Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-31

brought to his doom by a towards bullet"
The dramatiZation of outlaws is q rather
delicate operation. The literary merits Of
the piece are not high, and it is feared that
1t will take all the effort toward elevating
the stage which Mr.. E. D. Stair can put
into the Lafayette to counterfeit the baleful
artistic influence of such productions as
''The James Boys in Missouri at the Acad-
envy. Fortunately this style Of entertain
ment is an exception. 1t comes as some
thing of shock after the genuine comedy
which was presented in the Village Post
master" However, even the best of the
aters have their or weeks
The Empire Theater had a fine entertain
ment this week in Albini. who. however.
will not consent to temper his well-intended
persifage with that Difference which Is
properly enough expected Of the performer
who Is asking the audience for its kind APP
plause. Albini is undoubtedly one Of the
most skillful men in his line Of work. and
there is no reason to doubt his claims as
announced from the stage, to be the orig
inator of number of tricks which have
made fame and fortune for others. His
dexterity in palming, too, is probably
greater as he AYERS, than that OF men who
assume far greater distinction. But Mr..
Albini is young yet. A glance at his fresh
compleXioned face and study of his alert
carriage while on the platform leaves no
doubt of this He should not permit the
pail of cynicism thus to overcast so prom
Using career. He should smile, and hav-
ing surpassed some of the successful ex-
ponents of his art in skill, should be con-
tent to initiate them In affability. However,
the audiences at the Empire stand his bull
lying good naturally, and are rewarded py
really first-class exhibition.
X !.
There was youthful auditor at the
oofin inn,
of the acts that were billed as comedy crea-
lions must surely have brought to the
hearts of the funmakers fattering JUNCTION
of the most pronounced type. To those
grown-ups In the audience who sat within
the radius Of the joy of this tow-headed
boy the time-worn tricks and devices to
decoy laughter from unwilling disabilities
took on a new meaning. They soon found
themselves caught by the infectious laugh
Of the lad, and were joining with him in his
boisterous merriment over the antics that
long ago had lost their power to charm
even a smile from the majority of the
audience.
The first act was comedy quartet.
The very first appearance of the four sing
ers in their stock make-ups found a ready
response in the favor of the boy who had
been uneasy in his chair awaiting the rise
of the curtain The comedy singers could
do nothing that did not strike the child as
ludicrous. When all others were merely
enduring some prank Of the comedians,
squeaking little laugh would begin in the
nefghborhood of the happy boy, and In an
other moment he had been carried away in
a perfect gale. Oftentimes his little chirps
would break a profound silence. but ere
they had died away the laugh had travelled
the house over.
Then came an acrobatic turn. It was not
intended to be comcal, by the way, for the
acrobats were performing some splendid
and extraordinary feats of skill. But the
happy boy was out for fun, and he found 1t.
When one of the athletes stood poised on
his hands for moment, feet in the air, the
joy of the youngster knew no bounds. Just
then the other turned a somersault. This
was too much. The boy was fairly shaking
with laughter now. Everything was so
funny Once when he had but partially re-
covered himself from a paroxysm, and
when the auditors nearby had about re-
gained their equanimity, the lad cried out:
ooh, father, what are they doing now?"
His poor little sides must have been sore
for days.
But he taught many staid theater-goers
how to enjoy themselves.
x X x
1t must happen once a season, and Lew
Sully, who ought to keep his pink ulster
buttoned or else bant, had the distinction
of springing the first mother-in-law joke
of the season at Chases. He has also been
ringing the changes on the poor old church
fair lone oyster In the soup In one of his
| verses made to fit the air Of popular song
| 1t was rather happy weaving Of the
revered joke into a new form. This time
| the soup happens to be of the boarding
| house variety, which the singer assures
his hearers is much after the fashion of the
church fair beverage. Sully chants away in
lively ia Shi0O in telling how yUa G
ordered. and how he searched in vain sew
eral minutes before he finally cornered the
elusive bivalve in a chink of the china. He
was about to impale the unhappy oyster on
his fork when he heard it begin to plead 81
am not the regular one, I'm just volun-
teer!
Some of the New York theatrical writers
are inclined to take issue with the author or
the stage Observation-Disclosures authority may
be the responsible one-for bringing Annie
Russell on the stage in the second act Of
Mice and Men, with unstockinged feet.
None has had the temerity to criticise the
feet themselves. They had heard in adj
vance perhaps that artist girl friends of the
dainty player had longed to reproduce these
very feet in plaster and marble So they
proclaim the barefoot scene to be nothing
short of barefaced theatricalism They re-
sent the immodesty of it, and are inclined
to condole with Miss Russell over what
they feel must be a humiliation to her.
The New York protests against immod-
esty are rare exhibitions of understanding
and camelswallowing at best, and in this
case a limit has been reached. Those who
saw Mice and Men" when 1t was produced
here few weeks ago prior to its run in
the greater city were impressed with the
modest manner in which the barefooted
Peggy conducted herself. Correct as to
chiropody and very unobtrusive as to de-
meanor, these feet seem to be frail things
to bear the brunt Of SO much comment.
X X X
The Darling of the Gods" Is fulfilling
the brilliant expectations which were so
confidently expressed when 1t was pro-
duced in this city. The changes made In the
play do not appear to do very important.
The butterfly scene, which opened the
piece, and was intended to bring the audi
tor into touch with the oriental atmosphere
of the story before the action really began.
has been supplanted by a scene in which
tho audience looks upon an enormous
statue of Buddha. at an elevation which Is
indicated by the clouds surrounding It and
by the tip of an adjacent pagoda. The play
is having an enormous vogue. and yet Mr..
Belasco claims to have something still bet