The Washington times., 1901-10-01
AT THE THEATRES
The corumbin-annn Held.


while Manager Ziegfeld has secured a col
lection of young women to assist his star
who easily make one of the most alluring
pictures of lovely femininity imaginable
The Columbia Theatre was crowded last
night when the Held piece was given its
first local presentation, and throughout
the performance there were almost IN
Vulnerable evidences of the pronounced
success of the Offering. From the picture
disclosed when the curtain was lifted ll-
italy, until the concluding chorus, the
musical piece presented a succession OF
surprises. comedy scenic. sartorial, ana
musical Every woman In Washington
will want to go and see THE Little Ouch
ess." and seeing the piece once, Anna
Held and her beautifully gowned asso-
ciates will readily become habit.
Harry B. Smith is programmed as the
author of the libretto part of the affair,
while the musical numbers are by Regi-
nald DeKoven. Mr.. Smith has merely
provided the thinnest sort Of a story
which concerns Claire de BriOn-"The Lit
tie Duchess''-who has an encumbrance
in the shape of an uncle, a count some
! body. who has an infallible system for
! beating the gaming table, with the Gus
| tomary result. young English ofncer
| meets Claire, becomes Immediately en-
| amored of her charms and makes violent
| love whenever the libretttst gives him
chance. THE Little Duchess is at Os-
tend. while her apartments in Paris are
/ levied upon by reason of her uncle's debts.
The officers are supposed to take possess
sion of q bundle of letters of mysterious
import, and the major portion Of the even
I ing is devoted to the recovery Of the epis-
! 81. hax
| cred Mr. Smith has been unthoughtful
enough to forget to take his audience into
! his confidence and tell what the impor-
! tant letters were all about. Incidentally
/ n bathing master. played by Charles y.
| Bigelow a fencing master with PEN
( chant for dueling. played by Joseph Her
bert Russian baron! and baroness and
a score of subsidy characters are intro
duced and all join in the chase for the
duchess letters. 1t isn't much of story.
but the hodge podge is good AOugh to
permit the scenic artist and the costumer
. to score a triumph. And after everything
is said about the star and supporting COM
pany it must be confessed that the greet
success THE Little Duchess will un-
doubtedly affair, will b,. due principally
to the splendors of the producton-the
sceric portion of the show. the dresses
in w:-ieh the stage manager. George Ma
rion. has handled the material at his COM
mand. '
Because THE Little Duchess is a sar-
torial success first last and all the time.
a whole paragraph is due this part of the
entertainment. Thesfirst act is located at
Ostend. with a remarkably fine presenta-
tion of the watering place by artist Al
bert. Here the audience is given view
of Mr.. Ziegfelds beauties in their bath
ing suits, which is perhaps the most en-
trancing picture 4 local audience has wit
messed in many day, and it is doubtful
If its like will be seen again for an equal
period. The designer has provided a rare
combina ton of color work that ELECTED
burst of applause last night when the
gathering got its first view of the ami
mated and gorgeous representation of the
famous beach. During the act the young
women have an opportunity for several
effective changes Of costume, but 1t re-
mains for the second act which tranSpireS
at the boudoir of Claire in Paris. to make
almost every woman in the audience in
stinctiyely wish she were a member of the
Held chorus and have the chance to re-
gard herself in the superb creations OF
the most eminent of the French modistes.
AS a brilliant, multi-colored, spectacu-
lar, prodigal pageantry of managerial
magnificence this second act of Miss
Held's piece is without parallel and there
is not much likelihood that il will be often
duplicated, not only for financial reasons
/ but because there is a limit to human
| ingenuity, and in The Little Duchess
! this seems to have been reached by the
/ French costume designers. The third
| act is laid in a fencing academy, with the
| members Of the chorus garbed in fetch
ing costume of black velvet skirt, reach
| ing to the knees, and white waists with
| a blood red heart over the left breast If
| the dressmakers of Washington respond
! as literally to the allurements of The
| Little Duchess" as they should, for purely
| business reasons, the Columbia will be too
small to hold the regular patrons of the
house this week
Miss Held has never done any better
work than in this new Offering, not even
| in 'Papa's Wife" where her drunken
/ scene won for her columns Of critical
praise Mr.. Smith has written in a bit
\ that recalls this scene from his earlier
work. and given II a place in the second
act where Claire assumes madness to Tid
| herself of some undesirable visitors. II
! is capitalIy done and is about the best
/ acting she displays during the perform
| ance. The star is supplied with num-
| ber of good musical numbers. but IL is in
| the second act, when she sings Sadie, as
| sisted by score of the chorus in their
| sumptuOus costumes, that she scores her
! greatest success. Her song. Chloe was
| also received warmly, and had to be re-
peated several times,
| The conspicuous member of the sup
| porting company is Charles A. Bigelow.
! without whom no Held entertainment
]
| Little Duchess" " Mr.. Bigelpw is a bathing
| master, whose physical charms, he be-
| lieves, compel a surrender .1trom all wo-
| men. He has plenty Of comedy work,
| and it is useless, quite. to say that he
| takes better care OF IL than almost any
| other comedian could. His table d'hote
| song of The French Maid has a for
midable rival in THE Menagerie,'' model
ed much after the previous successful
| song. Last nights audience thought so
! well Of The Menagerie" that it had to
-fy
| Bigelow originally intended The comedi-
| an has some excellent scenes with Eva
| Davenport. another familiar member of
! Miss Held's former companies. In the new
piece. Miss Davenport is d Russian baron
| ess, with a fondness for heroes She is
| one Of the few women who possess the
| saving grace Of humor Bnd ia the Smith
| bekoven work her success is as great as
| herself
Joseph Herbert perhaps the best &C.
| centric comedian engaged in musical en-
| terprise In this country, plays an eXcita-
| bic French dueling master only he
| can, and his work is uniformly pleasing
| and absolutely faultless George Marion,
| besides deserving of much praise for his
! admirable contribution to the production
! as the stage manager of the piece, inter
| prets the Italian uncle Of the Little
| Duchess cleverly and without the slight
| est tendency to overact the role. Sydney
| Baraclough. an importation, reveals n
| musical and agreeable baritone. while his
| dramatic work is so good that he is a
distinct addition to the small number of
| leading Juveniles of the native musical
| comedy field. Joseph Welsh, in a small
| part, displays quite an uncommon ability
| and makes the bit assume unlocked for
proportions. Charles Swain makes much
| Of the jealous Russian baron. Billie Nor
| ton BESSIE Wynn. Anna St Tel, Vivian
| Black burn. frankie Bailey. Pearl Sell
| over, Adele Orton. Helen Planchet, Lii
| Iian Harris Blanche West and some fif-
| teen or twenty other young women add
| considerably to the success OF the per
| formance There will be matinees Thurs