The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-09-22
AT THE THEATERS
Acknowledgements Sleepy KIM,

he sleepy
The frame in which "The Sleepy King,'
has been set is beautifully gilded. The
eye Is fairly dazzled by it's rich and gilt
closes but poor and cheap little chrome.
Many a daub, which otherwise would have
blushed unseen, has been disposed OF by
such an artifce, and it may be that the
ancient trick Of the operate picture dealer
will be successful in the present instance.
Just now the piece is being tried on the
Minneapolis dog and, as it is a good
natured dog and very friendly to some of
the capitalists who have provided the
frame, it wags it's tail indulgently and tries
to overlook the garish atrocity Of the
chrome. - =
Already there is some dispute as to the
authorshipfsofs what passesssfe fer tlae~boek..
1t is admitted that George V. Hobart
cut out the rough work, but it is claimed
that a handy Minneapolis Journalist, one
Oscar F. G. Day, took Mr.. Hobarts hating
measures and .breathed into them the d.
vine afflatus which transmitted them into
real lyrics. After hearing them, one Is
inclined to the belief that there may be
something in the Day claim. And thus
Mr.. Day, who has been quite unable,
owing to the shortsightedness Of the pro-
ducers Of the day, to get his own lib
rettOs before the public, Is like to get
some vicarious glory via Mr.. Hobart.
There are headaches in store for him
who tries by strict attention to find out
what THE Sleepy King is all about
There is, Of course, a king-all modern
comic operas of the unoriginal school have
a king. He is fond Of sleep and in order
to get a few cat maps he changes places
with his premier for two days and-and
let's see, what does happen next? Par
don few yawns with the aforesaid poten-
tate, while searching for the plot Per-
hon OF oil + 10 Ill
to bother about the plot, and take the
elevator down to the comedy department
in the basement. The floorWalker is
Walter Jones, whose claims to starhood
rest principally on the insecure founda-
| ton Of an Irish brogue that obscures
without enriching. If Mr.. Jones were only
funny, it would help some. If in the
| midst of his hard work in producing and
staging the piece, he could have found GER
tain leisure moments in which to evolve
some business that would have covered
up the numerous thin spots, it would
have been Of some assistance. If he could
sing a topical song well, or tell story in
fectiously, or even perpetrate some of the
dear old gags as if they were new, At
| would lend some aid. Yet let it be said
that Mr.. Jones can dance and dance well.
The chief reliance in the fun depart
ment is the inimitable little Edd Red
way, and the audience never gets tired
of his smian ways. His nimble capers
smirky face and delicious rolling gut
CLEAN of brightness, a chubby little air
ship promoter, yclept Nellie O'Neil. It is
| true that she frankly initiates the ire
pressible Eva, Tanguay, but there could
not be for her better exemplar, and she
makes her coon song anent an octoroor
lady with its accompanying cakewalksF
dance the hit Of the piece.
| The wares in the musical dana rtYna nj
are better. tho Of she tinkly variety that
make no lasting impression. G. e. Con-
| terno furnished them, but it is claimed
that certain local musicians furnished
them. At any rate, they are sung with
some spirit and by voices that average UP
with those heard in such organizations
The dances, too, are pretty, decked out
as the dancers are in striking garb; and
| the dancing master, Dave Abrahams,, con-
tributes a frog, an owl and a goat to the
dramatis personae that are excellent in
their way. The exhibition Of half hose
however, is rather raw for a first-class
| playhouse. The parquet fairly gasped at
I last night and the gallery whistled.
| On the whole; it is much to be feared
that "The Sleepy King is destined to ar
inglorious finish on the one night stand
circuit. rather than for a run In the me-
tropolis. Still, you can't tell. New York's
taste is peculiar. w. B., Chamberlain.
Lyceum-"The Cherry Pckers."
+ Like other mysteries from India, ''The
Cherry Pickers," very British melo-
drama, must be taken on faith. If your
faith, like that of the boys In the gallery
! will move mountains, Joseph Arthur's
gunpowder plot is an entertaining conspir.
acy But spectators nearer to earth may
confess to reasonable doubt. They may
not implicitly believe that any man with
\ he Of a oh
would run the risk of being cashiered
and perhaps imprisoned, for the sake o.
Selling half-caste girl who would no
marry him and who openly condemns him
The "grown-ups' would further question
whether an English officer nowadays Ii
permitted to execute military prisoners
whenever he feels SO disposed: whether
lone man with sword, surrounded in Z
room by a dozen fully armed soldiers
1 would be likely to cut his way to lib.
erty," and whether a young girl. withou
any weapon, would really overcome ans