The Savannah morning news., 1901-02-20
At The THEATER.

It's queer how some notabies acquire
fame. Mile Anna Held found it in milk
bath. The little French maid whose
name is known over two continents, was
the magnet which drew to the Theater
last night, an audience of brilhance and
fashion, and who, with the capable as
sistance Of an excellent company, gave
one Of the best and most enjoyed per-
formances of the season.
The piece-"Papa's Wife" is musical
comedy adapted from the French by
Reginald De Koven and Harry B. Smith.
Anna appears in the role OF a convent girl,
who has married baron, a gay old roue,
who only marries her because his son
threatens to stop his allowance unless he
! settles down. "You don't know what 1t
is to raise a father" says the son.
A former favorite of the baron sum-
mons him to her and friend o. the
| baron, acting the part Of the good sama-
| ritan, proposes to keep the engagement
| but instead of meeting the gay PART
! sienne he meets "Papa's Wife"-who had
! got onto the little game. champagne
| supper follows and the little convent girl
! likes the wine. 1T makes you feel just
! says Anna in her delightful accent. This
| causes q deuce of a tumble which ends
| by the discovery that "Papa's Wife" IS
not his wife at all. as the marriage GER
! titcate had been filled out in his sons
name.
The mlk-bath must be a good thing
Mile. Held is certainly dainty and
sweet bit Of femininity Her face is
pretty-though not strikingly beautiful
and her figure is chic.
And those shoulders and that neck! Mon
Dieu! as the French would say. Her man.
ner is thoroughly French and her accent
is delightful though her English is quite
good and thoroughly understood.
AS the demure school girl just married
so lawfully. rdiculously modest" she was
naive and sweet and sung well, but her
most effective work was in the second
act. When the champagne began TO tell
on her and she has just a bit of a good
feeling" which happily is not overdone-
she is at her best as an actress. Her
voice is sweet, but not large nor partic-
| uIarly musical. In fact, after seeing her
one wonders how she has attained such a
wonderfully high pace on the amusement
stage.
The company which surrounds Mile Held
is high-class in every respect, and the
performance was given with greater care
for setting. costuming and minor details
than any of its kind which has ever been
seen here. Mile. Held herself wore some
exquisite gowns, while her jewels were
beautiful.
Mr.. Charles A. Bigelow contributes IN
a very large measure to the fun of the
| piece, and his work in its way was quite
equal to that of the star As Prof. &C.
lestin, teacher of music at the convent.
with only two blots on an otherwise
! blameless past. he was ridiculously fun
! ny in manner that was unquestionably
the work of a master comedian. His
manner is original and he is entitled to
a large share OF commentator.
Max Figman, George Marion. Adella
/ Barker and Max Rosen cared for the other
| principal roles in good taste.
| The chorus was as comely and fresh
a lot of pretty girls as have been on
| the stage IN a long time. Their work
| was excellent. Every little detail of
! stage management was carefully looked
| after and the settings were elaborate and
| handsome.
AL. II. Wilson, in Charles II. Yale and
| Sidney r. Ellis great production, THE
Watch on the Rhine" will be one of the
novelties, Electrically speaking, Friday
! matinee and night. The engagement
promises to be a notable one as the claim
is made that Mr.. Wilson is not only a
| gifted payer well schooed in stagecraft
but that as a vocalist he has no peer
among the actor-singers on the boards.
Messrs. Yale and Ellis have given the
play an excellent scenic production and
electric equipment. The company, it is
said, has been carefully selected.
Frank Daniels will be seen here Satur-
day night. with his entire comic opera
company in The Amer" The music of
the opera is by Victor Herbert. Nearly
everybody is familiar with the music of
THE Wizard of the Nile" The Idols
| Eye and The Serenade." The score
is said to TEEN with catchy melodies and
striking chorals. The fnaies ore declared
to be superior to anything else Herbert
| has composed. The book is by Fred NJ
Ranken and Kirke La Shelle According
| 10 Daniels. it is the funniest he has ever
interpreted. Those who have heard the
opera say that the story is decidedly
| Dauielesque in its humor and situations
| Daniels chief work is to show the diff
! culties OF the East Indio7 monarch in cir
cumventing the efforts I those who seek
| his life. Daniels support. according to
| the press, is much stronger than il was
| last year. The company numbers more
than sixty people. Daniels has long held
the reputation of having the prettiest and
best singing chorus on the stage. The
opinion of the press is that he has not only
maintained, but has enhanced that repu-
tation. Among the principals are Helen
| Redmond, whose beauty and voice won
her great praise on the Pacific coast last
season; Kate Tart. the famous contrako:
| Norma kopp the winSome soubrette: VIII
Danforth, Rhys Thomas. Vim. Corliss and
| owen Westlord. Clarence West is the
musical director. The scene of the opera
is laid in far away India and affords ex
cellent opportunities for lavish scenic dis
pley and rich costuming. These oppor-
tuuites. the critics say. have been i'm
proved to the utmost Mr.. Daniels com
ing engagement is the only one he will
play in this city this season.