The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-01
DRAMATIC CLUBS PLAY
PUBLIC PERFORMANCE TO BE GIVEN
TOMORROW NIGHT.
..Confrabandista,' aH Opcrctta of
Spanish Color. by sullivan aud
Burnand. FamOus BritOns.

The Dramatic Club gave a performance
for its own amusement last night, and to-
morrow night it Will give one-to which
the public will be admitted-for the benefit
Of the Harrison monument fund. The play
is "Contrabandista," an operetta, the music
by Sullivan, the famous English composer,
n the libretto by Burnand, the hardly
less famous writer for Punch. 1t is one
of the earliest Of the host of musical bur
lesques on br~igandage. The stage of the
Propylaeum was well set; beyond the
rugged stone wall of the gorge at the rear
of the picture was a dense forest, and IN
the foreground was the entrance 10. the
bandits refuge.
This particular band of outlaws was
Spanish and had lost its captain. 1t had
a law unto itself that after the death of
the captain the first stranger that came
along should be put into the leadership
and should be married TO the widow of the
late commander. The first stranger that
happened that way was an English photog-
rapher, and the captains costume was put
on him against his wish. The queen scorned
him and plotted with her lover, Il member
of the gang, to get the unfortunate and
uuwelcome Englishman out of the way.
Murder was avoided by the arrival of
troops, the leader of whom announced the
pardon of the brigands. The soldiers had
been called down on the band by the lover
of a girl held for ransom. The story had
been simpliied for the clubs purpose by
Edgar y. Morris, who also directed the
production. Hugh McGibeny directed the
music.
Mrs. James NJ. feathers was the star
of the pe-rfOrmance-nOt by Charles Froh-
man or the Club presenting
her as such, but by her own merit. Her
part was Rita Alvarez, the girl held for
ransom. She acted and sang with feeling
and high spirit. Mrs. Herman Sayles was
Inez, queen of the bandits, and though
she seemed a bit troubled by stage-fright
In the first act, she Dlucked up courage in
the second and took on Inez's unrestrained
warmth of personality. Sam d. Miller was
Hector Gregg, the amateur photographer
from London. He caused al great deal of
Laughter with his clever buffoonery. Gregg
was frightened pale many times and had to
be helped into the previous captains uni
form, which was several sizes too large
for his successor. Clinton l. Hare and
Clarence Martindale were two fierce ban
dts, and Messrs. Sharpe, Boice and Viii
liams We're no less fierce, though they
were less prominent. George Denny was
Count NasQueZ, the lover of the captive
Inez. Mr.. Sutphen was the officer of the
mated militia. The 'merry-merry' was a
collection of pretty girls in bright costumes,
as follows: Mary Foster Martha F9ster
Adams. Mia COburn. Lucy Taggart and
Anna HasSelman- Their voices were bal
anced by those OF Charles Vajen, Will Tay-
l0r and Harold Taylor as bandits.
There was no orchestra for the play last
night. The club has "a contract with Hart's
orchestra for dance music for the season
and as Harris orchestra is not within the
Musicians Union it was impossible to get
a band TO play on the same occasion witt
the %nonunion organization. Mrs. McGibeny
saved the situation by playing a piano ac-
compartment
The audience, which was large, was
throughout delighted with the performance