Omaha daily bee., 1899-10-01

tention OF local theatergoers-and every one
else for that matter-during the last week
and while the theaters enjoyed liberal pa
tronage from visitors attending the festivi-
tics, the different managers express them
selves as being much pleased that Ak-Sar-
Ben week Is thing OF the past. They now
expect the season to at once assume its nor
NAL conditions. Quite a rare opportunity
was offered theater-go during the first
half Of the week, which unfortunately was
not taken advantage OF to any great extent.
IL was the first presentation in Omaha OF
j. j. Rosenthal's new farce comedy, Dear
Old Charley" 1t Is not often that Omaha
theater- goers have a chance to see a sue
cessful new play the same season 1t is given
It's first eastern production.
Dear Old Charley" was criticised rather
harshly by the Chicago papers when 1t was
first produced there early in September but
the pruning knife has been used to good ad-
vantage since that time AS given here It
was one of the best farces seen in this city
for several seasons The plot is abs Jlutely
novel, and the lines and situations are re-
plete with humor and full Of action. The
idea is entirely new and every minute of
the farce is enjoyable. 1t was presented by
company frst-class from the gentleman
who took the small part OF the manservant
up to the leading characters.
At the Boyd the latter half of the week
David Higgins and his pretty little story Of
the Tennessee mountains, which he calls
AT Piney Ridge" was the attraction. It
Is one OF the best pieces of its kind ever
written, and was particularly well played
and staged.
At the Orpheum one Of the best bills of
the season was offered. while at the Troca-
dero the stock opera company gave a pleas
ing production of Lecocq's comic opera
"Girofle- Girofla."
For the coming week there is not much
that would stir the enthusiasm or anticipa-
tion OF theatergoers. Owing to the cancella-
tion OF Augustus Thomas play, Arizona"
which was booked for the first four nights
OF the week Boyd's theater will be dark
until Thursday night, when "At Gay Coney
Island" will be the offering for an entire
week following. The fact that the "Ari-
zona" dates were cancelled will be a dis
appointment, as this, the latest OF Mr..
Thomas writings, is said to be his very
best. The play has enjoyed an entire sum
mer's run in Chicago, and started on
q tour of the southern and western country
only few weeks ago. here was such
demand for 1t in Chicago, however, that the
road dates were all cancelled, and the COM
pany returned to the Windy city for
five weeks run. 1t will, however, be seen
In Omaha later in the season.
At the Orpheum the usual vaudeville bill
will be forthcoming, while the Trocadero
Opera company will sing Audran's comic
,pera, "Olivette."
]. j. Rosenthal, owner OF "Dear Old
Charley" and who has produced more sue
cessful farce comedies than any other
theatrical manager of today with the ex-
ception Of Charles s. Hoyt, was in Omaha
with his attraction last week, and talked
very freely upon theatrical things generally.
He ie constantly on the lookout for some
thing new in the farce line and reads hun
dreds Of plays of this kind yearly. In re-
gard to his vocation he said: 'I am going
TO write book about farces. I have writ
ten one book already, and 1t made quite
hit. Perhaps the next one won't, you can't
always tell. / think shall call 1t little
compendium what to avoid and what to
look for in farces. have been delving in
farces to such an extent of late that feel
farcifed through and through 1t will be
a guide to would be spectators in farces
to writer's of farces, to players of farces and
to producers Of farces. Incidentally 1t may
do you think of the idea? 1t will be a COM
plote catalogue of farcical characters in al
phabetical array, each one tagged and
labeled with the appropriate jokes, situa-
tions, gags and business inherent to the
character. So when a farce writer makes
up his mind to write farce he will run
trippingly through my compendium, for The
Ready Farce Writer will pick out his char
actes, group them and assort to each one
ALL
puns, situations and complications; set on
a slow fire and stir constantly, as the cook
book says, then divide into three equal
parts, season with a dash Of vaudeville and
the latest things from the comic weeklies
to bring 1t up to date; provide cake walk
or the equivalent in popularity for the time
being as a finale for the weakest act, and
there you are; serve It hot, with plenty OF
ginger and a sprinkling Of spice, and heaven
help the public! Don't you think all writer's
OF farces will want them? II they do, and
] am not looking for any other trade Just
now, as there is not printing house in
the country which could supply them fast
enough II these gentry would all come to
the front. shall quit exploiting farces and
60 to cutting coupons. have had an even
thousand farcee submitted to me within the
last three months Just because newspaper
man said in a two-line paragraph that /
was on the lookout for a new farce for
next season."
Last week was a rather dull one theat-
rically, In New York, as far as new produc-
tions were concerned. There was only one
TO which the critics gave more than pass
ing mention. This was farce comedy en-
titled, "a Stranger In Strange Land" and
Il was handled rather roughly by all the
critics, as will be seen by the following ex-
tracts OF notices clipped from the Herald.
Times and Post respectively:
Nothing stranger than "A Stranger IN
n Strange Land has been sprung upon
New York this autumn. 1t opened the
regular season at the Manhattan, though |
1t was rather better adapted to close |
1t. 1t was pretty poor sort of stun, this
Anglo American farce, in which there |
was more noise than wit, and in which |
the farcical entanglements We're loosened |
by a series of violent dramatic blasts |
that were exploded at FREQUENT intervals |
during the evening. Can You imagine a |
Martinetti or Ravel pantomime plot pro
vided with dialogue? Well, that's the |
sort of farce" that "A Stranger in a
I'm these days of clever, sparkling,
merry little plays, this sort of thing |
Won't do and though rough and ready |
sort OF fun does we'll enough perhaps over |
some road" routes, New York has too |
keen a sense of genuine wit and hrmor |
10 Nnd farces of this kind to its taste,