Evening star., 1901-06-11
AMUsEMENTs.
LAFAYETTE SQUARE OPERA HOUSE.

LAFAYETTE SQUARE OPERA HOUSE.
When 1t is remembered how much a play
like Secret Service" depends on deft
handling of subtle effects it might seem
that this famous war drama without Will
lam Gillette would be almost like Ham
let" minus the title role. If there were
occasional lapses from the highest stand
ards by the Lafayette Square Stock Com
pany last night, the audience, a notably
large one testified by it's frequent applause
that all was forgiven. Mr.. Arden played
the hero very handsomely. He chose to
make 1t a role of intense gloom throughout,
destitute of the occasional touch of grim
humor which the lines suggest. Mr.. Ar
dens work was consistent and effective.
BiJou Fernandez was a robustly amiable
imgenue, Thomas Coleman an unredeemed
and rather rasping villain, Minnie Rad
cliffe gentle heroine, Louise Mcintosh a
refined and lovable matron, Hans Robert
a manly youngster and MyrOn Leffingweil
a megaphonic old soldier. The play deals
merely with incidents and is not calculated
to show a cast off to any remarkable ad
vantage. Mr. Giilette's plays, with some
other authors, depend much more on
perficial and melodramatic effects than on
any interpretations of human character.
1t Is therefore impossible that one or two
actors should by individual study or dis
cernment make up for lack of general
smoothness. Secret Service ought to
go like we'll oiled and perfectly adjusted
machinery The inspiration of the moment
is absolutely without value in this piece.
While the performance was not q realiza-
tion of the best possibilities of the play,
1t was, considering the time and ma
terial at Stage Manager Seymours dis
posal, very creditable achievement.
CHAsE's NEW GRAND.-The bill which
this week Is neither the worst nor the best
which has been presented at that popular.
theater. Like nearly all vaudeville bills, it
has some good features and some that are
n MI
might say that there were features which
were bad and features which were not SO
bad. The biograph was missed and the
beautiful living pictures were not there;
but, despite >all, there was a reasonable
volume of laughter and applause. The
pale-face gypsies in Chase's New'York Hun
garian band played with their usual en-
ergy and exerted themselves to please.
The bleached wanderers effected the same
result which has made their music mat
ter OF comment since the Royal Hungarian
Gypsy Band came to Washington. Like
the Cherry sisters. these performers in
trest even when they do not edify. The
first number Of the program is the Carl
Dammann troupe Of acrobats and tumblers.
two women and two boys, and their work
is clever arduous and hazardous. The
Reed trio won round after round of ap-
piause. This trio Is composed Of women,
all of them gentle and refined in feature and
department. The work Of the harpists in
this trio was good, but that Of the violinist
was better than good. Her playing was
high above the average. Her violin Is old
and mellow, and the tones she draws from
it are pure. round and true. The third
number on the bill was that is difficult
to tell of. 1t is sketch, entitled The New
Coachman," presented by Louis A. Simon,
assisted by Grace Gardner & CO. The
sketch is an uneven and erratic creation.
During the intermission there were twenty
minutes of Chase's Royal Hungarian Gypsy
Band. The second part of the program was
dedicated to minstrelsy. The bones were
Carroll johnson, VIM Barlow, Bert Her.
bert; tambos George Wilson. Lew Spencer,
Charles Willing: interlocutor. J. M. Nor
cross Back of the minstrels was the regu-
lar orchestra of the theater, blacked up and
dressed in minstrel clothes. Henry Gun
son sang Dolly Gray and Mr.. Young
sang Wait
CABIN JOHN BRIDGE.-This pictur-
esque resort drew large crowds Sunday, by
far the largest of the season. The follow
ing new bill of motion pictures went on in
the Palm Garden last night, and will con-
stitute the program for the present week:
American Transport Entering Pekin.'
Magic Statues" Game of Nap" Magic
Wreath Fred Poplar and His Pal. Jap
anese Dance "A Heavy Load, Sweet
Sixteen British Naval Guns Crossing
the Vet River in South Africa Lord
George Sanger's Circus Parade as Viewed
by the Queen Through the Grounds Of
Windsor Castle" These pictures, exhibited
under the license of the Armat Motion
Picture Company, are drawing large
houses.