The sun., 1901-10-06
DEPT WORK IN STAGECRAPT.
An ARTFtL EXPOSt M or SOME
BEtITIFIL ACTRESSES.
Old subjects Presented Win 0riglnsin
b, smith. Klein and Gresham ." T~e
New Pia,s--t Higher standard '"
the Production sf Musical Farce.

the Production sf Musical Farce.
I.a.i weeks two new play-. a drama OF
intrigue and = farce of -ong and dance
were utterly dissinnilar. except IN the one
quality of presenting old and familiar sub
Jects newly. In The liberty Bellies and
IN" 'iph.r Code old plots lookei Ike
novelties al first glance and even a. s~cond
Harry y. smiths fsrce had seemingly
l'een suggested by thr'-' jovial plays. The
first act. representing girl seminary
and two runaway girls with lovers "a Tor
biddeu Woo-rs. wss like la Drmoi-rile
de - Cyr.- which Sir. Smith rewroie for
this cOti,ry under the name ~ The Cade,
Girl TIE -.cund act, showing a man
pretending To pos-.--. n wife who does not
h"Iong Ia him. much To the jealousy of
another woman. borrowing a baby, ana All
,o fool wealthy uncle, Was ike Jane.
The last act re-emh~d -Chsrl-ys Aunt
In making a college boy disguise himself
a. an old woman To get a chum out of a
Scrape D. Is fair TO note where Mr smith
may have the ideas for this play that looks
40 original But much IL new and more
is artistic in The Liberty Bellies. Whether
all the credit for the stage direction IL due
Ia Herbert Gresham. or some Of u belong-
Ia Mr. Smith. the production L. remark
ably srtful. II has been staged with the
carr and dehcacy Of a COMEDY a. the
Lyceum. Tn. dofmitory a. the boarding
school seems Ia have girl written all over
a. On delicate. feminine Wallpaper
hang photographs Ia ribbon frames some
college flags and Of course a sentimental
Gibson drawing The white iron bedst-ad-
ara Just right The girls In their soft
kimons- and dressing sacques over their
night gowns are all exhibition Of aniiaated
girlhood II one or two bleached bonti-s
suggestive Of spear-carrving burlesqu@,
werp removed the one blot on a picture
~ Youthful Innocence would bs done away
with A girl who looks no more than IA.
with soft dark hair flowing down her bach
sits at the piano, and touches the KEYS
lightly Tho-- sitting ON the floor and
the beds sometimes gasp. or comment
on her naughty songs. which really are
not naughty AT all When the singer coyly
saws billet -doux and Billie did. the listen
-r- hug themselves in giggling delight.
u seems a shame 20 remind oneself that
this is only pretence. t-caus- II all seems
-o delicio,isly real But We must stop
To admire he art of IL so pretty a photo
graph ~ life il q fine achievement for Mr..
Smith and Mr.. Gresham. and such dainty
hallad singing as Augusta Gloss STAMPS
her Immediately as an srtiste
The second act !. no less neatly original
A cooking school room l. tiled IN pretty
blue and white Delft and the cooks and
mattresses are correspondingly dainty.
In. visitors wear something as new In
comic opera a. their earlier night dressses
They look rather tailor made in golf skirts.
but soft white waists prevent q masculine
appearance Margaret Walker and Helen
Lucas from -florodora. Edna Hunter
and Louise Middleton from The Strollers.
Violet Jewel from web-r and tlelds's and
Pauline Chase and Lotta Faust from NV
Lady are In an array of beauty that i-
exceptional Aud these ornamental girls
are useful. They sing we'll and dance well
Miss Walker gives a little song sbou,
a new spring hat sweetly. and Miss Chase
In a dance with Harry Davenport Is b--
witchingly graceful. Miss faust does a really
artistic hit OF character acting a. an Italian
street singer. and Cri-sie tsrlysle acts
an eccentric role in way that proves that
Casino girls can do more than look beauti-
ful Harry Davenport sings cleverly about
people who are dc frop. giving good words
their full value. II all the singers In -floro-
dora" and The messenger Boy wer. TO
study his methods they might gain much.
But again praise Is due TO Mr. Gresham.
He groups eight girls back ~ Mr. Daven-
port originally. effectively and meaningly.
IN pictures such a. Julian Mitchell alone has
hitherto made.
The odd treatment % conventional
subject IN The Cipher Code was not n
matter Of placing girls In graceful groups
Charles Klein had devised some good in
cidents An amateur .windler and a pro-
fes-ionsl implicated In the same plot
met a Secret Service man and the SecTe-
tary Of State in a drawing room. The
-ch-mers knew that they were being
watched. but the less experienced rascal
" ished to warn his pal n. stood at the
side of the room with the detective. and
his partner al the other with the Secre-
tary All were looking n, old china The
novice licked with his pencil ON vase
In the tslegraphic method warning the
ot her to b-warr The Secret Service man
understood the message and gated q
valuable clue A later novel incident
came In the dramatic scene. girl had
hecn educated abroad and spoke in French.
though her father usually used English.
The language. unfamiliar 20 many. Was
deftly EMPLOYED by Mr. Klein. the action
and the context making clear things that
might hav. been unfathomsble The
special value Of the girls foreign speech
came at the second acts climax. when her
father was pleading mady with men who
had come to arrest him. He desired 20
&c, 10 the Secretary OF State 10 save his
daughters husband. The girl listened,
almost crazy. because she know the great
Importance Of the matter To her, vet could
not understand the words or know how
tho affair was going for her husband and
her father. She wrung her hands and
stared Wild eyed. calculating in her foreign
tongue the while Finally her father
prevailed upon the men and rushed To
-aye his son.in.law tellins the girl in two