Evening star., 1899-03-28
AMUsEMENTs.


last evening Under auspices that were
bright for the management The theater
was filled and the approval Of the audi
ence was hearty. The love for Sousas
music is alloyed somewhat with local pride,
and nowhere is it heard with such pleasure
as in Washington. 1t was ell heard with
pleasure last evening" but most spontaneous
outburst of feeling greeted "unchain the
Dogs of War" Then the Card Song, Snow
Baby. with Clanking Sword" were warm
ly received, while Albert Hart caused great
laughter with his song about the goat and
the phonograph. The medley of recently
current melodies, including such favorites
as the 'Stars and Stripes Forever and "A
Hot Time was enthusiastically welcomed,
and encore after encore was demanded and
given. The singers manifested commend
able willingness to respond to the repeated
demands that added to the pleasure of the
auditors. In fact, there was q good nature
and dash about the performance that would
nave saved even tedious piece. Wmcn
The Bride-Elect' is not. The cast was
about the same as when the opera was first
given at the Lafayette. Htlda Clark, IA
miliar to us from her appearances with the
Bostonians and in the "Highwayman, sue
ceeded Nela Bergen, distinct improve
ment in that she acts with more energy
and responds more faithfully to the de-
mands of the role of La Pastorella. She
is Iiquant personality and ably aided by
out of the part of Princess Minutezza Ma
bella Baker, who became a favorite here
In summer opera, and who mas been hearo
with pleasure a number of times since,
was the Queen of Capri. and in no way
lowered the favorable opinion in which she
had been held; Charles H. Drew, who has
often been seen here in light opera, created
many laughs; Melville Stewards baritone
was as agreeable as ever; George LydlnS
sang the role of Guido in a praiseWorthy
manner. The minor parts were acceptabiy
filled, which is no unimportant matter in
the presentation of a light opera. The
opera is well mounted, the view of the Is
land of Capri being a beautiful scene. The
opera is given every evening, with lnatinees
Wednesday and Saturday.
THE GRAND CANYON OF ARIZONA
Mr.. Burton Holmes Is to lecture at the Co
lumbia this evening on that most popular
of subjects, The Grand Canyon of Ari-
zona.' Although comparatively unknown,
this marvellous and Stupendous work or
nature is rapidly coming into prominence,
as a goal for tourists and as the subject
of many essays and treatises, both at the
hands of travellers and explorers, and also
forming the topic of much discussion be-
tween the geologists of note in this country.
Into the scientific aspect of the grand can
yon Mr.. Holmes does not go, but he finds,
from the travellers point of view, an i'm
mense fund of interesting matter for MS
lecture, as well as Incompatible op-
pcrtunity for photography, which in both
instances he mas improved 10 the utHloSl.
Taking his audience by stage from Flag
staff, for seventy miles into the Wider
ness, he leads them to the brink OF this stu
pendous chasm, from which one can look
down in direct line perpendicularly, over
$500 feet Mr.. Holmes descended into this
canyon by the narrow trail which leads into
the lower depths, and then made the stlH
further descent into the narrower but
equally deep second canyon, at the bottom
of which flows the Colorado river 6,640 feet
below the level of the surrounding country.
Here he and his party spent the night,
where the morning sun does not penetrate
until after o'clock in the afternoon. This
lecture is full of humorous points and an
ecdotes and is, moreover, magnificently IL
lustrated in colored views, with an elabo-
rate list of motion pictures of the snake
dances of the Moki Indians and many
scenes of activity, in and around the cam
yon.
GRAND OPERA HOUSE.-The managers
at the Grand Opera House have provided an
unusually attractive program for this week,
and the large attendance last night indicat-
ed that the people appreciate q good thing
when it is offered. Miss Pauline Hall was,
of course, the leading attraction, and the
erstwhile operate prima donna proved to
be all that her most ardent admirers could
hope for her in the new field of vaudeville.
She was in exceptionally good voice and
the numbers she selected proved to be i'm
mensely popular with her audience. Miss
Anna Vernon Dorsey was put on In extra
negro character sketch in place of La Clair,
La Warde and Rith, one of whom is i'll.
Miss DOrsey's conception and portrayal of
negro character comes nearer having the
true ring to It than anything that has been
presented here for many day. Before her
debut in vaudeville Miss Dorsey had al
ready made enVable reputation as a
drawing room entertainer and a pleasing
writer of fiction Harry Edison and his real
iy wonderful dog Doc" contributed to the
evenings entertainment by some clever
work. Doc, though only a communicating
l.; .lf ~ 1T ~
nine when it came to the matter of mental
accomplishment. He played a part in an
imprOvised orchestra: he prayed and play
ed off dead: he showed that he knows right
and left, and altogether exhibited such a
surprising knowledge of everything he at
tempted as to completely win over the au-
dence to him. The Angela Sisters in their
songs and whistling solos are two very clev-
er entertainers. Besides being decidedly
pretty they both have melodious voices. for
which they use good judgment in selecting
songs which are within their best capabili-
ties. The Dresden trio in their one-act
operetta, the Queens Fam" made de-
cided hit. 1t is one Of the most unique acts
ever seen here. The Columbian Four pre-
sent a musical sketch which takes in wide
range of novelties and proved very enter
tanning to the audience. The program clos
es with a comic and athletic sketch by Leo
and Chapman, who do some very clever
work on the horizontal bar.
ACADEMY OF MUSIC.-"The White
Heather is decidedly stronger as q scenic
production than as a melodrama, and the
effort has received the stamp of approval
from Washington audience The stamp.
too, was loud and emphatic, for it emanated
last evening from an assemblage that
crowded the Academy of Music to the very
walls, down stairs as well in the gallery.
Although the story of THE White
Heather" based on the villainous noble
man. who secretly weds a girl in the mid
die walks of life, and who, afterward, for
the sake of securing a fortune, repudiates
his wife and their child. has been heard of
before, almost every remark of every in
dividual on the stage was the signal for
an outburst of rapturous applause. The
struggle of the wife to prove her marriage
with the nobleman is watched in every de-
tail with intense interest, and the mere
appearance of the vilainous husband
brought forth Kisses, long drawn out
Truthfully there is really nothing extraor-
dinary about the plot 1t Is an ordinary
story, with no pretense of dramatic origi-
nality or ingenuity. The climaxes are not
such to warrant the heart increasing
it's action to any very noticeable extent
But it has the merit of being pleasingly
free from "ha-has!' "hists!' 80 you defy
met and similar stereotyped melodrama
phrases. To be sure, Oh mer'