Evening star., 1902-03-15

scenes depicting the heroic side of Joans
life. The feature of the production is the
fire scene, which closes the play, and in
which Joan appears to be actually burned
In all other Joan of Arc plays, from the
| time Sarah Bernhardt played the part up-
til Fanny Davenports spectacular produc-
ton some years ago, no attempt has ever
been made to show the actual burning of
Joan. In this respect, therefore, the forth
coming production at the Academy of
| Music will be a distinct novelty.
X
The members of the Hammer Club of
| Washington whose doings have sometimes
| been referred to in these columns, have,
! in a spirit of fine satire, been invited by
Chase's aids in thepublicity depart
ment to add their mighty efforts in pro-
ducing the greatest crash on record in
| Maggie Cline's song, Throw i'm Down,
| McCluskey." The management Hospitality
| announces that hard steel anvils have been
| secured, and one will be allotted to each
player, except the Grand Thor" and he
| may have two.
| Petite Miss Anna Laughlin Is the inter-
| esting person whose Honolulu Lou" song
was one of the features Of the Dan Daily
show. Miss Laughlin is pretty and grace
| full, and though a veteran of ten years
| experience upon the stage, she acknowl-
! edges to but eighteen years, and both her
looks and Dame Rumor confirm her state
| ment To Star reporter Miss Laughlin
] remarked:
This is my first season with Mr.. DAILY,
and l find him most pleasant and popular
! with the members of his company. like
| Washington and Washington audiences
i so much; they are so cordial to the artists
/ and so well dressed; indeed, they remind
| me of the people of London in this respect.
Yes, l played in London for three months
/ 1-,t ~ T W.
Belle of Bohemia" in which 1 was credited
| with something Of hit In New York. No,
| | am not from the east. l was born in
Sacramento, Cal, just eighteen years ago,
| and was so precocious that at six | was
| rehearsfng with amateur clubs in San Fran
! cisco, and at eight began to play juvenile
parts upon the real stage, my first appear
ance being at the Grove Street Theater in
Little Eva to Peter Jackson's Uncle Tom
and acted nearly every Juvenile part from
! the Atlantic to the Pacific"
The French Opera Company.
! Puccinis La Vie Boheme" was the Sec
ond offering Of the French Opera Company
at the Lafayette Square Opera House
last night. The audience was large
but not 50 large as the excellence Of the
! performance justified. La Boheme' is the
best Illustration Of the italian modern
| H,
| it was on this account probably that the
! company under Mr.. Boeton's management
entered SO thoroughly in the spirit of the
| libretto AS an entirety the opera was never
better sung and acted than by this COM
pany. It has been presented by the Inter
national. Castle Square and Grau opera
companies, but the performance Of neither
| of these organizations was equal to that of
the French company last night. By this.
1t Is not meant that Mile. Laya, who sang
| Mimi, Is equal to Melba as vocalist But
| she realized both vocally and in a dra-
matte sense the character. which Nine.
| MeIba did not. Her voice met all the re-
| qu1rements Of the score and she sang with
! clearness and expression. Her dramatic
| power is unusual and she acted the part in
| splendid style Her versatility was demon
| strated In that she was equally effective in
| the comedy and sentimental scenes In the
| first two acts and in the tragic finale What
| Is true of Mile. Laya Is also true of nearly
| every one in the cast
| Each understood the mart ass,pned and
| Interpreted 1t with intelligent fidelity. M.
| Paz, who was the Rudolph, has a good.
clear, resonant tenor, and Vilette, a new
| barytone, was in every way ADEQUATE tn the
part of Marcel. Nine. Chambellan was the
Musette. and as she made her first appear
| ance In the opera under Puccinis direction
1t may be inferred that she gave the au-
| thor's Interpretation of the role M Boux-
| mann gave revelation Of the possibilities
| In the part of Caline 1t has been the Gus
| tom OF those who have heretofore been
| seen In this character to walk through it,
saving themselves for the one song in the
last act, but Bouxmann was very much In
| evidence from the first scene until the end
HIS acting was artistic, and his one solo
| to his coat before he pawned 1t to get medi-
| cine Tor the dying Mimi, was SO splendidly
| sung that 1T had to be repeated. The only
other encore of the evening was the Quartet
with which the third act closed, which was
| given In such a manner as to arouse great
| enthusiasm. Others of the PRINCIPALS de-
| serve commendation for their work, and
even the chorus should come in for praise
Tor effective singing and acting The or
chestra, under the direction of NJ Amalou
was excellent A ballet, lie Printemps. 81
arranged by Bellom. was danced by Brossi
| Bertoglio and the corps de ballet after
the opera.
This afternoon William Tell will be
| given and tonight the brief season will be
| brought to a close with Ponchielli's la
| Giaconda." Both these operas deserve to
have crowded houses