The sun., 1901-04-10
TOPICS OF THE THEATRE.
PLAY WRITTEN ADROITLf FOR 4
ROWAN VINO COULD NOT ACT.


Dorothy Donneuy mas unOtHrE Onr
=, those dramatic somersaults that the re-
,ivals of rcpertory stock companies have
made usual From the heroine OF "lngomar,"
,he pcnslye Pdrihenid. to the central figure
:, tho uovt farce Of a Contented Woman"
may be regarded as a back handspring Many
noorer actresses than Miss Donnelly would
le more satisfactory in the part Of tho young
woman politician The requirements are
small Mr. Hoyt wrote the character for his
wife. Caroline Miskel Hoyt, the fame of whose
beauty reached from ocean to ocean, but
whose talent could not reach the easiest
dramatic climax Hoyt was an adept He
buil, a play around part that the weakest
amateur might act the only requirement being
heauty So in this revival all Miss Donnellys
ability and she h as a goodly amount. goes to
waste where the physical loveliness Of some
unframed chorus girl would be of value. A
few weeks ago a Temperance Town" was
revived at the Murray Hill That is the play
in which Caroline Miskel introduced herself
TO New York. She came with no clash Of
brass but acted a role within her limits But
during that engagement she married Mr.
Hovt and the next time she came before us
she had the centre OF the stage almost contin-
ually. and was discussed by the other char
acter- when absent "A Contented Woman"
isa clever satire II has some OF the vulgarity
that HOyt seemed unable to avoid, but It's
Characterization and its political humor are
original and lasting The sarcasm always
evident In Hoyts writing becomes cynicism
sometimes in this piece The remarks of
Cmimg Hints are quotable as epigrams This
man has no connection with the plot but ia
always sitting at one side, reading "A news
paper Occasionally he glances up, makes
pertinent remark about whatever may be
happening, and then returns to his reading.
IN the light of Edna Mays present bril-
han %Hs hot S nGs s
made an early appearance in New York
There Is genera impression thai, the
that, in the autumn Of 1898, Miss MAY ap-
pearef for the first time here in small way
IN oscar Hammerstein's comic opera Of Santa
Maria" at the Olympia. The principals in
the cast were James 7, Powers Marie Hal;
Julius steger. Miss May got another small
small part, in "A Contented Woman" At
that time she was known AZ Edna May Petite
The next fail. still with minor employment in
mind, She applied 20 George " Lederer lie
wanted an unfamiliar and demure girl for
the salvation travesty in The Belle OF New
York" and Miss May filled the bill
New standards for the loving husbands OF
the vaudeville farce have been set by NJ A.
Kraus lie has in The Widow" one who
tests his wife's loyalty by telegraphing 10
her, over the signature of Conductor. that
he has been killed in railway collision and
then comes home disguised to see how she
takes the news. This is n novelty AZ Proc
tors Fifth Avenue. with Kathryn Osterman
a. the woman who believes herself widow
and Irving Brooks as the deceptive man
During half of the play the wife Is deceived
and then she has her turn at Transparent,
disguise. She appears as "a French dress
maker bringing TO the widow many boXe.
