The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-13
INCIDENTS IN STAGELAND.
,orIs JAMES PROVIDES a NEW NOE
tCRES FOR 1.-THE RITILS."

,,.-tI,n', Comedy Has Also n Fresh Fol-
layer VI Mrs. Drew 80 tho Misspoken
Wr.. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS of Mirthless
T,,,e.ty Not Overcome by Sam bernard.
Gonna Of tho theatrical experts who went
4. ,.e The Rivals" performed at the
C.,,d Opera House by the James Kiddor-
uo,,ord Company last evening guessed di-
r.,,o,y "A to how Mr.. James would play Bob
,r,. They felt sure enough that Mr. Han
,.rd would no a very solidly mature Captain
tb,ol,ts, a rather ponderously gallant lover.
hr, An aiherent to the conventions OF the
.6,s They thought 1t n safe prediction
,h.t Miss Kidder. with her tallness.
.nd other points OF personality. would
,sno,ely suggest caricature OF LYDIA
T,nop.h yet would enact her quite In the
morner fixed by usage. But wo4id the more
.o,,,tile Mr.. James go back to the old-time
,,d Individually correct way OF making Bob
.r.,ic lout and pumpkin. as We used to see him
:, w,,rock's? Or would he follow the later
.,or,,ls Of tho prosperous Mr.. Jefferson, and
,nrn the fellow into no less comic but
,woo,hed and refined coward? VOL. he was
.srs,rly JeTrrsuuan "a no was able to be.
T,ts,oIl that the late John Gilbert was asked.
,f,r having seen Mr.. Jefferson In Tho Hi
y,s" what liza thought OF the performance.
"r vas the most entertaining Acres l ever
saw" was the reply. and Sheridan twenty
,,i,es away" Mr. James was nearer to JET
I,r.,, than he was to Sheridan but about fifty
niles away from Jefferson. He initiated the
p,a,,f tbe comedians as closely as he could
Ip,w,s s,ill far IN He dressed tho same and.
ry, hin. rut nothing rustic into his makeup.
rn, ro,ure had forbidden a likeness. He
,.so,ad the humor OF the challenge and the
Wit NJ 1efYarSOn's meth-
nI corying his tricks Of speech and motion.
.rI adort.ng hls alterations OF the text Cbe-
sides ipterpoating some jokes of his own.
and others from the Wallack low comedians)
I'm, never with that inimitabs suOtlety OF
t.r which Mr. jefferson is master Of. In that
r,.r.ct he was rather less successful than Nat
r,,lviu had been so this was not the hap
,irst o' Mr. Jamas's dramatic ventures. which
mr.. usually excellent. for he is an ably versa
,nr artist. Nevertheless. he amused his audi
rg,e 10 a considerable portion Of which The
Rivals" seemed new. There was better
copIi,t on the stage in the person 81 Mrs.
yondrnh. who got Trrl goT lain, sG sh ali the
point. as ke"nly aud b.aring the inevitable
COMPARISON remarkably wei. wo veterans.
Harry Langion and John \; kHsier. were sal.
i.far,ory as Sir. 4ntIonU and Dnrid, The rest
1.-THE east ran dow ward into worthIessness.
Sam Bnrnari suggests wei inc ueIlu1e IMAM
ner u Ida Conquest in a hurlesque OF The
Tyranny of Tears Incidental to the extrava-
CANA at the New York. But he is different in
some important wavs. Miss Conquest does
not for instance make her hrst entrance in a
folding bed which is the means that reveals
Mr. bernard 1t is this bed, disguised as a
bookcase. which makes the trouble in this per-
version OF lladdon Chambers comedy. The
husband is Just as distressed as the weep
ing wife over the discovery that his sec
Rotary sleeps in the drawing room. although
she protests that she sleeps standing, with
the bed carefully locked. and nobody knowing
decentralization. But tho wife. in the person OF
Fay Tempeton. wings dripping tears out OF
herhandkerchief. with he excuse that she was
not refrain from wsering. Miss Templeton
looks mountainous in white gown trim m ed
with fur and emphasizes no acuteness OF those
managers who put into her contract n clause
requiring that she shall train down to a GER
tain weight The =, disturbing friend
family is heard1. OF first in the burles1ue after
Is in the original play. But his employment
here ia different, sam Bernard looks through
the doorway All. there he Is. in the garden
picking cheese" cries Bernard. and that Is q
iample Of the average wit. Rather better 10 the
remark Of the wife: Il am not your type
writer, and you shall not dictate to me-"
baby is treated moro IN the style OF pantomim 9
stage and finally reaches resting place in the
folding bed. The burlesqus provokes so litte
laughter that it will be discarded at the end oil
the week