Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-05-17

Despite the songs of birds, the poisoning
| of flowers and the various other allure
ments of outdoor life in Washington, there
was no disposition to slight the theaters.
THE Messenger Boy" which is by no
means the best of it's class, but at the same
| time a long way from being the worst.
took care Of a series of good sized houses.
The piece is a notable example of the ex-
tent to which a good cast can be buried.
| Jobyna Rowland has stirred the pulses of
| many an audience by intensities as a hero
| inc of romance. Miss Zabelle was the idol
| of a numerous coterie when she appeared
| in San Toy, and several others in the COM
pany had been heard from before in a
way which led to expectations far more
| brilliant than anything THE Messenger
Boy permits them to realize.
| Joan Of Arc got a favorable start at
the Academy of Music this week. The
| piece is obviously designed as a popular
priced attraction, and it may be taken for
| granted that some of the points which
| arouse question in the cricitally inclined
are regarded by the management as mat
| tiers of subordinate detail. The play lacks
the coherency which would be necessary to
| give it standing as a work Of dramatic
| Importance, but it contains some strong
scenes, and the dialogue provided for these
| by VIII A. Page is effective and to the
point. The burning scene is sure to at
tract general attention as one of the most
beautiful and sensational bits of stage me-
| chanism ever contrived. Messrs. Sherwood
| and Denham are confident that they have
a success and the audiences at the Acad-
envy have been inclined to that view.
Some tios hoe Tod
against Chase's Theater because of the
| manner in which Weber and Fields name
was used in connection with the current
| attraction. The firm name of the little
| Broadway musical entertainers so con-
| stantly employed that every other item on
| the playful was dwarfed, and no doubt
great many people thought they We're going
| to the celebrated comedy trust at 25
and so cents. Whatever disappointment
there may have been, it was not sufficient
| to cause any demands for money back at
the box Office, nor did it prevent large au-
| diences from being on hand at every night
performance. A comparison Of this with the
original Weber and Fields production is
absurd, but it is bright bit of buffoonery
| for all that.
| The plans outlined by some Of the
theaters indicate that Washington is on
I the verge of new era in theatrical enter
| prises. With Harry Corson Clarke and
Manager Joe Luckett serving pink tea on
| the stage of the Columbia Theater, it only
remained for Manager Chase to give away
| ice cream and soda water There is In
| the human breast an irresistible desire to
| add the joys of social acquaintance and
| hospitality to the usual pleasure which is to
| be derived from the stage
most unique reception at the Columbia
Theater Thursday afternoon, after the per-
formance Of why Smith Left Home
Mr.. Clarke and his associates held an in
formal reception on the stage and the au-
| dience. which was composed for the greater
part Of ladies. were introduced to the var
| ious members Of the organization by Mr.
| Clarke. Fully three hundred ladies took
| advantage of the opportunity to become
| personally acquainted with the players and
| Mr.. Clarke himself met several persons
who had witnessed his performances in
San Francisco. Denver, Salt Lake City and
| even Beaumont, Texas.
| The matinee reception was such a decid-
| ed success that Mr.. Clarke has decided to
make 1t a feature of all of his matinees
during his engagement at the Columbia
| Theater.
| The last night Of the Lafayette Square
Stock Company's engagement illustrated
this intense interest in the personality of
| player-folk. The stage door was literally
mobbed, chiefly by feminine auditors. 1t
was well after midnight before the last of
the besiegers went home, convinced that
| there were no more actors within.
| X
Commencing on the I'd proximo and
running for an indefinite period of weeks
comic opera will be the program at Chase's
'Erminie.' Wang" Eel Captain" and
THE Idols Eye" have been selected A
chorus of forty of New York's most ac-
complished choristers has been engaged and
are in rehearsal in New York at this time
''Erminie' will be the first and there have
been already engaged Pauline Hall, Alice
Hosmer. William Broderick, George Brod-
| erick, Fred Solomon. J. K. Adams and
others, all of the original cast and COM
prising all Of the important principals ex-
| cept Francis Wilson. The scenery will be
| entirely new.
| AS Harry Corson Clarke was sauntering
| up Pennsylvania avenue Tuesday morning
he saw man staring intently into shop
| window. He walked UP and stared too.
The comedian had opened the second
| week Of his engagement at the Columbia
Theater the previous Monday with "His
Absent Boy" in which Clarke portrays a
| man Of fifty and is made up accordingly.
| It was one Of the Autographs Of Mr. Pennie
| the man was looking at.
Now the comedian is young man. and
| would never be recognized as the subject
of that Autograph. He accosted the
| stranger with airy affability:
| "Going to See this man Clarke In his new
| comedy tonight. suppose?'
| mo. sir, I'm not" came tho reply with
| abrupt force.
mo! Why not?' said Clarke, with So
| ciabie persistence. Il thought I'd 60; the
papers seem to Bpeak~weu OF the show"
/ We'll. I'm not going for three reasons"
| reiterated the stranger.
/ Three! That's q bunch. What are
| theyY"
''The first is that have no money" with
| emphasis.
"Never mind the other two" quoth the