The sun., 1903-02-12
THEATRICAL SMALL TALK.
vaCkIN "THE BOLD SOCCER BOY"
SHOWS THE OLD LIGHT TOUCH.
lie Ia Fat. but His Matinee Audiences
Throb Over Him a. Much rs They Ever
DId-HIs New MeiOdrama In Disguise
Things Amelia Couldn't Have said.

-Th,nks Amelia Couldn't Have said.
sceptical statistician whose hobby
has soured a naturally benevolent dispo-
.i,ion declares that there are no popular
sonss in town. And about a dozen musical
shows on Broadway and elsewhere! What
does this mean2 That We are ripe for
Joke, catching refrain a mere line,
ia proved by the avidity with which Sarah 9
h<.er" has been jumped at. Even satur-
nine car conductors repeat this neat.
svee, feat of the Thomas pen. Every
barro,m in town hears IL AZ thirsty souls
ahsorb highballs Fourteenth street near
Irving place has not adopted the saying
for the reason that Bonn is better still
holds sway over the German Imagination.
But Sarah will reach Little Germany sooner
or later Eddie at the cigar stand has uttered
the phrase and Of course that settles its fate.
However, It is strange that the COM
munitv has no heart-stirring ditty. @Under
the Bamboo Tree" with it's infectious duple
-hvthms and its jerky accents still rules
he whistlers There are many excellent
songs in contemporary productions, yet
not one compelling masterpiece.
There are no bad melodramas; some
are better than others. The highest type
Of this much.abused and little-understood
dramatic form is the wholly insane, the
type In which We swallow shipwrecks.
tornadoes. explosions. fires. murders i'm
possible feats of heroism. abomnable
crleties. vile villainies and noble minded
speeches wholesale.
"A Desperate Chance" by Theodore
Kroner. is Of this kind. Founded on fact.
II yet scars into the region Of the daringly
imaginative. This playwright is quite
cspable of conducting us to the ninth and
nethermoet he'll and there make his heroiae
e1claim: "Oh, IL | only had fried egg!"
sort. We confess to admiring il as an
exposition Of NO art for arts sake
10 instance an Hegelian law Of opposites.
Now, "The Bold Sogcr Boy at the Four
teenth Street Theatre ia not exactly in
.ann relodrama. IL Is the style Of melo-
drama that wears for mask the title
-o,nedy drama Nevertheless, is IL melo-
drama. Theodore burt Sayre had his star
IN mind when he manufactured 1t at his
dramatic foundry ard in 80 doing mixed
his oenycs. There are moments of comedy
overaken by sheer burlesque and drama
run to earth by melodrama. It amuses.
|, moves. 1t thrills. And 1t is as real as
tho scenery. Why asE for more'
II seems shame to call Andrew Mack
fat' Mr.. Dale did so. He is fat, but why
say 50 when he is 50 nice? He Must be
melted into his uniform, ii fits him 50
snugly and his pretty tenor voice--a
daring tenor as the Hon. Pete Daley says =
is clsmped by his tight collar. That may
account for the throsty quality, though not
for the mcllifuous exterior thereof. How
ever Mr. Mack's voice il not his only charm.
Ne says and does things with fnesse =
We ray hnesse, Andy, not fnish'-ind he
caDtures his audience every time.
Yesterday his matinee gathering throbbed
when he was on the stage and vibrated
agreeably when he was not. As Gerald
Addir whose real name is D ,smond Claire. he
sang songs. made love, circumvented the
hellish plots Of a Clptain who disgraced the
uniform he wore, and finally triunphed
over his enemies. A bad lot they were.
At every point in the game Gerald Is blamed
for wrongdoing, and though a word from
MS cupid-bow lips would have cleared him
Of all seeming guilt. he refused to utter
the word-possibly out Of consideration
for Author Sayre. That grocery store
with its comic Irish woman and its deceitful
,hinaman-where have We seen II before?
Il is a tender and tragic idyl Of our child
hood days when Dan Suly ywas--Enough.
The dramatic reminiscent hunter il
greater nuisance than his half-brother,
The man who knows where all the stolen
tunes originate.
Mr. Mack has not lost his good looks
or his gift Of blarney ying. He handles Wit
with the -gossoons," sings one asleep and
plays a comedy scene with his sweetheart
in way that reveals a genuinely light
touch. Nor does his airy tenor organ pre-
vent him from doing justice to the ruder
dramatic situations. He bangs his enemy
al the end of Act H. in the true Augustus
Thomas fashion-down and out, as they say
IN sporting circles.
The star is also wise and modest enough
not 10 monopolize the stage for the entire
Performance. His associates are all actors
and the story is real enough If you only
have the faith Of little children. Richard
Dillon. Giles Shine, Hugh Cameron Robert
before he spoke, he looked such Mephis-
'opheian rogue Harry Stone, Eddie Heron
a fetchng Chinaman-Frances Ring, Mil
dred Beverly. Maggie Fielding and the
children comprised the cast. Little Vivian
Martin, with the airs of a grown-up girl,
ls one Of the features Of the production.
II Mr.. Mack keeps on he will be playing an
opposition Hamlet to Mr. Gillette next
season
WI l'dl - on DTbduWdN again recovered
rom hi- ircss. He will be heard from
IN a few weeks
something may happen over Manager
'onrled's head next Friday; either halo
r a call. NUNS the word!
There were many who said that Charles
frohman cnIv did his duty when he sent
q 5000 check to the Palmer testimo nial
urd Yes hut many other rs have rot
done 50. Mr. Frohman. with characteristic
irompt'tudc, set the hall rolling before he
sailed ior London. Let IL increase az il
iolls,
We cannot credit the story hat Amelia
Nngham spoke with asperi,y Of the mem-
i"rS Of the unhappy critical chain gang.
W" are her friends. her admirers her
slaves. Besides, she never loses her tenn
per- hig. buoyant, brilliant Bingham Ia
'op-liner for you, Mr.. McConnell?j. To
Picture that radiant aggregation Of love-
lness which is just reaching the surging
point, 10 picture, We repeat. Miss Bingham
IN snlk. in out , her smooth brow creased
hy naughty peevish wrinkles. her wonder
lnl chin set and drawn. is impossible. II
: true that We could not remain to assist
AZ the midnight seance of Fitch and fnd0a