Evening star., 1899-04-11

acters It deals with religion in many
parts, and In the. hands of incompetent
persons might soeA develop into the sim
plest. weakest ofstyenicles. The Frawley
Company plays the piece right up to the
standard, however, and the work of the
principals is worthy the highest commenda-
tion Mr.. Clarke gets all the humor possi-
bic out of Judge Peter Guerney Knox,
a past era and unsIble To catch up with the
present. His love affairs and fears of being
the possessor of q cork, limb upon wedding
his true love. furnish the audience with
pleasing background tor the more somber
story Of the plays It is quaint, lovable
character, and Nj. Clarke fits into it like
a glove. Georgia W. elles is a. little girl
tired OF dolls and ready for beaux. She,
too, has an amusing love affair with Alec
Robinson In the person of Alfred Hickman.
Miss Welles is bright gind jolly, bit of a
girl, who plays with esfrnestness and natu-
ralness John E. Kellerd, whose Svengali
The Charity Ball. as John Van Buren,,
the rector of ST. Miidred's. He ia forceful
and dignified at all times. Myron Calice
Is the erring brother Dick. Harry Gwyn-
ette as Franklin Kruger failed to make the
impression of the others. Geoffrey Stein
has a small part this week, giving him but
little opportunity. Miss Johnson is Ann
Kruger, loving and charitable at all times.
MISS johnson won many friends. by her
conscientious work, and wtllabe strong
favortte before the end of thesweek. Miss
Van Buren aas Phyllis Lee in inclined to
sob t1Iifie too much in her speech Hers
Is difhcuM role,l however, and she will
improve In it. Geo. CASTOR, Frank Mathieu
Mrs. F. M. Bates, Ada Levick, Marie Baarin-
ger and several others have places in THE
Charity Ball. all being acceptable. The pro-
auction went with g. vim and was received
with enthusiasm, curtain calls being n,-
merous after each act. The audience was
thoroughly pleased and the F1aNley Com
pany Will be more talked about than ever.
Nv Etvlr 1cHy n,y,x,
trip to Europe to the person holding the
greatest number of paid reserved seat cou-
pons for the months of April and May
Next week the company will do Ala
bama."
ACADEMY OF MUsIC.-standing room
only was the verdict of the box office to the
late comers at the Academy of Music last
night -Devifs Island,'' melodrama, by
Verda de Mole and Arthur Hall, was being
presented to Washington audience for the
hrst time. The play is founded upon the
famous Dreyfus case, which has convulsed
all france. That the interest felt across
the water finds an echo in America was
demonstrated last night, and there was no
ooubt as to the convictions of the people
upon Dreyfus' innocence. The play as pro-
duced by James H. Wallick discloses at the
outset villainous plot to wreck the career
of an innocent officer of the French army,
Captain De la Tour. who is supposed to be
the prototype of Dreyfus. The audience
being taken into the confidence of the play
wright early in the game follow the un-
foding of the plot with appreciative inter-
est. Russian countess and Prince Boris
OrloH are the schemers at first, but the
countess is later able to save the life of
the man whose downfall she is Instrumental
in causing.
"A young American millionaire and a New
York newspaper reporter are the instru-
ments to effect the release of the prisoner
of Devils Island, which is done with the
ald OF submarine boat and due scenic
accessories. amid the enthusiasm of the
duolenee. The play -aboundS in catchy pa
trlotlc sentiments, which are duly applaud
ed, and in declarations of virtue While
the plot is sufficiently Interesting the lines
petray a paucity IN some portions of the
play which no amount of good acting could
pad out. The cast is sufficient for the lines
and the work, in the opinion of the au-
dience, as the kissing of the villain and
the appiaud1ng OF the good people demon
strate. The cast of characters is as fol-
lows: Maurice de la Tour captain in the
French army, Leander Blanden; George
Maxwell, special correspondent of the New
York Hustler, under the name of Silver
Pen. j. H. Wa1iick; Prince Boris Oroff
of the foreign legation, Howard Truesdell;
General Regaud, head of the war depart
ment Emile La Crofx; Victor ,Duvernay,
lieutenant in the French army, Carlton
Wells; Oscar Astor of Chioago's 400 Ed
ward Ames; Tony Pons, secretary of the
prince, and a would-he leader, of the So
eial revolution, Tony West; NJ. Zola, Frank
army, Charles Hayne Corporal LIE France
OF the French army Joseph Edmonston;
Pierre and Francois, French students
Harry Wheeler and M. Delameter: Ana
tole, servant of the general M. Haines; Ba,
betto Follfot, from the country. Mary Null
len: Gay Huntresa. an American heiress
and friend of Pauline, Christie MacI.ean;
Elizabeth Atherton Randolph special cor
respondent of the New York Whirlwind. un-
der the name of Patty Pry'' Dorothy.
Rossmore; Pauline de Ia Tour wife of Maui
rice. and niece of General Regaud. Cora
Macy; Countess Nina Petrovsky. Emily
Rigl.
WILLARD HALL-SantaneIi who
claims to be master of hypnotism and
who has reduced hypnotism to a basis of
common sense, opened the second week of
his engagement here with a series of de-
cidedly interesting experiments last even
ing at Willard Hall. A dozen or more vol
unteers mounted the stage at the call of
the hypnotist, and for more than two hours
they obeyed his will accomplishing a Sc
ries OF feats that bordered on the marvel
ous Santanelli works with an ease that
is unprecedented in public exhibitions of
hypnotlsm in this city. There Is not the
slightest hesitation in obeying the most
minute details of his instructions on the
part of the subjects. Among the most ef-
1ectlVe OF the experiments were what were
designated living statuary" The hypnot-
lst caused his subjects to take part In some
action, and in the midst of the same pro-