Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-12-22
STORIES OF THE STAGE

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The Flora De Voss company opens
q weeks engagement at Harper's the
atre tom orrow evening. offering a
repertoire of popular dramas and
comedies. The bill for Sunday night
is "A Fatal Mistake" The company
embraces Is people.
George C. Boniface, Jr., who plays
the leading role in Broadhurst Bros.
production of The Man From Mex
leo" at the Burtis opera house Christ
mas, matinee and night, will best be
remem bered in his creation of
Jones" the prevaricating drum
mer, in Broadhurst's What Hap
pened to Jones'" Recently a we'll
known writer CT stage folks said of
Boniface: His brilliancy is bril-
liancy produced by peculiar method.
1t is as still and dazzling as an cleo
trio light. He moves through his
long role as If be could not but help
it. ss if he were indeed an unconscious
victim, yet every line, every word,
every syllable is acted with comic
perception that is as rare as it is sur
prising and delightful" The balance
of the cast who assist Mr.. Boniface in
the fun making consists of such well
known farce urs as Gus Pixley, 81. l..
Heckert, F. w. Bernard, Robert De-
shon, Arthur Villars, d. H: Landon,
ID. w. Siegrist, Agnes Burke, Adelipe
Mann, Mildred Keith, Dorothy Arm
strong and Edith Villa ms.
At the Burtis opera house WedGe:-
day evening a notable revival of liking
john will be given, which Wagenhals
and Kemper have prepared for the
farewell tour of Madame Modjeska.
The great Polish actress will be seen
as Constance, a character that she has
long desired to play, but which until
reach because of the peculiar require
ments of the play in which it is set.
The play Ealls for massive, almost
srchaic settings, a great deal of ar
NOR, suits of chain-mail, and a big
supernumerary force to represent the
battle scenes. In this play a great
feature is made of the battle before
Anglers. one of the most realistic of
ali the battles represented in Shakes
peare. The supporting company
mum bers 80 people and includes some
of the most notable players in the
theatrical world, among whom are:
o ,ette Tyler and K. d MacLean, who
were starred last season by Charles
Frohman in "Phroso;" Barry John
stone, Mrs. Henry Vandenhoff. Kate
Hassett, Max Won Mitzel. Ida May
nard, Julius MacVicker. Louise Gale,
Collin KemFer, ETC. The scenery is
from the brush of Alexander Corbett
aud the costumes by Maurice Her
mann, from designs by Nine Yahn.
Two carloads of scenery are carried by
the company.
Mrs Fiske's greatest production of
Becky Sharp" with this famous ac-
tress in the name part, which is her
best role, will be seen next Friday
evening for the first time at the Bur
It's opera house. In Becky Sharp"
Mrs. Fiske has a character perfectly
suited to her. This character is one
that stands out above all others in
one of the greatest novels ever writ
ten. There is no actress on the stage
today-and there seems to be no
record of any actress of former times
so particularly fitted to give mental
as well as physical picture of Becky
as Mrs. Fiske. Her triumph in
the role wherever she has been
seen has been absolute. Mrs.
Fiske's play is founded upon
the adventures of Becky as Thackeray
described them. And it introduces
many of the more prominent persons
that figure in the novel. While
Vanity Fair" is filed with matters
of minor interest, the prime interest
of the novel attaches to Becky and
those concerned in her adventures
Thus, a play devoted to Becky and
to them. practically exhausts the prime
dramatic material in the novel.
Vanity Fair" as its name indicates,
describes worldly persons and their
weaknesses, their strengths for good
or evil, and their successes or their
defeats as they are deserved. 1t is a
story with a strong moral, yet it is
still one of the most fascinating stor-
les ever written.