The Savannah morning news., 1903-10-27
AT THE THEATER

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| Nothing cleverer, prettier, and more
tuneful in the way of light opera
could be desired than when Johnny
Comes Marching Home" which was
presented last night before a large
audience. 1t was given with all the
perfection of a New York production.
The girls were lovely, and most be-
witching in their hoopskirts, the men
good to look at. the voices excellent,
the chorus singing fine, and the stage
setting unusually beautiful. A point
in which the opera differed notably
from most pieces of the sort was in
having a distinct, connected, interest
ing, and at times almost thrilling plot,
and in the introduction of the songs
by means of the dialogue, so that each
seemed a proper part Of the play. The
period is the close of the Civil War.
The women are dressed in the pictur-
esque gowns of the period, with alb
solute fidelity to detail, and look Won
derfully charming, managing their vo-
luminous skirts with considerable grace
and naivete.
Miss Florence Haywood, who takes
the leading role, Kate Pemberton,
is very lovely, with an exquisitely re-
fined manner that won the audience as
soon as she stepped upon the stage
and, seating herself upon a bench at
the left, sang her first song, quite sim
ply and with rare taste. Her voice
is very pure in quality, a clear, sweet
soprano, and most delightful to hear
in the ensemble singing as well as
in her solos.
AS Col. Graham, the johnnie" of
the title role, Mr.. W. H. Thomson, was
altogether satisfying, handsome and
soldierly, and possessed a strong, fine
Voice. Miss Harlow was most attrac-
live as Cordelia, and Miss Saunders
clever as the widow.
The artistic beauty of the stage set
ting aroused very general admiration.
When the curtain rose on the second
act, with the stage in semi darkness,
the moonlight shining on the water,
water that really shimmered under its
rays, and Iirefiies dancing, the audience
broke into applause The manage
ment of the lights was particularly
clever. 1t was a performance from
beginning to end entirely pleasing.
At to-day's matinee and tonight
Marie Wainwright will be seen as Vio-
la in Twelfth Night" OF all Shake
speare's plays, Twelfth Night" is the
richest in its diversity of characters.
Viola is in so far the heroine of the
piece, as the whole play originates
with and is kept in motion by her and
her disguise. And yet her character is
given liz light touches and delicate col
ors. and is composed of but a few sim
pie elep1ents. 1t consists, so to say,
only in the apparent contradiction be-
tween u tender, gentle, sensitive, long
ing heart which, being deeply skilled
in the science of love-" retireS in maid
emily shyness within itself, and bold,
witty and imaginative mind that whis-
perS to her all kinds of mischievous
ideas, which she involuntarily follows
from her innate pleasure in romance
and in what is fantastic She thereby
falls into situations which cause her
anxiety and embarrassment, because,
on the other hand, she has not the
courage nor the practical cleverness
possessed by Portia in 1.-THE Merchant
of Venice" whose mind is somewhat
akin to her own. The matinee prices
are. Orchestra, rs cents and so cents.
Balcony, adults, so cents; children, rs
cents admission. The night prices are:
! Orchestra, $3.50 and $1.00. Balcony, rs
cents and so cents. Gallery, % cents.
1.-THE Tanning of the Shrew,' which
| Ada Rehan and Otis Skinner are pre-
senting under the management of
Liebler & Co, is one of the most in
teresting of all Shakespeare's come
| dies from an historical standpoint. A
play called 1.-THE Tanning of a Shrew"
| had been very popular before Shake
| speare produced his piece, and much
| that is familiar to us in THE Tanning
of the Shrew'' had been already laugh
ed over and appiauded by audiences
as early as 1894. Henslowe's comedians
are known to have acted this earlier
work on June II, 1894, and the charac-
ters of the prologue or induction were
part and parcel of the performance.
Malone first thought that Shakespeare s
comedy was produced in 1906, but he
afterwards gave 1896 as the probable
date and Collier gives some reason
able arguments for fixing 1901 or 1902
as the most likely time. If so, the
theatrical air of London must have
been full of "shrews' and their tam
ers" about that period, for Decker all
so produced a version in the year 1902
under the title of "a Medicine for
a, Curst Wife" That must have been
the Shakespearean era of farcical
comedy, when the popularity of one
theater in this line tempted others 10
follow suit, as they do in our own
time. Shakespeare's play was not
printed in the poets lifetime, it's first
issue begins in the folio of 1923. The
prices for Miss Rehans Savannah en-
gagement are: Orchestra, 50; balcony,
so and 81; gallery. SOC.
1.-THE Tyranny of Tears" the play
that will be put on for a matinee and
a night performance Nov. 10 and will
be presented by a company of anna
tours for the benefit of the Elks, Is
assured of large audiences even though
tickets for the performances. will not
be put on sale until to-day. Already
all of the boxes for the night per-
Torrance have been sold.
| -S--9p-S---~-----
y. b. Mcdonald, Bankrupt.
A petition in voluntary bankruptcy
was instituted in the District Bank
ruptcy Court yesterday by James B.
Mcdonald, a stenographer. In his
schedule he sets forth that he is in
4 volved to the extent of S546, which he