The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-10-22
THEATRICAL INIRODUCTIONS.
uRN O>BORN'S PLAIHOt 81 OPEN.
WIN An EXTRAV iGANZt.
form, Rots' songs. Dances ami job 20
submitted TO smart Audience on .
sociablc' Occasion Private John
Allen" Brought Into the Metropolis.

10 q EN'ltIlllR d~Se1uDldkt VI sfildTt DtODlt,
flled Mrs. OsborI's Playhouse last night.
ard by its presen-e and its plaudts en-
outraged the players in Tommy Rot"
- strive for success, and when. past mid
hight. that happy conclusion had been
cached, the audience stayed 10 applaud
"a cougratulation. People who mean New
York. ald some who would and could give
. million dollars apiece TO figure among
hem. the smart set" and some folks who
we're entirely respectable, were in the
rewly decorated auditorium of what had
Ieen known as the Berkeley Lyceum, but
nov correctly enough. but for no obvious
reaeon. termed playhouse.
Mrs Robert Osborn is a woman OF taste
.riginality, mental and pictorial refine
neut. and, above all. essentially modern,
and New York, therefore. in associat ion
with Norma Munro, a similar New Yorker,
y was TO be expected that she would give
an entertainment TO please cosmopolites,
racy. perhaps, but not impolite. This she
mas done in Tommy Rot" In the gowns.
which she designed herself. she has wrought
artistic effects, in individual creations and
IA their relationship TO one another. that
are remarkable even in this city of the
ntrical prodigality. The music. by Stafford
Waters, is tunefully. trivially and rollick-
,ngly suitable for the gleefully irresponsible
play. Had the farce. which was written
10y II ,pert Hughes and reconstructed by
Joseph Herbert. been a. pleasing as
The production and the music, the success
Il Tommy Rot would have been com
plctc instead of just sure
MiH. Osborn aud Miss Munro supplied the
original idea. fairly well carried out by
Mr.. Hughes, OLA satire on the smart set
and things thea rical. dealing rather with
geueratlrs than specified personalities.
The prcttilv frisky twins. Unecdd and ZhZu.
might be taken a. carlcaturer of Mrs. Nills's
daughters. and the English actor-manager,
angling for knigh,hood, was obviously in
ended 10 suggest Becrbohm Tree, but If
any direct burlcsque was intended it missed
iir". ard Joseph Herbert's skit on Iris"
was far from brilliant.
he thread OF Il story on which char
actors, .onSs and scenes were strung con-
,erned the parts acted by FLEET cher Norton
aud GrayC. Scott. serious lovers separated
~ will or something. that suddenly evap
,IHt'd wien everyone had sung himself
20 d'ath and the time for the final curtain
Lad arrived. Tie girl would be rich If she
married the comedian. bit she preferred
Nr. Norton, and a. that conclusion was
reached only after he had passionately
IN god, bad and indifferent ballads
GoNu her spine, and to canvas door,
While he was changing her gown for her
neat spec iaty, il is fair 10 assume that il
was his voice. q really remarkable organ,
that decided fer But she did not make up
her mind unit great manv pleasing song,
Jung by others as we'll a. Mr.. Norton, La.
been sung at garden party during an open
air performance of As You Like IL, AID
in the green room of the Bindbox Theaiic
presumably Mrs Osborn's Playhouse OPP
poSite Sherrv'r
The names Of the actors would probably
mean nothing outside of New York but
among J.. smart SET many of them mean
much. VI = Osborn riskllv engaged lot
who w"r'' Il little or no account on Broad
way, and IN that experiment she came out
VOL in nearly every female case, but dis.
as'rousiy with all Sd ve one If the men
Blanche Ring. known only for her singing
II The Good Od summer Time" showed
That Sllo had enough al ! VITO he ID iovial,v
enter aiming Throughout an evening, and
hnr's was tho biggest of the individual,
Successes. A. rather vulgar actress she
trisk"d through the PLAY. saving witty moth
i1gs with an apparently spontaneous glee
hat Uas delightful In 4 song called "Tne
,iclla Of Avenue A. II was case of more
han the animated and gay personality
'ha' made much that she did entert aiming;
~ 49, NI't " y - anu ~ bl' rough, ll' az
'1irohlA A.
Fletcher NoIton's success was second
"nlv 30 Miss Rings He had. before this
performance. made name for himself
in mu1lcalcs, but his emergenco a. an
Htequat" act Y was n surpris" To last night
""ol~h audience. To whom he had made
himself known simply a. a singer. His
.Ilcr Is extraordinary la its richness of
ono, sympathy Of expression, and in the
admirable and m-Amcrican technique
with which u" produces il. His first song
and q duet with t;ravco scott "A dainty little
woman. wer" uulmportant but pleasing
numbers, a. was later duet with the
~arno actress But il was in the finale Of
i" first act and in ballad called
The Island If Love-" awkwardlv placed
IN the second. that h" made himself inn
nediatciy memorable 10 people mis-
caly Intelligent enough TO expect little in
m extravaganza.
Margaret Aver, daughter 81 Harriet Hub
lard Aver. was another newcomer whose,
vocal ability, comhired, like Mr.. Norton's
with smart carriage aud Stylish clothes
made her Immediately not iceahlo aud assures
Ter future in hor Lew profession. Pleasing
30 look upon ard familiar personally, il
u"t professionally, 10 New Workers., were
llrira q" Wolfe, Evelyn Nesbit. Pauline Won
Nm i'd. Claudir. Sharp and other women
VINO dd Sinali parts gracefully. The Heng-
"r sisters graceful agility had been we'll
known and they made themselves a greeable
lay futlns airlv through the play Miss
scott sang fairly we'll and looked pretty.
Tho men who 30 duty it was to he funny
wore ~" failures of tho evening Mr.
hughes lines were often amusing, but he
nid supplied no situation that could be
'omcaiy developed II would he unknd
10 Civ" the names of the comedians, not one
"l whom had individual ability enough
4" hotter the authors material, a. Miss
Ring had apparently done.
Ru' IN" dulness Of much Of the dialogue
ne"d not discourage Mrs. Osborn. or create
an inlpr"s sion that Tommy Rot is not en-
'"rtalnlng. II il a usual fault with c1trava-
Ganzas a. the start and one hat In this case
Wa far outweighed by the beauty Of the
production and the music. In grouping
IN" chorus Lewis Hooper had done much
mat was remarkable on 40 small stage
and in dressing the women Mrs. Osborn
mad done wonders: so. the play appealed
10 our hearing and our sight, even if not
very convinclngly TO our minds; and, any
way, why should it' Mrs. Osborn said Il
was simply Tommy Rot"
The man named in the title Of Private
John Allen" play that is getting its first
New York performances at the American
this week, il former soldier in the Com
i"derate army He has gone into Louisiana
politics and expects to become n candidate