The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-12-13

generously She is left alone TO help her
self to food and drink and leave whatever
pay she pleases on the counter. She is soon
joined by the disdainful DANES free-minded
and open-hearted brother, who has been
rather a black sheep himself, and therefore
can look at the discolor Julia's white
fleece without aversion He and she become
chatty over dish of Strawberries, which
has been set aside for the bishops wife.
They take up the berries by the stem, dip
them in sugar and eat them-he voraciously
and she daintily-and out in the theater
there is a rustic and murmur of curiosity.
The choice morsels are out of the natural
season, and those grown in hothouses are
very costly. Does the management provide
real ones and hang the expense? WELL no.
those Strawberries are limitations made or
material that will melt in the mouth with
the appearance of being genuine. The leis-
urely eaters assume the manner of persons
actually relishing keenly the luscious berry
which, as the saying goes, God might have
along until another problem in ways aud
means arises to perpleX the audience.
The literary Henry Arthur Jones doesn't
scorn to be literal on occasion. The in
terror of the tent darkens with the ap-
proach of a sudden summer storm. Julia
says she will hurry home. but rain begins
to fall, and she remains under shelter with
her companion, who is already fascinated
and passing rapidly into ardor. The other
chars cters dodge in, but, seeing with
whom he is hobnobbing. skurry away. TO
to become mates. But Ii is the storm that
is noteworthy. There has been incredulity
as to the berries. but, of course, the rain
can't be real. Yet IL is heard to patter.
and then spatter, on the outer surface OF
the tent, varying in force with the gusts
of wind and sounding exactly right. More
over. the canvas is seen to be wet through;
and when the man winces under what he
says is drip of water down the back OF
his neck, you instfnctively look up, expect
ing to discover the leak. Most of us know
that stage wind is made by the friction OF
silk wheel, but this rainfall has required
a new device. 1t seems a pity TO tell what
it is, because the illusion is bound to be
hurt by the knowledge that wet sand is
being thrown on that tent.
xxS
A play that makes a new big show is
Mother Goose" with a basis of nursery
tale and whimsical illustration in latest
Drury Lane spectacle. But the distance
between Drury Lane and Broadway. as
measured by the importation of holiday
pieces, has grown longer and longer year
by year, and the present exhibition, as
viewed here, is very far away from what
was seen over there. John ]. McNally,
who used to be a newspaper reviewer, in
Boston, and wrote in high admiration of
sedate theatrical endeayor, has taken two
jobs In making stage fun that occupy his
pen the whole year through. They are the
origin of an extravaganza for the Rogers
brothers and the writing of old
Drury output. Cook McNally's kneading OF
the London dough in Mother Goose his
putting In of American yeast to make IL
rise lightly from its English sogginess, and
his spreading of the native jam Of wit be-
tween layers of foreign humor, produce a
cake to tickle our palate and agree with
our taste. That is the best and the worst
that can be said. So many OF our people
like to leave their real troubles at home
when they go to the theater, and dislike TO
bothered mimic %
when they get there, that plays OF frolic
and nonsense are bound to be more salable
in the amusement market than sober
dramas. They cost much more to put on
the stage and TO keep going, but there is
less risk of losing the money invested and
a single author, or perhaps two, must be
depended on, and he is as likely TO miss
with his aim TO hit. But the present
the employment of many experts. Two men
devised and wrote Mother Goose" as IL
was presented in London, and two more
composed the music. The contributors OF
material for the American version besides
McNally, number eleven rhymesters and
tune-makers.
The songs are competitive IN way. Ri
val authors and contentious publishers are
interested diversely. Partisans OF these
different interests betrayed themselves in
the applause the opening night. But it
was too soon to award any prizes for SUI
periority. The test Of commercial value is
not applied till the whisters and the hum
mers, the home pianists and the restaurant
orchestras make their experiments with the
tunes. The words count for something. OF
course, but the tunes for far more. and
some of these, 1 think. will go through the
ordeal and at length set 10 the hand or
gans.
Several OF the songs are acted deliberately
and embellished profusely. One has new
soubrette of the delicately demonstrative
type. Leila Mcintyre, 10 declare in its re-
frain that she is 1.-The rose OF the Riviera
and a lot Of women and little girls. in the
skirts of flirts and the coats OF handles.
support her assertion in chorus. An equal
ly handsome and more unusual illustration
Is given TO ballad in which a white scout
asks a bevy of Indian girls to marry him.
The candidate for bigamy is Harry Bulger.
very ugly and unsuitable (the cast has no
comedy tenor, the wOoers being played. with
this incidental exception. by sopranos and
contralt0s), but the squaws are idealized
savages, who don't SLOUGH or sneak like the
real things when they dance. and are
brought out picturesquely from a wigwam
IT is in a comic ditty, OF the kind that has
demands, that Bulger is quite himself
standing sdewise 10 the audience, as ever,
and rafting of rhymed anecdotes 10 prove
that il is well to always leave them laugh
ing when you say goodbye" He is alone
in that. But as a Mr.. Jay. who tells of his
prettily rustic daughter being aggressively
admired in Broadway, he is backed By a
row OF chorus girls. who wear straw hats
and jean overalls and fasten b'gosh whis-
kers under their smooth chins.
Birds and beasts have been active crea-
lures in extravaganza OF late. and this one
is like a farmyard, with its dancing horse.
team OF kicking donkeys. pack OF fox