Evening star., 1900-09-25
AMUSEMENTS.

NEW NATIONAL THEATER.-ViolaA AL
lens managers have approached their lat
est production. In which she is featured as
q star, in a fine spirit of munificence. F.
Marion Crawfords story, "In the Palace
of the King" was chosen as the vehicle
for the second important episode in Miss
Aliens stellar career under the manage
ment of those industrious promoters of the
quaint and curious in theatricals, Liebler
& Co. 1t has been the arbitrary fancy Of
some one, possibly Mr.. Lorimer Stoddard,
who put the story into shape for stage pre-
sentatfon, to announce that the play Is di-
vided into scenes and not acts, owing to the
fact that the action occurs during one
evening, corresponding almost exactly with
the time consumed in producing the play.
This is rather vague and really unneces-
sary effort to explain a harmless affecta-
tion. 1t is mild attempt at originality
yet one of the most successful efforts In
that direction of the entire play 'In the
Palace of the King contains pleasant
passing reminders of 1.-The Three Guards
men, The Two Orphans. "Richelieu,"
Romeo and Juliet" Louis XII and 1.-The
FOOLS Revenge" The mixture does not be-
gin to simmer until about o'clock, when
Don John of Austria speaks very sharply
TO the King of Spain for reading his pri-
vate letters. After this the ebullition is
steady and increasing. but when the boil
mains. The story lacks suspense and the
villains are foiled before they get their
plans really formulated. Even a villain
ought to have some sort of a show The
mention of Antonio Perez In the cast
was hopeful to the sardonic temperament
which enjoys an exhibition of old-fashioned
Richard III villainy now and then. Perez
was diligent and accomplished assassin,
and, to add to the picturesqueness Of his
career. he had some exciting personal ex-
periences In the torture chamber.
Compared to the Perez Of history the vii
lains. male and female, introduced by
Liebler Co. to support Viola Allen are
parcel OF miid-eyed amateurs. At the Pc
riod cited on the program. lone evening
1870 Perez was rollicking young courtier
of about twenty-nne years The play
makes him settled man OF forty-five or
fifty, who appears to take life piacidly
enough. except when he Is called on to
dance the minuet with Miss Allen About
the wickedest thing he does is to act as
sort of police court clerk to Philip III when
that monarch decides to hold an impromptu
trial and annihiate an enemy. The charac-
ters are In the main not very human or
probable. William Norris had the most
difficult part In the cast that of the court
fool The authors have not devised any
notable departure from the conventions Of
romantic fiction In delineating this type. He
is the same abject, crawling creature who
accepts buffets from whomsoever may
choose to bestow them, and who is pun
lshed for everything under the sun save his
most naSrant oHenses, mis- assaults on rea-
son and good taste in the name of w.t. Mr..
Norris makes the part stand out with vivid
prominence. His costume Of red, his stri-
dent voice and his extravagant makeup
throw everything else into the BACKGROUND
while he Is on the stage. The weird. un-
canny impression he leaves, although at
| tanned with obvious physical effort is a con-
siderable personal triumph for the actor.
but calculated to disturb the propor-
tons of the performance as a whole. Az
Don John of Austria 1t was Robert y.
Haines' duty TO make love to Mias Allen.
| and this he did very prsttily. with the as