The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-11-18
ADJUSTMENTS
1.-THE Penitent" at the MetropoIltan.

"The Penftent' is so bad that it is
funny: Those who have been beguiled by
the glitter of Hall Gaines reputation and
the memory Of 1.-THE Christians" success
into seeing "The Penitent" get their
moneys worth by accepting the perform
| ance as huge joke. Each time the cur
tain goes down, the tittering through the
audience becomes more audible and the
smiles grow broader. Even the actors on
the stage, conscious of the absurd bad
| ness of the performance, sometimes join
in the merriment and before the final
cllmax comes the house is fairly gusty
with laughter.
The combination is really irresistible.
The story Is as hectic as Hall Game could
| make it and whoever dramatized it-prob-
ably the redoubtable Mr.. Game himself
| emphasized it's febrile features in the
stage version. Played irreproachably by
| experienced and clever actors, it would
| still be the reductio ad absurdum Of melo-
drama. But put in the hands Of the in
| competents who figure in the present pro-
ductlo1; it is funnier than most comedies.
About the funniest of the unconscious CO.
| medlans is b. F. McBurney who doubles
! two old men and makes his greatest hit
as. the old parson. Almost equally funny
is Myles Mccarthy who plays the villain in
| silk hat, which he polishes with indus
trious cynicism. The bill of the play
gagged" Probably for his vacuous smile,
which is certainly worth any manager
while to acquire at high salary Curl
| cusly enough, while the comedy is I'M
Willingly furnished by those in the cast
| who are trying had to be serious, the SOL
enn moments are those when the profess
sional comedians are doing their best to
be funny.
There are one or two honorable excep-
lions to these structures, notably, Maud
Clare Shaw, a Minneapolis girl who shows
talent in the. leading feminine role under
most discouraging conditions.
w. B. Chamberlain.
"on the suwanee RIver'' at the Bljou.
| ION the Suwanee River" a meodrama
of the southland which pleased Bijou
| patrons last season, has returned to that
! playhouse this week, with Miss Stella
! Mayhem still in the cast as Aunt Indy
| and with practically the same company
| that Won success year ago. Miss May
| hew is one. of the many young women
| who have gone out of Minneapolis with
| in the past ten years to seek livelihood
and fame upon the stage. She is a grad
uate of the Central high school and
made this city her home for a number of
years. She has made a pronounced hit
in the character of the old negro NANNY
| and she deserves the success that has
| come to her, for her Aunt Indy is a
cleverly developed piece of work, con-
| sistently presented and nicely rounded
| out.
AS for the play itself, it is melodrama
OF the current school, supplied with the
usual number of thrills which are brought
! about with the usual disregard of the
probabilities. Battle, murder and sudden
| death are all in evidence. The villa IN
| is miser The heroine becomes blind
and her cousin an idiot, while her guard
ian is killed off early in the play. How
ever. much may be, nay, must be forgiven
in s'melodrama, and ION the Suwanee
River is not bad play Of it's kind,
| The piece isNWell staged and tho cor, ;.
pany, on the whole, satisfacto A col
ored quartet, which appears at intervals
throughout the four acts, is more roma rlr
able Tor It's comedy than it's musical abil-
ity. e.H - s 5000 a, aoii
| IA Texas Steer" at the Iyceun.
Comedy succeeds melodrama at the 1,v-
ceum theater this week, where the Fer
r1s company has revived Hoyt's most sue
cess1ul comedy, "A Texas Steer" This
play is the best ever turned out from the
Hoyt workshop, and it's revival has been
amended With conspicuous success
Hoyt's clever lines and his satirical com.
ments on American politics never went
better than they did last night, and, al
though the action of the piece dragged. at
times, the production on the whole was
distinctly creditable.
The patronage accorded the Ferris com
pany the past month has been most salts
factory. and Mr. Ferris has now given
further evidence that he intends to build
up an organization Of players worthy OF
approval Sunday night Ben Johnson. an
actor who has appeared with success in
support Of such stars as Richard Mans
field and the late Alexander Salvini, and
who was. for long time, associated with
the Dearborn stock company of Chicago.
Joined the Ferris forces and made his
local debut as Major Yell
Mr. johnson Is a player Of ability in a
large range of parts. Minneapolis thea
I ter-goers will probably remember him best
as the old man in Mansfeld's production
of The Devils Disciple Heretofore.
the Ferris company has been without an
experienced actor capable Of assuming old
man parts; and his coming therefore will
strengthen the organization at point