The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-24

carried out by clever actors, well drilled.
that an artistic triumph is reached. That
the success will be popular also 1 won't try
to foretell. Who has the gift of theatrical
prophecy? The production has been made
by James X. Hackett personally, the COM
pany going along with him on his own tour
during rehearsals l am told that he saw
the Partisan performance, and has simply
tried to make duplicate. He has turned
off a good job Do you know the JUNCTION of
w. H. Thompson when he plays amiable
old men. Here is the Polichinelle whose
secret, known to everybody, is that he
surreptitiously visits the domicile of his own
son and daughter-in-law, while pretending
to hold them in taboo. and is the fondest
of foolish grandfathers to their child The
joke is that the grandmother, too, is a sly
frequenter of the disgracefully happy home.
The lovely old fellow has one hateful trait.
He can't bear contradiction or opposition.
His wife gets along with that fault by
humoring it. So for months they cross
each others purposes, each afraid TO be
frank, and not coming to an understanding
until they and the young couple have made
us laugh and cry over their loving deceits.
Thompson is starred" with this play, or
at least featured But that other versa
tile veteran, w. j. Ferguson, is equally val
liable as an eccentric chap who bickers with
his crony in fun, helps him out of trouble
i'm earnest, and incidentally wooes grass
widow while seeming to be at odds with
her Theatrical figures usually lie But
chance to know that Thompson and Fergu-
son have for many years commanded sal
aries of $40 20 $50 a week, according 10 the
length Of the engagement. That's not so
bad for men who have been frequently pit
led as rare artists meagerly rewarded. And
now | am dealing in personalities. | may a
we'll tell you that Thompson. who has acted
a hundred piOus cleTgymen, from humble
pastors 10 proud cardinals. can swear ike a
trooper, and that Ferguson whose best
representations are Crawing-room fops, is a
Jersey farmer when not professionally pre-
vented. thompson lately renewed his youth
by marrying pretty Isabel Irving, whom ne
Augustine Days company. Ferguson - not
so old might be Inferred from the Il Ct
that he was IN the cast OF our American
Cousin" with Laura Keene on the night
that Lincoln was assassinated. He was tnen
barely more than hair way through his
teens.
Lions are admired actors in this weeks
new extravaganza. An English Daisy. %
and they are beautiful pair, the male ma
jestlcaliy dgEihed and the female siauous IN
graceful. Their roles require them to ter
rorize a man and a woman who have agreed
to hold a wedding i'm the cage. The beasts'
acting is not demonstrativc but impress
sive with what / may describe. in the pet
phrase OF the critics, as repTesscd emotion
which might lead Up 10 outbreaking force
IL the manaet -ntnt would supply scmc hui
manity for them TO chew ~. But a n5e-
S2rdly parSinony prevents such an arti., C
climax. Tie br-0e viii lose her fortune IL
she marTies other than proven hero. An
bridegroom sayc he viii qualify 10y bang
joined with her for better or for worse in
the cage but ne Is too scared 10 risk the
worst, and hires two substitutes; these uh-
derstudies are saved over for subsequent
performances by sliding a grating in be-
tween them and the willing lions. So moth
ing but fun. and no tragedy at all. ensuts
when the twO-fOOters and the four foOter.s
face one another.
; ,
The next best novelty in this latest OF the
pictorial plays Of mirth and music is a 90
and chorus. which have been expecting al
along. We have had negro ditties about
lovers under trees from palmetto TO BAN