The times., 1899-03-02
THINGS THEATRICAL.

The Columbia Theatre offers its patrons
n new farce next week in j. J. Rosenthal's S |
production of Browns in Town" The |
play comes very well recommended from .
a short tour in the West. where its indie /
fatigable manager has been putting the |
finishing touches to his Offering. Mark L. |
Swan is the author of the comedy, which |
is commended for its cleanness, rapidity /
OF action. brightness of dialogue. and nov
city of development. The story is said to
be fresh and unconventional. and deals +
only with interesting young people.
Chief among these are Dick and Lefty /
Preston. two young people who have been
secretly married and who are trying to /
conceal the fact from Dicks father. OF /
course the old gentleman appears on D.!
scene of fancicd security. Dick is living /
under the name of Brown. and the family /
takes a friend OF the family for this vision |
ary parsonage and Lefty for his wife. On |
his arrival the son has arranged with a
Suzanne DacTe to act as Mrs. Brown and ;
this eventually leads to the discovery on
the part of the father that there are two
Mrs. Browns, which keeps him in whiT
of excitement fer the three acts required
to unravel the tangled sken of events.
A new type introduced by Mr.. Swan in
his comedy is that of colored servant
girl with advanced ideas. and another is II
German heiress with tangled dialect and
firm belief in the existence of her affin-
ity. For the role of the cook lady" Mr..
Rosenthal has engaged Belle Davis, whose
fame as an interpreter of coon" songs is
wide both in Europe and America. The
entire cast IS a notable one, embracing
many Washington fayorites. among whom
are James o. Barrows and John Iancas-
wi ha hni
clever work with the late stock company;
Anna Belmont and Kathryn Osterman. who
helped to make What Happened to Jones'
a success; Josie Sadler. Mark E. Swan. the
author; Edward Pland, Mark Smith, and
others.
Reports from other cities in which Grant
Stewards comedy, Mistakes Will Happen
has been presented credit the piece with
being one of the most amusing seen in
recent years besides stating that it is
clean from beginning to end. AT the pres
ent time many dramas and farces that ( re
almost depraved in their moral tone are
being foisted on the public. for the utmost
license appears to have been given the
playwright and TO have been taken by the
producer. Mistakes Will Happen is said
TO tell a very funny story and to keep the
auditors in roars of laughter from the
first until the final curtain. The work
deals with stage folk and all the errors
come out of complications which arise from
the efforts of an actor-author and his
young wife to find hacker for the Offering
which the husband has written. The pre-
senting company is an exceptionally strong
one. being headed by Charles Dickson and
Henrietta Crosman. and including Carrie
Behr. Ethel Knight Mollison. Adah Eckart.
Charles Harbery. Ben Bean. and Franklin
Garland. Mistakes VIII Happen comes
to the Lafayette Square Opera House next
week under the management of Jacob
Lift.
Washington liked Secret Service and
its clever author William Gillette, and its
well balanced cast of players last year
liked them with an ardor such as this city
has rarely ever shown for any other dra-
matte Offering. Consequently it is proba-
bic that Mr.. Gillette and his associates will
find when they come into local view again
on Monday night at the National Theatre
that Secret Service is still as much a
favorite as it was season ago-and per-
haps even more so, for the piece is a
wartime one. and since it left here some
things have happened which have sharpen
ed public interest in all such offerings.
Secret Service" is full of tension-t is
one dramatic situation which gives rise
TO several overwhelming climaXes. but
which holds tightly from beginning to end
not cease with the fall of the curtain. Full
of incident changeful in situation, sound
ing lighter or heavier chords beneath all
the work chants to broad disapason of civil
strife. and the noble and stormy elements
il brought TO the surface. The recent con-
fict with Spain, if not so terrible in its
grandeur as was the rebellion at least en-
lightened the younger generation to bet
ter appreciation of tire bravery. the sac
rifices, the suffering, and heartaches of war
times. And certain it is that no play ever
written has pictured these outgrowths OF
international strife with such graphic real
ism and convincing intensity as does
Secret Service"
That Manager Charles Frohman has not
changed the personnel OF the company
which was seen here last year will be a
matter of qualification TO those who
! joyed the fine work of Mr.. Gillette and his
companions. Among members of the sup
| port whose names will be recalled with
| pleasant memory are Campbell Gollln,
Walter Thomas Joseph Brennan. II. d.
| James. NJ. l.. Alsop, Charles Crosby. Sara
Perry. Hope Ross, Ida Waterman, Alice
| Leigh, and Dallas Tyler.
| An inviting bill is being arranged for next
week at the Grand Opera House. where
| diences have been SO large during the last
| few days as to assure Managers Burke and
which their theatre was held by the mem-
bers of woman's convention did not hurt
| them in the least. The greater part of the
public is amusement seeking and it has
| demonstrated dozens OF times that when
| pleasing entertainments are offered their
! directors may be sure of liberal patronage.
| Small disadvantage seems to have little
effect under such conditions, and so one
may predict excellent business for the Sc
ries of twelve performances beginning
| Monday. The stellar place on the pro-
! gramme is to be assumed By Mr.. and Mrs.
! Sidney Drew. members of a family that
has become prominent in this country =
theatrical affairs. Both will be remeni-
bered for their work while starring in "a
Bachelors Baby" and both should have no
difficulty in satisfying the most fastidious.
Maude Courtney. who sings the old songs -
is also to be featured, and Wa berti will ia
troduce, with the assistance of his trottHg
horse, circus act the stage. Then
Helen Tuesart. formerly with Bice's
Monte Carlo" company. will be heard in
several selections Of a light order Mayme
Gerhue is to dance; the Three Renos in
troduce some novel acrobatic feats, and
T. ]. Farron brings the performance to an
end with monologue. Seats go on sale
this morning.
Augustus Cooke long the Napoleon of
Madame Sans Gene" and Jennie Saterler
an actress of prominence, head the cast
TO be seen next week al the Academy in
London Life" This production has been
very favorably received everywhere and is
really said to possess an abundance of mer-