred. But being an
lnRlish aristOcrat. daughter-in law OF an Earl.
aud.sp.within a commonly recognized limit of
irre conduct. she must pass for an unimuearh-
W1o and. as enacted by Miss MilIwaarrd.
factor IL the success OF Lord ana Lady Aigy.'
Negro minstrelsy is ornamental this week
al the Grand Opera House. The scenic setting
fpr Primrose Il Dockstader's first part is pre-
;entious in architecture. gas in colorinRs and
resp'eudent in electric lights. The company
wears correspondinGly dazzling costumes.
The Jokes of Mr.. Primrose and Mr. Dockstader
have to be bright, as generally they are. to
save themselves from being outshone. The
second uart o, this new entertainment is COM
posed Of speclalties. black. white and various.
\ reader is led by the transfer Of n Drury
Lane melodrama with the original scenery to
Days. and his surmise that the outfit has been
cut down for that purpose. to inquire as to
what New York theatre has the biggest stage.
The METROPOLITAN Opera House holds that dis
tiUctiou, the dimensions being ~ feet Of depth.
lUl Of width from wall TO wall and 20 Of height
from floor to rigging loft. The Academy of
Music comes next with space enough to dupli-
The Grand Dpera Huuse and the American are
about alike as thirds. Days stage Is about
hal, TIE size OF that at the Academy OF Music.
omitted. however. but it has TO be dovetailed
and telescoped in order to utilize 1t all.
-Four brown bears are the newest recruits
e the ranks Of tumblers and epuilibrists at
trainer as they stand upright, on their hind
legs. The big beast. who graveiy puts his nose
Raa i} hffs bTs hind I'm 'h feet fi as hi sRd as sf fhe sS GH ms
face. Nearly al. their tricks are patterned
after, those, OF, human athletes. One bear
sands with his fore paws on the back Of a chair
and his hind paws on another. The chairs
are pushed apart until his legs are almost h9ri-
back. In recovery the bear springs from the
rear chair. gets his balance on the back OF the
other and gravely steps down to the floor.
Somersaults are easy for all. one Jumps over
legs. Bottles are in sight during several OF
these tricks and the contents are the perform
erls reward. To secure his drink one bear has
70 climb a post ten feet hip,h and walk across a
mn fhAtNN lAtllN llll' lSAlAllgD " q ~ IL
right, at the top of which Is the bottle. TAX
Ing It IN his mouth he climbs DOWN. sits on his
that a man might assume.
Two versions OF Dumas's The Three Guards
men are racing to this citv. Edward II. Soth-
ern appeared III The Kings Musketcers"
awhile ago in Philadelphia. and is using It on a
tour. It was meant that he should get here at
the KnickerbOcker late next month. James
O'Neill is making ready to arrive with The
Musketeers" at the Broadway n week earlier
than the Arst Sothern date. But a shift OF
time has been arranged between Sothern and
julia Marlnwe at the Kuickerbocker. SO that
sothern will beat O'NeIlI 10y two weeks, unless
O'NolIl humps himself for u winniuE -uurt.
Insse rival dramatization5 of the Dumas
romance are being. performed .simuIiane-
1,4sly IN London. They are the work OF Henry
Hamilton and sydney Grundy.
II looks as though we are to have one more
concert hall Of me Dewey kind; Frank Y.
Roster * H!als. IN Iweuty.third street. and the
Understanding is that he has arranged for the
,H1rr MGlHtoah had a contract with Henry c;
iMiner an! Joseph Brooks TO make a star Of
II" th. I@e j5t di"i S : g an''9Sff 1, Met Snd fny so sGG
Tor damages, and a Jury gave him a verdict for
II sum equal to his salary for the three years |
covered by he agreemeqt. counting each sea
son AS thirty weeks. Abraham h., Hummel.
%c,pHnsc! for the defence. surprised most Of
those Who. attended the trial hy.pakipg small
what he was about in conteuting himself with
al exception to the Judges charge that a the
ntrlcal season. as impIied in the contract.
INFANT the term mentioned. Mr.. Hummel has
rs, obtained = reversal on appeal. on. the point
thAt the agreement was wholly indefinite in
mat particular.
llar- with real negroes in them have to excite
lnI"Eest nowadays hy eX;raneous devices. In
va Kentucky, a. given in the South, contains
puck ana wing dancing for prizes between the
travelling and the local darki"s.
Datidy is. deaI. lie was a horse and an ac-
t!.mar, u" played GAIA .NOIdSSrs for years in
The County Fair" with Neill Burgess.
Lillian Russell. . Fanny Davenport. Julia
:hhr!owe, Mary Anderson and other famous ac-
,r"sseS, dead and alive. are Ierforming IN va
f,pls Western cities at ten-to-twenty prices, II
W." names and pictures ~ the doors OF small
ana temporary shows are to be believed. The
announcement II talent dcpend whOlly.on the
managers success IN getting hold Of old post
ers,
Frances HodGson Burnett. Julia Arthur and
IIuGeUia Blair are in "A three -cornered legal
sehi over the question whether Miss Blair ha?
a iGifedsfhe right to use "A Lady Of Quality
ms season, or. should wait until next season.
one Is going ahead, and the other two are try
ME n .F-F. har v,tI tn, 80 Ava |