The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-25

The boy and girl from "Babes in the
Woods are plainly distingushable charac-
tiers, however, yet learn from an analyti-
cal conversation with two OF my friends,
aged eight and ten, that the playwright has
maltreated the classic dreadfully, and that
the consensus Of infantile opinion will con-
denim him. The younger OF these critics
searched out the name of Glen Macdon-
ough in the bills as that of the irreverent
iconoclast, and was not much softened to-
wards him when said that he was a sen OF
that talented actress, the late Laura Don.
a son-in-law of Dean Joseph Jefferson and
himself a perfectly reputable gentleman.
Against my defense of him IL was urged
that he ought to be ashamed of himself
for sending the two babes OFF in a leaky
boat with the murderous brigands, instead
OF the woods, and it is only after they have
escaped from a wreck that a brief recourse
to the original plot loses them in the forest;
but, after sticking TO the standard story
awhile, away they go again in an unheard-
of direction-this time to Toyland. which
Mr.. Macdonough says in his rhymes is
"joyland dear little girl and boyland."
XXX
This newest of the extravaganzas con-
tains scenic novelties by Julian Mitchell fit
to compare with things that he put into
1.-THE Wizard of o." The spectacles OF
nature in angry moods are a terrific storm
at sea and a destructive volcanic outbreak.
in each Of which electric lights and moving
photographs are thrown upon dark paint
ings and pantomic figures weirdly. more
original and very ingenious use of the same
pictorial means is where gigantic spider
weaves a web over the entrance of a cave
in which the children have taken refuge.
The insect is a luminous monster. which
descends from the tree tops, and emits the
meshes of the web in glittering lines till 1t
is complete The showiest OF the many
stagefuls of people is that which repre-
sents parade of mechanical toys. Troops
of wooden soldiers, and rank after rank of
French and Dutch dolls eanter across a
high bridge of alphabetical building blocks
at the back of the stage come down long
incline and perform evolutions on the
ground level, all with stiff-kneed legs, i'm
movable, rigid bodies and expressionless
faces. Perhaps il is Victor Herbert's march
music that keeps them right. Anyway, the
spirited tune set the feet OF the audience
tapping in unison.
There are no laughable comedians in this
play, and hardly anything to be funny with,
but as a beautiful show, artistic In its fea-
lures of costume, it is wonderfully fine If
you were to call the roll Of the names
known TO Mother Goose. no less than TWEEN
ty-two would say "Here.' Although some
of them get no more than the chance 70
Identify themselves TO the audience, by
means of brief photographed remarks.
all save two are impersonated beautifully by
gracefully apt young women, making gor-
geous sights to see. Now, they all affect
Juvenile tones and manners. and very nicely.
too. But what i dread is that Babes in
ToyIand" will graduate whole class OF
babyish sCub-ettes OF the hind which the
stage has of late years been losing TO its
distinct gain.
The renewal of "Erminie' at the theater
where it was first performed. after lapse
of years covering Francis Wilson's emery
ence from obscurity until this season. which
ne says Will be his last before retiring into
afiiuent private life, makes IL pertinent TO
tell how he passed resolutely from negro
minstrelsy at S1cc "A week 10 membership In
dramatic stock company at SIS. because
he was bound to rise from song and dance
10 legitimate acting Il was not long, how
ever. before his antic dispositon-or may
- it was the comic face which masked all
his sober purposes-led him in to the very
first OF what become known as farce come
dies. and in which the late Nate Salisbury
was the prime NOV and low comedian.
and Frank w. Sanger was an actor also
Salisbury subsequently originated the
scheme Of Buffalo Bnrs Wild West and