The St. Louis Republic., 1901-01-27
Q85gsFAsE AFfMA @5Q
ak NEWS AND SnOkMsnEkT.


In the course of this portion Of his turn
at the Columbia Theater last week ther'
were many hasty conversations on irreia
want topics throughout the audience. for tbs
very good reason that decent folks wer'
net TO be entertained by the rihaldry tha'
was coming from the sta-e-
Barbara Frietchie' is 4 POOR plsy-fron
auy standpoint. The first act IS good-tht
last one quite impossible. The story is oui
Of Joint and without natural interests. Only
the fame and ;nsistent popularity OF Jniia
Narlewe kept It before the people all OF last
season, and there is little wonder BECAUSE
of it's wabbly course this year. y
"a ;;
Kirk Ia Sbelle. who sends TO the Century
next week the Marguerite sylvia Opera
Company In the Princess Chic calls this
new organization the twin attraction TO his
other musical venture. the Frank Daniels
Opera Company. Ia shelle made comic
opera star of Frank Daniels. as be has
done with sylvia. La sheIie started LIE oa
a farm in Iiiilois and became . news
paper reporters. and then a dramatic critic
in Chicago. He finally became the manager
of the Bostonians. and left them to start hi
own exploitation Of starring F,r.ani, Daniels:
He had q partner at arst. Arthur Fl, Clark
who retired with bis profits 20 become the
owner Of the Gate City. a, newspaper
in Keokuk. Ia, which he stiH controls. La
Shelle has been paying himself the authors
royalties on his operas of late. for he wrote
both The .Ameer.'' for frank Daniels. and
The Princess Chic" IN which Nsrguerite
sylvia now appears. Augustus Thenas's
Arizona" played by three companies, AMI
"Beside the Bonnie Briar Bush" als'
dramatized by Thomas a former st. Lou
citizen. are owned by him. This latter
play, in which the veteran actor. j. HI.
Stoddard desires to make his farewell ap-
pearance on the stage, was the beginning
of La Shelle's project to build new the
zter in New York. 1t was many months
before he conld find suitable opening In
that city for Arizona. and a years EFFORT
failed 10 give him an opportunity to show
Beside the Bonnie Briar Bush" there.
For this reason he decided to build a play
house himself to be called Tie Colonial"
ground for which has been purchased at
Forty-seventh street and Broadway. 1t will
be opened next autumn, and Beside the
Bonnie Briar Bush' and "The Princess.
Chic will succeed each other as tons
there. -
asts 80
Signora Duse is credited yith-this speech
In an interview Fith an Italian 'joornafist;
ITO save the theater the tfeater must be
destroyed, and its actors and actresses
must die Of the plagued We should return
and make. It impossible We should return
TO the Greeks and play in 9lfe- open Ell
Boxes. stalls. evening dress and late dinners
kill the drama Since Shakespeare and the
Greeks there have, been no dramatists.
Ihsen? Ibsen is like a room with all its
furniture. What do L care for chairs and
tables? I want Beme. Athens. the COLI
scum. the Acropolis. I want beauty and
FIRE. 1 adore Maeterlinck. but he, only gives 4
me shadows. children, mists and spirits. So
] am condemned to play Ssrdou and Pineroi
Some day. howevef.sa Haziisf, VIII some-a /
young, beautiful woman. all fire-4nd flame
and Will DO what once dreamed TO do, but
gin my life again"
Ore reason his ,Odeon audience took so
kindly, TO Ernst Won Dohnanyl AT. the Choir
al-Syfnpt6ay concert was the beautiful abb
sence- of pose in the young pianist's bear
ing He is delightfully."- modest. sef-con-
tanned yourg man, who is absolutely Ger
tain that he is able to do what critical au-
dience expects. His hair is so pronouncedly
close-cropred that it startled us the same
as II II had projected in the long. snaky
halo CT curls other foreign geniuses have
taught us is insep -rable from the art OF
music. When we first saw the Hungarian
we gasned and rubbed our eyes ST. Louis
is very gSateful to the Choral-Symphony
Society for presenting to it sucb genius
IN the days of his promise. The symphony
Orchestra ION this occasion very properly
and gracefully retired as a BACKGROUND.
though even at that Its performance was
essentially notable. Conductor Ernst was
as fufi CT good spirits and vigorous doings
with his baton as if the depressing Mes
sian" had never happezed
tssT ~
Thoreid's new romantic drama. Near
the fhrone' is now in full rehearsal every
day at the New York Theater. The. cas-,
engaged for this thrilling Franco.Egyptian
story of what men viii do for a crown and
Tor a woman is attracting attention. Law
renee Ha|iley will impersonate the hand
some swor1snan, Captain BalzaT Mr.. Han
icy. Il is said. has portrayed on the mimic
s'see eyerS emotion in the psychological
eaiahoer; and he has played every leading
A9Et ~ the repertoire of the classic and ro-
niaiitie drama, as well as in the most up
7sH2ts Iarces of modern times-coverinx
the most complete list of playwrights. from
shakespeare to Dumas, and from Sardou 10
Flnero For several years Mr. SHaniey was
the chief attraction with the Imperial Stock
company. and the last season appeared as
1-ocien' the brother OF Napoleon. in More
ithan soueeu." with Julia Arthur. BY a CO.
ss rscidefsce, his part Is that of young o.
ncer N the army Of the little Corsican,
"hiie the man of heavy artillery was con.
quering Egypt to further his dreams OF a
glorious empire OF the Orient. The nuuner-
Gus admirers Of Lawrence Hanley viii no
popot, be glad to hear of his decision IN
retnrn to those romantic roles that best
suit his personality. An exceedingly inter
esf'ns relic that Mr.. Hanley will use In
Near the Throne is a saber actuarv
used az the Battle of the Pyramids by a
young officer in Bonaparte's army In
Egypt. which Mr.. Thorold obtained when
travelling IN that eastern land.
& The character Of Worda. the bravo ard
Fascinating Egyptian girl. who gsIlops on
horseback through q storm OF bullets from,
the nluskets OF the Mamelukes, TO Nspo-
leon. 10 serve a sister and to save a conn
Try, has been entrusted to Miss Frances
Drake. Those who saw her as a star las.
season In Anthony Hopes play, .-rhe Al
venture Of Lady Ursula" will be anxious
to witness her Interpretation of this vastly
different character in Near the Throne"
Others In the cast are W. ]. Thoroid. Syd
ney Macy. Lionel Hogarth. Joseph Deenan,
Leon Brown. Anton Mazzonovifch. Edgar
Van Rennsalaer Franz yy;,,ar3 rrs-.