The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-05-25
The BUTTERFLIES
Produced by Players at
Jersey City Club Theatre
Last Night.
CROWNED WITH SUCCESS
Enthusiastic Applause and
Floral Deluge Bring
Down a Fern.
CROWNED WITH SUCCESS

Henry Guy Cartoons three-act comedy,
THE Butterflies" was produced by the
Players Club, under direction of Mr..
Douglas S. Houghton, in the Jersey Cit
Club Theatre, the proceeds to be divided
between the Organized Aid Association
and another charity of this city.
1.-THE Butterflies" in which John Drew
starred a short time ago, was well suited
TO the Players and the audience, being
a society play, and that element turned
out in full force to see itself portrayed.
The curtain, as is usual with amateurs,
went up a little late, not over half an
hour, but the audience completely lost
sight of the fact in gazing upon the
scenery. 1t represented a drawing room
in GREEN'S Cottage, San Augustine, Flor
ida, imported from New York
All the characters were equally dressed
IN keeping with the scenery. Green, an
ambitious farmer, was portrayed by Mr..
Leonard Ferris. His makeup was good
and he even talked the old ~uneducated,
~good-natured farmer, but Mr.. Ferris nat
ural ease in a dress suit scarcely suited
the phrase, Yes, he is right, | know |
am vulgar, and 1 know l am ignorant. Z.
In the dress suit act he was distinctly
Mr.. Leonard Ferris until it came to the
place where he rolls up his sleeves to
give Barry a licking. Here he was Hiram
Green again.
Barry, GREEN'S son, was portrayed by
Mr.. Frank C. Richardson. He was good
throughout and were it not easier to act
the opposite to ones personal character
upon the stage, his introduction scene
might be termed natural.
Mr.. Joseph D.. Taylor, Jr., this time
portrayed the young lover, Frederick
O~ssian.'' His portrayal of the character
was good, though in his love making
scene, too many starlike smiles caused
him to lose himself in the heavenly
ornaments, but a word from the wings
brought him back to earth and he re-
gained himself.
Andrew Strong, was portrayed by Mr..
William ]. Field, he was good, though
fortunately his lovemaking eveidently
took place behind the scenes during a
walk through the woods, which were talk
ed about, but never appeared.
Mr.. Edward L. Luter, as Roscoe Bilser,
the soft hearted tailor, had a part just
long enough to leave upon the audience
an intense longing for more, and
Mr.. Joseph F. Harris, Jr., as Cuddle, the
butler, made such a good servant that
the audience began to wonder how he
would do in a more worthy part. so mueh
for the masculine portion of the cast.
Misses Gulielma Jackson, M. Ritchie, d.
Bennett, Ida A. Jarvis and N. Virginia
Bennett, represented the feminine butter
flies in gauzy attire. In fact their sue
cess was due in a great measure to the
pretty fluffy gowns of white pink, summer
yellow and black. The girls, too looked
unusually pretty.
Miss jackson played much the same
part as that portrayed by her in The
G-uardsman,' the aristocratic old lady.
Her makeup was excellent, nor Was the
portrayal either too young nor too old,
while her proud precision was something
seldom found in an amateur.
Miss Virginia NJ. Bennett, as Mrs. Ossian
was also very good. but had the fault
common with amateurs, too much youth
for the part.
Miss M. Richie d. Bennett, as Susanna
Elise, Green's seventeen year old .daugh-
ter, was exceptionally cute, even when she
came on at a wrong moment with Papa,
Mr.. Strong and 1 lave taken that walk"
nearly upsetting the equilibrium of the
climax. She recovered herself easily,
however, by Immediately disappearing
again, and the others, after a seconds dis
comfture, went IN with their parts. Miss
Bennett was if anything just a little bit
too unnaturally natural
Miss Jarvis portrayed Miriam and now
and again in that portrayal, to those fam
iiiar with Maud Adams, could be caught
a fleeing view of the American star as she
might have enacted a voiceless expression.
In other words, Miss Jarvis, too, was cute.
The scenery was exceptionally pretty,
especially in the final act. In the first
act the actors were a trife cold, but
warmed up to their parts much better
in the second. Perhaps this was why
the flowers were saved over, for they
then came up in such overwhelming con-
fusion that a modest fern near the left
wing fairly toppled over and brought
down the house.
There were few breaks, considering,
though the audience is still wondering
what telegraph compan makes use of
green envelopes and u. S. postage
stamps, according to a miSSive, explains
ed by Coddle as a telegram, presented
to Mrs. Stuart-Dodge in the first act.