Evening star., 1900-12-22
MUSIC

| |\Oo
| Twas the week before Christmas "a
week which managers look upon with pa
tient resignation a forlorn hope. The
/ Columbia had one of the best attractions of
I the season. 1T put on bold front charged
| 81 for the best seats. and WAS rewarded
with a patronage both liberal ana cnthu-
| siastic Mrs. Leslie Carter played ''Zaza =
| for the third time in Washington. and
played it even better than on its initial Iro-
duction. when Washington awoke to the
| fact. of which the rest of the world pseedily
| became aware that America has produced
great emotional actress-"great' IN the
highest sense of that word, too often en-
ployed with flppant fambuoyancy.
Il love the part" Mrs. Carter said simply.
when her unfailing power commented
on. The single phrase speaks volumes. No
matter how often the spectator may have
seen the play. there is note of heart-stir-
ring intensity In the wall of this woman
who loves, and who for very love must tear
herself from happiness. That Mrs Carter
should after many seasons retain all the
fire and sympathy which first made her
notable in this role stamps her IA genius al
most as surely as would a succession of
| triumphs i'll new plays.
Now. rise up. Sir Ethical in your somber
majesty and PROFOUND the question: Has
any DcuN, tE Ell me dCiieSS WHO pbitltAS hCi-
a right 10 love poor, tinseled, tawdry
''Zaza?'
Perhaps not. But she is so thoueht!ess in
her ofenses against the better rules of life,
80 humble III her penitence for part which
cannot be expiated and SO pathetic in her
resignatiou 10 her fate that may surely
pity her: and with the pity near kin 10
love that there is small profit in quibbng
over the distinction
Mrs Carter believes that in her play.
Nine Dubarry.'' which David Beiasco Is
preparing for her. she has role quite as
strong Zaza." This il Il comforting be
lief-one which all Mrs. Carters admirers
Will be glad to see substantiated. Mr.. Be
| lascos present intentions are 30 give tie
play it, first production iii Washington early
next fall.
San Toy. leaving Washington after the
performance tonight. heads back toward
New York, going by way of Newark, n. j.,
and Boston. In the latter city an engage
ment of several weeks will be filled. and 1t
is expected the remainder of the season will
be spent in the metropolis. The opera has
already had profitable engagement at
Days and in Harlem, and despite its
thorough cleanliness is well liked all along
Broadway. Metropolitan managers OF mu-
sical comedies have for many years past
declared that the so-called .'jaded New
Workers. demand something exceedingly
stand sponsor. it seems, for all that borders
on the improper. And these managers have
tored their productions accordingly in most
instances. The vogue of San Toy how
ever, shows that they are mistaken in
some degree as to the extent the New York
public is plunged in iadedness. or else that
there is a large percentage OF the theater-
going population in that borough not in
Cluded in the faded category at all.
But, when it is said a play pleases New
York. mistaken idea is conveyed. for
nearly all managers of houses there will
tell YOU their patronage is made up in large
degree Of visitors i'll town. the transient
New Yorker making up in many instances
the majority Of the audience. The New
Workers do turn out en- masse Saturday
evenings. and the last performance of The
week finds the theaters filed with the real
townspeOplc. The folk who have to come
n long distance and return the same route
like Saturday evening at the theater for
they are enabled to make up lost sleep
Sunday morning.
The clever work of Minnie Ashley in San
Toy has been source of the pleasantest
qualification to her friends in Washington
She has wide circle of friends here too.
and has been entertained a great deal dur
ing her stay in town. Miss Ashley has won
her Way to the front in comic opera in a
remarkably short time it has been but
j few years since she was singing in the
chorus gathered about the elongated MIR.
gagement she had been with '1la2'' for a
few weeks Her first appearance here in a
part was will, The Geisha'' company at
the Columbia two seasons ago. Miss Ash
ley Is N1rglnlan by birth. but BOstonan
in residence and culture. She has estab-
lished herself AS a great favorite and was
picked out for particular praise by all the
New York critics when she was seen the
first night of San Toy. New York has 1t
that Miss Ashley is to be married soon
to man prominent I'm metropolitan So
ciety, but there seems to be no immediate
prospects of wedding, as Miss Ashley has
some exalted stage ambition which she
hopes to crafty before leaving off her al
ready eminently successful career.
The Lafayette Square Company's per-
formance of The Lottery of Love" was
comic, but far from presenting the idyllic
atmosphere in which Miss Haswel's gentle
genius blooms most graciously. In some of
the scenes it was horse play OF the most
arduous description. There were scenes in
Which the violence OF physical demonstra-
tiCH made the players look more like q
c:ass in calisthenics than company of
theater artists.
The New Grand ran afoul OF an ironclad
rule in conjunction with its attraction for
this week. Mr.. Chase had registered a
solemn VOW not to allow any of the per-
formers who had played at the Hashims'
theater during the fight against the vaude-
Nille associate 10 appear at the new Grand.
An important feature of the Harry Will
iiams program was the act Of Clifford and
| Huth. but it had to be cut out and Fred
I1allen and Mollte Fuller were substituted
The original intention was to augment the
bill by The Mimic Four" They appeared
Monday afternoon. but were not liked and
| were blue penciled. The show was not a
highly satisfactory one, and Mr.. Chase ex-
presses himself on the subject with due
contritlon.
In this connection Mr. Chase says: "a
word about the road shows. l sincerely
regret that I contracted with any to ap-
pear at the Grand this season, and few If
any. will be permitted to play in my thea
ter next season. The reason is evident,
usually they are not as good as the bills l
am able to get Up week after week. Sev-
eral this season. have been below my ex-
pectations and their own representa- ations
The few that / may negotiate with will be
personally visited by me two months be-
fore they play the Grand. and if they are
not thoroughly satisfactory they will be
| Cancelled at once. l stick to my promise
to give Washington the best polite vaude-
VILE TO be had. and in this way in future I
| ard {v-t tot, 81,