The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-01-27
ADJUSTMENTS.
"sporting Life" at EngIish's Last
Night.

Jacob Lifts big scenic melodrama,
Sporting Life" made its first appearance
before an Indianapolis audience at Eng
lish's last night and it may truthfuly
be said that nothing like II has ever been
seen here before. Stripped of its magnif-
cent scenery, properties, horses and ten
dency to trench upon forbidden ground.
nothing but miserable melodrama of the
cheapest kind would be left. Mr. Lift doubt
less well knew this fact and determined
to force the play into the money-making
class by lavish expenditure of money. APP
parently, no expense has been spared In
an effort to produce something the public
would want to see. The wild enthusiasm
of last nights audience over certain scenes
and incidents, even though derisive laugh
ter greeted nearly all attempts at acting.
demonstrated that the piece pleased them.
There Is an atmosphere about II that
charms. even though 1t near suIocates
one. Who that saw the thrilling prize tight
in the fourth act did not feel his blood flow
swifter in bis veins and calculate under his
breath, "5y Jove. that's good!' And the
feminine contingent, too. shrieked in the
excited state Of their delicate sensibilities.
The presence of horses that looked like
thoroughbreds added a picturesqueness
that was irresistible When Lady Love. the
beautiful racing mare, winner or the
Derby, proudly carried her rider down to
the footlsghts at the close of the play
and stood bowling and scraping to the
audience, it would have been a hard
hearted individual indeed who could have
condemned a production with such pleas
ing finale.
There were several interesting occur
rences during the evening connected with
the performance and in a sense apart from
= IL IL
friends upon his first entry was sensational
I'm the extreme. Such waves of applause
seldom stir the atmosphere of English s
Opera House. 1t must have been amazing
to the people behind the scenes to wit
ness a brother actor whose role was little
above that of spear-bearer in Julius
Caesar" greeted with applause of the kind
usually accorded only 10 stars of the first
magnitude. However, although Mr.. Kirk
land had few lines TO speak. he said them
well Ii scarcely seems fair treatment to
permit of his ability to appear a
few moments in the street costume of a
prize fighter, once again long enough to
be drugged and carried away and a third
time for a few seconds at a window.
Frank Burbecks fine acting in the char
acter of Isidore Andreade, a money lender.
caused him to seem strangely out of place.
He possesses genuine ability, thing that
is little needed in a play otherwise so we'll
equipped as sporting Life
Frances Stevens and Adelaide Warren
as Nora and Kitty made very pleasing pic
lures and read their lines in an effective
manner
Elita Proctor Otis shone with all the
radiance of a Brazilian diamond of fabu-
lous carat weight in the role of Olive De
Carteret, woman whose chief end is 10
lure young men TO destruction For some
reason, however, she could do nothing but
make her audience laugh. even in the
great choking scene, with all its repulsive-
ness. Miss Otis made use of a startling
array Of gorgeous gowns. She has habit
of posing in attitudes that cause general
craning OF masculine necks over the house.
In the interest of decency this feature of
the play might well be eliminated. not.
perhaps, without lessening its drawing
power.
Sporting Life will be repeated this aft
ernoon and for the last time tonight. The
box sheets indicate large audiences Ioi
both performances.