of mourning garments. and draws the hus-
band into Irritation An indignant wife and
penitent husband make up in the end and
as the curtain IHlls he hurries away TO buy
mp the editions of newspapers that announce
his. death Laughter Is caused by these de-
Ceptlon~, though many auditors must feel
that the odde~t thing of all l. that either char
aCter l. deceived
Al Proctor, i2jth Street two East Indian
midgotS are in their first week of American
employment The man Of the tiny couple
l. lively gymndst While he exercises in
conventional fashion on swinging rings the
woman watches admirlngly and in his mo-
waits upon him When his inning is over
the two disappear through tiny house
front ~"' Ht one side of the stage The mans
SIZE makes m, performance Interesting
The woman~ value rs an exhibit is hardly
apparent, though she i shorter than Is he
With the pa s,ng Of the French farce from
the American stage goes almost all Of ou-
demand for the work of the Parisian plav-
vriGhts We seem TO have had moro of tho
Factions exposition OF marital infdelitv
from the Frenchmen's point Of view than we
wanted In the higher grades of drama
very little has come from France since
Sdrdou and D'Ennery laid down their pens
Roshnd'- "tyrHnO Il" Brrgerac" and
e. hGion" haye been rare exceptions, There
used 10 be a large an steady flow Of Amcri-
can dollars into the coner- of the French
drhmatl~t> association, but of late the New
lorK agent OF that body has not handled
much money. Collections on account If
Htla must have been cheerful oases in
gloomy desert
success IN" roe Of an Australian robber
10 captain swift Later he figured hand
somely A. a print" in 4 Ward of France
His last dramatic roe was thar Of the siren I
husband IN Becky sharp" where he had
70 pear Eid. con,picaons P2rt in what is called
an undcrSudying the safebreakcr IN
The Stowawav. the actor replied, With
ol' q smile, and ueNt seHSon | expect to
qoHhjrr ub as Mr Hgde with Mansfield as
A corrcspondcnt Of the Dramatic Nsus
gy"S h'N word for II that when Hamlet"
vts bong played az Side Track, TcX the
a'i,rhc" gaN" the bad trag"dan twenty
minutes in which 10 kill the still rise Orhchi
As he refused, the chairs We're al once showed
back nnd partners were called for quad
rl.I"
Lnngdon Mitchell has an article in the
!ut"lpha IUlC aS 10 Mari" Tempest =
promise That BCrhU NhGrp, ~ she will enact
her boz London will NOT be tho mere de-
g"urr'" of IN" American stage versions,
replying that In his dramatiIation tho woman
NJ, Nu' lacking in iu'"llrc'uai'y BY
inference he a>crihoS m" lack Of thar quality
~ 10" u"rlormance To Mimi" Noddorl Fi-kr
Nht' VIII she say TO that; She /, an actress
WI'h . lead choke full Of brain. and critics
have h"og inclined 20 place the blame for her
gTlr"."r-|N viriOu, BeckVlpOn Nlr Miith H.
Nrrt' g"meni~ were mndo yesterday for
Lovers Lane" 10 move 20 th" Republic
when Brady n /icgfcd's loHsc OF the Man
haitian lh"u'r" cNp.rr~ Viola All"u viii
,r.." ih" Republic on saturday Nprl -,
9'' Lovers Lane will start th"r" uu the
following Monday
>u unusually long line Of buyers stood in
o." lmpT" lobby ye-fer,l1v wE"h the ale
o.. ".'- for H." Diplomacy revival began
At IHtmar, Mr. Erphm1u'~ reprc~enta'l
-'H d. 'h" .1'" afternoon that $4,000 had
i"". '.k"u Ir
u. Wolf Hopror and Dan Daly ARE TO ap-
n".r 4. uce Toms Cabin, but only for Il"
N'.'a. ! .Nl Rouolr rniertJinmcnr ar
',Hr"l B. Nuuam 4 Brply aud Mr Hopper
l"i 'l" \'Hi"' ~ Music newt sunday after
, arthur Collins, manager of Drury Lane
N"'.'". I"ni'n and Jessie Mhlward pur-
,hn-". Yesterday the English rights of In
'I" it.N.' 80 rN" King for Miss Millward tp
'.r" 'h" L1'' hr'"d hcrr hv Viola Allen Mr
."4> l.. r",Ern :" Englupd -oon to '.ecur" 4
'"l|-ilg'vrl London theatre for hi new
'u. whi" Nj Mhlward will remain for tho
revival u. Diplomacy" ~ tho Empire
lane, h Ht,k"'' has made some engage
"r'.- JOY H- .NnpAny n"Nl season FLOR
T',' hghI, VIII b" hi7 leading actress, and