The evening times., 1899-02-25
THINGS THEATRICAL.

Before one of the largest and least re-
quiring assemblies of the season E. IL.
Sothern presented Grace Livingston Fur
Mss and Abby Sage Richardson's "A Co
lonial Girl''-alias "A Shilling's Worth"
last night at the Lafayette Square Opera
House. Despite the charitable inclinations
of the crowd applause was limited and
uncertain; there was no speech demanded
from the star and no curtain calls were
asked Of the company. The presentation
was not a great success.
"A Colonial Girl shares the common
fault of all costume plays-artifciality II
has also the added demerits of stilted me-
chanicalism and thorough improbabiiity.
Few of the characters or the incidents
are convincing: and, this. though the au-
thors have discarded the artistic methods
| OF suggestion and naturalness for the less
| admirable ones of broad narration ana
doubtful verify. Some OF the episodes are
amusing, but more are merely blatant,
while the whole production is notable Tor
its lack of originality, its exaggeration
| and its puerility.
| Mr. Sothern appears in a role not un-
like that which he assumed in The Ad-
venture of Lady Ursula" and fails to
! score heavily His principal support Is
afforded by Morton Selten, {. T. FLOCK
ton. owen Fawcett, Rowland Blackstone
| Arthur R. Lawrence Marshall Stedman,
| Roydon Erlynne Katherine Florence. he
becca Warren, and Eleapor Carr. The Two
scenes shown are entirely adequate
| Digby Bell is by no means an unknown
quantity to the patrons OF the drama
| Justly praised and admired for his i'm
presentations in the days when comic
opera bore some semblance OF legitimacy,
| he was equally Landed for his courage IN
severing his connection with that style
| of entertainment when 1t descended TO
the level of buffoonery; and his career
since that time has been watched with no
slight curiosity by people interested In
things theatrical. That be has agreeabiy
disappointed those who could think of him
only as a funmaker and justified the good
opinion of the friends who urged him TO
the step is a matter for congratuiatlon.
The memory OF his performance OF the
| gentle. tender-hearted Julius Willow in
| ''The Hoosier Doctor" still fingers and the
| opportunity to see this clever actor in a
new role will be eagerly grasped by all
who witnessed that admirable production.
Mr.. Bell returns to Washington next
| week to the Columbia in a play by Mrs.
| Frances Hodgson Burnett, known to
amusement lovers as the author of Little
Lord Fauntleroy" and "A Lady OF Quail
ity." The piece is described as being a
romantic comedy drama Its title is Joe
| Hurst-Gentleman." and its attractive
powers will probably prove great.
What is said to be the most tuneful and
melodious of the Augustin DAILY importa-
tions comes to the Lafayette Square next
| week in the form of "A Runaway Girl
The comedy has enjoyed long run both
in London and in the Fifth Avenue inca
ire New York, to which place 1t was reie-
| Gated after the discovery had been made
that it's popularity was likely to outlast the
omen time at Dalys. An admirable cast,
which includes the versatile and inimitabie
| Jimmy Powers, will be seen in the produc-
tion. The sale of seats opened Thursday
and has progressed so satisfactorily that
| all doubts regarding the nature OF the
| business to be done mere py the altractioH
are now at an end.
There are twenty-one people in May
Irwin's company, which will be seen next
week at the National Theatre, only five of
| whom are men. Evidently the buXom star
| is partial to her own sex. 1t is said TO be
one of her greatest ambitions to have none
but the most charming women around ner
and to have them elegantly and fashiona-
bly gowned This year the organization is
and the costumes are mentioned as rehect-
ing all that is best and most attractive
In the latest London, Paris, and New York
modes. Even though the feminine and
masculine element in the troupe were re-
yersed it is still probable that the former
would dominate, for no amount OF male
humor could put into the shade the unc-
tuousness and keen wit of Miss Irwin.
| One of the most realistic effects employ
| ed In modern meodrama is that shown by
Thomas E. Shea in The Man, War s
Man" The scene occurs in the plays las'
| act and shows in detail battle between
two fleets, with the flashes of the guns, ths
maneuvres of the ships, the damage done
| to rigging and upper works, and many
other minute matters of interest. Though
| entirely secondary to the excellent worf
of Mr.. Shea in the title role of the pieci
This mimic warfare probably attract;
more attention than anything else ant
creates the greatest enthusiasm nightly
Eycepting for Thursday, when 'Tht
ReIls'' will be given, and for Tuesday an(
Saturday evenings when DIR. Jekyll ant
Mr.. HYDE holds the boards, The Man
wars Man" will be done all next wesk a
the Academy.
The electric lights on top of the Grant
Onera. House will blaze forth again OF
! Monday night after a week OF darkness a
that house. and Managers Burke & Chas
, will return to the vaudeville season which
they have SO successfully inauguratsd
! The bill to be offered is headed by John
t Rice and Sallie Cohen, who will presen
Herbert Hall Winslow's promising sketch
''Our Honeymoon They will be preced
ed and followed on the programme b.
Mile. Titenia, toe dancer; the Kleis
Brothers, who term themselves "electrica
mystiiers;" the Raudalles, acrobatic dis