Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-11-13
AMusEMENTs.

AMUsEMENTS.
COLUMBIA THEATER.-'Star and Gar
ter" q vaudeville farce by John J. Mo
Nally, introducing the August family ana
presented by Frank McKee's comedy COM
pany. bids for the consideration OF the pa
irons of the Columbia this week. Were "
not for the assurance of Mr.. McNally's au-
thorship one might be forgiven the assump-
ton that. like Topsy. it Just growed." II
is a dramatic melange with some rhyms
and no reason bound together Win cnoFos
Of music. Built on the Casino plan, II
manages to fill three hours. more or less.
with Responsibilities punctured with nimy
petticoats and teaming with ugnts. Aaeei
the first twenty minutes 1t 10 apparent that
the author considers anything axe plo'
a needless handicap. The only clew a Sher-
lock Holmes would have to work on IN GUS
covering its motive Is that some one mas
left an enormous estate, and in order TO
show the legatees what terrible thlns
spendthrift is they are required by the pro-
visions of the will to squander fabulous
sums Of money in a ridiculously short space
of time. To this end the Star and Garter
restaurant is purchased and tramp EN-
pioyed to parade before the establishment,
bearing a placard on which is INSCRIBED
Il eat here" This it Is hoped, Will drive
away custom and diss- pate the fortune:
The wonder is that the author did not ieao
his "spenders' to the race track at the out
SET instead of in the last act, until II Is
remembered that the Star ana carter
was written around the vaudeViie act Vi
the August family of jugglers and a restau-
rant is their favor-te pace wherein 10 jug
gie They fill tie first half of the SECOND
act with flying dishes, siik-shaded banquet
lamps, cigars and silk mats, chairs anu
tables, apples and oranges. ana VINO up
with a grand cyclonic erect lnVoiVihs
everyth ng on the stage that Is not naleo
down. The latter part of the second act is
given over to Marie Cahill. Otis Harlan and
t-k, no w
a most enjoyable feature of the production;
Their burlesquing of David Han UNI ana
Richard Carver' is unusually clever. otis
Harlan has not reformed bit. he IS as
ragtiIne and aggressive as OF OLD, TO the en-
tire satisfaction of the audience. Joseph
Coyne Is an easy comedian OF quiet put
effective methods, with taient LOT max ne
a very little nglng voice go a long us Us
lance Miss Cahill performs her part ac-
ceptably and sings some catching songs IN
dainty manner.
The scene of the third act is laid at the
Morris Park race track with suen De- e.
Jockeys and stable boys Morris Park ought
to do well. In addition there Is swarm
Ct golden-winged frefiies, who execute an
easy and graceful ballet in the PADDOCK 10
the blinking of myriads of tiny e.ectrlc
lights concealed beneath gauze drapery.
The cast s large and the ch)Iu uses sp lgnt-
ly and pleasing. Thornton Cole makeup
Is like a bad dream: John q. SPARKS does d
sporty, horse-owning Irishman: Name GI-
roy has little to do. but she looks the part;
and everybody else is all That is car Gu
for them. The show is decidedly unique ara
its enjoyment is largely a matter of indi-
vdual taste.
NEW NATIONAL THEATER.-A we'll
presented comedy was the attraction at
the New National Theater last night, when
Daniel Frohman's New York stock COM
pany appeared in THE Ambassador The
applause was frequent and the enjoyment
OF no
Of the strongest that New York has sent
out 1t needs the buoyancy which the
name of Frohman lends 70 keep 1t above
the level of the ordinary in AFFAIRS OF the,
pen of the gifted lady whose name Is 80
largely made up Of punctuation marks,
John Oliver Hobbies (Mrs. Craigie). 1t
Is bit of literary masquerading in which
Mr.. J. o. Hobbies swaggers with a brusque
cynicism toward the fair sex which Mrs.
Craigie could not consistently approve
There Is constant surface ripple OF
repartee through the piece, but the under
current of thought is shallow. In seeking
to invest her hero with Overpowering fasc1-
nations, John Oliver Hobbies tMrs. Graf
gie) makes him Just trifie absurd. All
the world loves a lover. but there is GER
whom all femininity bows down like wind
swept lilies-possibly because he never ex-
lists except in his own imagination.
1.-The Ambassador is a middle aged man
who talks like G. Bernard Shaw's plays.
and diplomacy being quiet just at that
tin1er has no occupation save TO tell ladies'
who wish to fall in love with him that
they really mustn't Such enterprises are
awkward at best and 1t must be said that
the ambassador, as played by John Mas n.
is as gentlemaply as 1t is possible to be I'M
der such circumstances. The dramatic in
tereSt is left to depend largely on the fact
that so blase a man should ever truly fall
in love with anybody. 1t is foregone con-
clusion that the sweet. innocent ri whom
he selects will reciprocate his affection. He
is an epidemic. What C Institutes his pecu-
lar attraction is a mystery-unless it is in
he large red scraf which distinguishes him
a member of the diplomatic corps. Mr..
Mason plays the part in an easy and
graC eful manner, but without giving 1t any
distinctive quality. His character like the
rest, seems like an illustration for a bit of
literature, whose sole purpose is the eVolu-
ton of sparkling sentences rather than
vital creation. Rhoda Cameron has very
& cd part as the French woman, Princess
Vendramini, and plays it we'll Hlda Spong
plays a responsible role with good effect,
and Elizabeth Tyree has one of those droll
parts which leave the audience In doubt
as to whether she is exceedingly clever,
Just natural" The aud ence was a very
large one. and the iridescent flow of wit
in the dialogue was followed with unmis-
taxable appreciation.
LAFAYETTE SQUARE OPERA HOUSE.
Blanche Bates adds another distinctive
ready long list Of dramatic honors. for last
night she carried to magnificent success
the Lafayette Square stock company's pro-
duction of Augustin Days adaptation Of
1.-The Last Word 1t was Miss Bates
and the company throughout the very
artistic performance, and not the company
with Miss Bates" as the secondary feat
ure. The last is the way the program
has 1t, but Miss Bates came forward last
evening and took possession of audience
company and all. In a mastery portrayal
of the character Of Baroness Vera Boura-
neff. witch from the Neva. she set a
pace which kept the remaining members of
the company moving along at the highest
speed of which they were capable. They
had little to do other than to be there
when Miss Bates wanted them. This they
managed in clever fashion. performance
which gives Miss Bates such unlimited op-
portunities as she has in 1.-The Last Word
cannot fail of practically unanimous ap-
prevail here in Washington, where her
work has been so closely watched and so
keenly enjoyed. Last nights audience was
most enthusiastic before the end of the
first act, and when the play had concluded
its applause was unrestrained. The pro-
duction on the whole was the best the
stock company has given since its initial
Offering 1.-The MaS0ueraders and In tho