Evening star., 1901-04-16


tune, she has acquired a charm OF person.
ality and is possessed of voice which is
In pleasing contrast to the first-row orches-
ira efforts of many light opera singers to
be heard nowadays. Her voice is clear am
strong and is used with q keen knowledge
of its best qualities. Miss Sylvia is fin
ished actress and makes a decidedly at
tractive stage picture. Her advent into
''The Princess Chic was opportune, both
for herself and the opera. Miss Sylvia was
last seen in Washington with the first pro-
ductfon of 'The Fortune Teller by the
Alice Nielsen company, taking the part of
the French music hall singer. Joseph Mi
ron is again the leader of the pair of swag-
gerfng soldiers of fortune, his fine bass
voice being heard above all others. w. A.
Lawrence makes him an excellent partner,
and between these two the real laughable
humor is divided. Hubert Wilke is the
Duke of Burgundy, and has an excellent
baritone voice Frederick Knights handles
the tenor character. Agnes Paul is blonde
and self-conscious Estelle. The chorus
is the best-trained, the best-voiced and most
impressive heard here in many seasons 1t
is under perfect control and sings with
g1ngery vigor.
LAFAYETTE SQUARE OPERA HOUSE.
The Bankers Daughter" a play by
bronson Howard, was produced at the La
fayette Square Opera House last night by
the Lafayette Stock Company. The play
Is well staged and satisfactorily acted the
unavoidable first night flaws not detract-
dience manifested in the story and it's
telling. The part which stands out above
all others is that of Lillian Westbrook
portrayed by Percy Haswell. Miss Has
well as the careless maid. rejects offers of
titles, laughs, skips and acts happily. When
she Is to be separated from the man she
loves, to save her father and depositors
with the firm of Babbage & Westbrook
from ruin. Miss Haswell lends herself to
a grief which is sufficient without being
irritating by OVERRIDING. Eugene Ormonde
as John Strebelow, proved a businesslike
wooer and gentle husband. Perhaps, if
MIR. Ormonde, upon being sorrowfulIy in
formed by his wife of the sacrifice she has
made, had faced the situation in calmer
and more matter way, and had
eliminated Il few Of the hysterical gasps,
the scene would have been more natural.
On the whole, though, Mr.. Ormonde show
ed a proper degree of appreciation Of the
feelings Of a husband whom fate had
placed in an awkward position.
Charles Wyngate as Harold Routledge
had not many lines. but he was appro-
priately solemn and in his heroic part had
the sympathy Of the audience John r.
Sullivan as Count de Carajac acted we'll.
William Conley as Mr.. Browne had good
old mans comedy part, which he carried
through successfully, and John D. Murphy
as George Washington Phipps. a husting
American, who does everything by watch
and counts minutes, and Robert Rogers as
Mr.. Babbage were capable. Miss Mack
intosh as Mrs. Florence Browne, a fes-
tive and wildly ambitious lady who is
hungry for sensations, plays her part
aereeably.
The period covered by the play is seven
years. The actual time between the ris
ing Of the curtain and it's final fall last
night was about four hours.
By an arrangement with the manage
ment the program Of the Bankers Daugh-
ter" this week is published in the interest
of the Georgetown University Boat Club,
hie f,a ha1,l +l,o
last night. Between the second and third
acts. Philip Lee Scantling of the univer-
sity sang. Between the third and fourth
acts Prof. Charlemagne Koehler of George
town University gave recitation, and the
audience did not let him retire until he had
rendered two encore selections. Between
acts four and five George OConnor sang
coon song and created such applause that
he sang three more.
ACADEMY OF MUSIC-John L., Pom
padour jim and "Bolermaker JIM have
in turn essayed to elevate singlehanded
the drama of the stuffed glove, but 1t re-
manned for Blacksmith Bob to introduce
a real triumvirate in the shape of the Fitz-
simmons family. Mr. and Mrs. Fitzsim-.
mons exploits within and about the roped
arena, together with son Bob's proclivities
for staying boys twice his size, are too
well known not to inspire curiosity to gaze
on the principals. That this stage alliance
of father, mother and son is great sue
eny, where the volume and enthusiasm Of
the auditors doubtless recalled to the pro-
fessors mind more exciting moments In
his career. Prof FitZsmmons is not, and
stands classes ahead of several other pugi-
listic thespians. In The Honest Black
smith Bob Fitz is nothing if not sincere.
He has lots of things to say and do, and
whether he shoes horse, punches the bag
or puts his fist through barred door,
there is always a respectful tendency on
the part of his support to keep out of his
way. The play itself has plot enough to tie
the threads of a number of incidents In
the Cornlshman's career. The opening act
shows the village smithy, where Bob Fitz,
the honest blacksmith, shoes a horse and
incidentally decides to re-enter the ring
once more in order to earn the gold with
which to save the son of an old benefactor
from disgrace. To bring this about it Is
necessary to depict scene Of the training
quarters where FitZ spars three rounds
with his partner and throws the villain
through a window. Act three shows the
rooms of the latter, where Fitz sings a
song and winds up by strewing the floor
with his hosts friends, battering down a
of Miss Devere daughter Of his old friend
Lanky Bob handled this scene SO well that
he was compelled to appear before the cur
tain and make the inevitable speech. The
final act shows moving pictures of the
Fitzsmmons-Ruhlin bout, incorporated as
vision of the swooning Mrs. Fitz. The
latter, though gowned like a duchess. is
nevertheless a true wife of the poor bla ck-
smith and plays her part well. The com
pany as a whole Is capable, a musical me-
lange by the Exposition Four being a fea-
ture.
CHASE'S GRAND OPERA HOUSE.-It
is not a far cry from Nanon to Nell Gwyn
Each is a winsome character, with a GER
tain amount of delicious ROBUSTNESS. Fan
ny Rice, who had achieved great success
in the former role, was consequently at
ease when she portrayed the latter char
acter last night in Robert Griffin Morris
sketch at Chase's Grand Opera House
Miss Rice has an attractive personality
and has won a large following here, as
presumably she has elsewhere. Mr.. Nor
ris' sketch is founded on an incident in the
life of the pretty orange girl who won
the heart of the merry monarch, Charles
II of England. Nels best side is brought
out in the comedietta. Although an en-
emy of the Duchess of Richmond her
generous heart Is touched by the grief of
the latter over the fact that her son has
been found guilty of treason. Nell dons
the garb of cavalier and, going to the
king, wheedles him into the pardon of the
duchess son. With this precious document
she confrouts the duchess and achieves a
rare revenge in restoring her sons free
dom. Eva Randolph sustained the role
of the duchess and Louis Payne represent