The times., 1899-11-16
THINGS THEATRICAL.

THINGS THEATRICAL.
A singular circumstance in connection
with Mile. Fla, which a Brady & Zieg-
field company is to present next week at
the Columbia, is the fact that the story
while rIsque and saucy in the, extreme, does
not treat Of marital inddelities or unpleas-
antnesses. Following a series of farces in
which every character, from the footman
to the lord and master, had on hand his
or her little affair" this distinction should
prove to be Of interesting consequence.
The plot Of Mile Fif' deals with a de-
voted couple-a couple unfortunately, as
much in debt as in love. The wife's mother
an exceedingly wealthy individual has ar
ranged that her daughter shall have no por-
tion of her fortune until either death or
divorce has robbed the young woman of her
husband. Driven to desperation, the pair
decide to separate temporarily in order to
free themselves Of their obligations. To
do this the man writes d letter to a former
sweetheart Mile Fiji, and places it where
the mOneyed member of the family may see
it. But a sCheming outsider takes the
epistle TO the aforesaid Mile. Fiji, the result
being a visit from the lady that interrupts
the comedy being enacted and brings mat
ters to serious point From this, COM
plications multiply until the last act. The
play admittedly is ingenious, and should
make an emphatic hit when presented by
such people as are Aubrey BCuCicault, Marie
Wainwright, Alice Judson, Jeanette
Lowry, Thomas n. Burns Dore Davidson,
E. Lovat Frazer, and Charlotte Mortimer.
Something like year ago one of Charles
Frohman's agents. in securing Europe for
dramatic material came across a farce
being performed at the Theatre des Nou-
veautes. in Paris, The piece was the work
Of Georges Feydeau, who wrote The Gay
Parsians" and seemed so amusing to the
American representative that negotiations
for its sale were entered into at once.
/ Ultimately. the offering was brought 10
the United States and, under the title of
The Girl From Maxim S, " was introduced
as the opening attraction at the Criterion.
/ The Girl made an instantaneous hit and
! was kept on the stage in Gotham for sew
] eral months-in brief. until Julia Mar
/ loves engagement in Barbara Frietchie"
could be postponed no longer. Then play
and players were taken on the road. fol-
/ lowing a week in Harlem with other profit
! able provincial appearances. Audiences
were large; the critics almost unanimous
! In their praise of the comedy As was to
/ have been expected with a company which
included Josephine Hall, w. ]. Fergh-
/ son. Alfred Klein, Lewis Baker, Joseph
/ Allen Robert Hickman Paul McAHister.
/ Gertrude Witty Mamie Forbes, Florence
/ Gerard Mayme Realty, and Caroline Star
/ buck. there was nothing but commentator
Z for the cast. This pleasant series of well
J comes probably will be extended so that
it will cover next weeks booking OF The
/ Girl From MaXim's'' at the National II
advance requests for seats may be taken
as an indication. there can be no doubt
about the aforesaid extension.
After Williams and Walker have left the
city and, incidentally, the Grand Opera
House, the managers of that theatre will
return to their earlier system of securing
vaudeville bills. The first of the new series
is announced for next week and includes
a number Of performers CT such ability
that its entertaining quality can be in
very little doubt. Neil Burgess, who starred
successfully in The County Fair" The
Widow Pod" and the yenturesome The
Year One" to whose credit may be laid
the device for the reproduction Of horse
/ races that will be utilized in Ben Hur, -
is the principal among these Mr. Burgess
will be seen in a condensation Of his first
/ triumph The Widow Bedot'' in which
presentation he will be assisted by com
pany Of three persons. Gerald Griffin
whose work in farcial fields has won him
considerable prominence, will assume sec
ond place, offering a comedetta dubbed
Silence is Golden Jack Marshall S
"NewsbOy Quintette" has been advertised
as another feature, while the remainder OF
| the programme Will bear the names OF
| Billy Link, black-faced comedian, Adele
Puryis Onri, who, despite her cognOmen, is
not Latin motto but globe roller and
! dancer; Doherty's White Poodles, beasts OF
exceptional intelligence; Maddox and
Wayne, a fun-making duo, and the manip.
ulators Of the American biogTaph, the best
Of the moving picture machines. This
combination should provide performances
Of most interesting order, and next week
probably Will be big one at the Grand.
vaudeville SHOW" and farce COM
edy together is "McFadden's Row OF
Tats''-or, at least the press agent says
so. The piece which viii be done on
Monday evening at the Academy, has been
offered here before and on each occasion
is declared to have left an excellent i'm
preston. It is not an especially coherent
effort and no claim ever has been made
for it in such a direction but that it con-
tains the proyocatiOn for score of hearty
laughs is ayerred sincerely by all who
have any connection with the combination
The edition of 'McFadden's Row o
Flats" being used at present is described
as an entirely new one. Not only doe!
this description apply to the material il
the play, which has been completely re-
written and reconstructed. but also to tht
scenery, costumes, and accessories.
number Of clever specialists compose tht
greater portion of the cast among thes,
being Thomas and Quinn handlers of Hi
bernian humor The Four EmperoTs o
Music" whose turn is mentioned "a
consisting of novelties; Lizzie Conway
serio-comic; Charles A. Morgan mono
logist; Harry Watson, the tramp bicyclist
Bobby Ralston, the laughabe dwarf, Net
tie De Coursey, W. A. Robinson, Charlie
Saunders, and others. Entertainers lik
these should be able to do much with an.
vehicle In their hands SO clever a fare
as "McFadden's Row Of Flats" is suppose
to be made wholly extraordinary. Seat
20 on sale this morning
Those among Washington students VIII
have been accustomed 10 spending a portio
OF their seasons in New York will prob
ably remember that in the winter of 9
distinct impression was made in the ar
tistic and social circles OF the metropoli
nv vouup actor named I0hn blair VIII