The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-10-09
ACTRESSES PUT FORWARD.
blanche WALSH. JOSEPHINE NALL,
SARAH COHELL LIE HOYNE.
Ncw Plays for Them and Charles Froh-
mans Comedians by Beatrice De MILE.
Harriet Ford. Eugene ". Presbrey, Pierre
lie Courc,Iless and George v. Hobart.

man, Comedians by Beatrice De MILE
Harriet Ford. Eugene ". Presbrey, Pierre
he Courceliess and George v. Hobsrt
blanche Walsh. Sarah Cowell Le Moyn'
and Josephine Hall made their New York do
butts last night as star actresses In plays never
before performed here. Int fourth new piece
though II was performed by the stock company
known as Charles FTohman's Comedians
there was feminine novelty In the eccentncity
u May Robson. That was in Self and Lady,
a farce by Pierre DE Couroelles. imported from
Paris by the way OF London. Miss Robson
Impersonsted a Spanish danseuse VINO was
very yiIenish In Jealous suspicion Of her hus-
band. an operatio tenor. Those characters
wore one Of the three couples whose
vedlock was discordant In the man.
ner common 70 the comicality Of the
French stage. z. NJ. Holland was paired
fundamentally with Maggie Holloway Fisher
and Fritz Williams with Isabel Irving The
subject OF the fun. the amatory transgres-
sions OF husbands and wives, was the same
that we have had over and over again these
many years. but the French playwrghts con-
trive fresh Incidents for II, and so keep IL from
becoming stale. Seemingly the theme cannot
be worn out. There may be n minority In
our audiences who have had enough OF that
kind Of thing. or have never liked IL, but TO
the majority this new example will DO as anus
ing az most, II not any, OF It's numerous pro-
dooessors. That Is % say, IL IL a surely suo-
cessful farce in a popular sense, no mat
ter what may be Justly urged a. TO
~ moral plane or intellectual purpose.
n rndely performed II would give
offence, no doubt. but IL IL given 10 Us with 40
much Of politeness in the pleasantly that is
sinners skate on Ice that Is clear, though the
water may be turbid underneath. Mr.. Froh-
mans principal two men In this company are
adopts in making farce seem like comedy.
Mr.. Williams now appears az a notary who
dotp- on music and he takesthe place Of tenor
in an opera. Miss Irving, as his wife. does not
recognize him in the disguise OF Faust. and
sends a note asking FOR a m meeting. Mr.. Holland
is an old physician with a termaSant wife and
an amour with two young m%illiners. Those
points are brought out in the first act. the adj
venturous persons and their Investigating mates
meet and mix In the second and the damages
are settled In the third. The rendezvous la an
inn where the mistakes Of identity are prepos-
ferrous but lrresistiDly laughable. and where
Miss Robson a. the Innocent tenor's Jealous
wife IL a factor In the mad carousal Of merri-
mont.
Blanche Walsh was the heroine at the Broad
way last night in "Marcelle." a partially his
toric play by Eugene W. Presbrey. II began
with HuRuenot strife In France and ended with
French and English politics and warfare In Can
ada. A romano OF love and hate was
with actual occurrences a century and a half
ago. Thus the houon rested on fact, which Is
q help 10 a serlous play, always provided that
the foundation Il not too heavy for the
superstructure. There was no such surplus
groundwork IN this case. The object Of
Mr.. Presbrey's work had been TO elevate
Miss Walsh to theatrical eminence. TIC put
her into n character associated with real events
Of an impressive nature was a good thing to
do. because she is a handsome creature OF
stately mien. and looks fit to figure
in momentous affairs. So the scheme
Of her new role Was judicious, and
the outcome was satisfactory 10 all concern ed
in last nights disclosure. including the friendly
audience. Miss Walsh's beauty was served
by several changes Of costume, each becoming
to her and suitable TO the Developments Of
the play. She seemed to be In fully
recovered health. and her defamation vas quite
As resonant and vehement as any Of
situations demanded. She had more Of force
than fneness, as ever, and was imperiously
rather than pathetically emotional. But she
was imperiously magnificent. Her strong vet
not diverse abilities had evidently been studied
by Joseph Brooks. the sponsor for her venture
as a star. and he had found In Mr.. Presbrey a
writer sufficiently adept In the craft OF the
stage to employ them to the best advantage.
The result was applauded a great deal.
The melodrama OF "Marcelle" starts with re- |
ligIou commotion at the town Of Blaze in
France: continues turbulently on a ship cross
ing the Atlantic Ocean and termina Is in the |
warfare between the French and the English at
Quebec. The disturbances Immediately con-
corning the Huguenot, the girl Of the story,
however. are caused by two men who love her, |
one IL a French aristocrat who, being |
commissioned TO 60 TO Canada to plot against |
the Engl sh, incites an attack on her people. so |
that he may seize and carry her away, The |
other is an English sea captain. who undertakes |
to Illustrate the abduction. But hl. efforts re- |
suit In both he and she being taken prisoners |
by his rival. Thereafter the action becomes
e Iciting In the style commonly called sensa-
Iional. but II Is kept up to a good artistic level
6y a capable company. in which Harold Russell
FTederick Perry had been 0" assigned ~t to
tasks; These and others
the girl was taken for forcIble convey.
ance tn America, to which the wounded hero
swan. and 70 which the villain went as a COM
mander only 10 be taken captive. was a nrt-rate
theatrical exhibit. An act at Quebec was in an old
vein Of intrigue. with some lptricacy Of
'NNNAH ~ ANAiN RtA NlAhA va VIII " ali HCL 4
Of rousing distractions and violenoee, winding
M with a special thril from the ex' losion OF a
Cunyowder mine. The play thus ended will a
big boom that killed the villain, and left tn
hero and % heroine alive.
Sarah Cowell IeMoyne, when she first came
On the stage Of Wallack's last night 10 act her
part In The Greatest Thing In the World
was so nervous that her memory failed her
completely, She mutrered a few INDIFFERENT
words. laughed almost historically and finally
oudly asked the promptcr's aid. II
a bad beginning. but she soon rcgained
her self-control. The character that Beatrice
DeMiIle and Harriet Ford had written for her
vas that OF a middie-aged widow. whose whole
and care was for her two sons She
watched for an indication Of an inher-
ted desire for drink In them. An awful answer
% her search came at an evening reception in
1cr home. In her elder son she saw early but
signs Of the disease bequeathed by
iis father. Quickly TO attract the attention of
Ter guests from his partially intoxicated con-
ition she laughed and talked ~trivially and
beverly, But the boys DEGRADATION did not
nd here. He had raised a check
4 his brother, a minor. easing his conscience
" telling himself that 1t was all in the family