The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-02-01
AT THE THEATERS
Bijou-"The Fatal Weddina.

Plays may come and plays may go, but
melodrama, like the poor, we have witr
us always. The problem of the sexes is
no longer obtrusive upon our stage. Mus
ical comedy has had it's day and now lags
superhuous in the race for popular ap-
prevail which, in the theatrical thesaurus
is synonym for box office receipts; but
melodrama with ali it's illogic, it's exagger-
atoms and it's artificiality remains.
In 1.-THE Fatal Wedding" at the Bijou
this week, we have a good example Of the
sort OF dramatic pabulum that is ap-
plauded In the popular-priced houses sea-
son after season. To inveigh against it is
not only useless but silly. Yesterday after
noon the Bijou had one Of the largest Sun
day matinee audiences of the season and
it was an audience that did not hesitate
to proclaim Its delight. 1t applauded the
prosecuted heroine. it Kissed her perse-
cutors; it laughed with the Irish cook
and the French butler and it sympathized
with the little mother In short, it was
an exceedingly well-behaved audience and
. conducted itself just as the author in
; tended it should do
1.-THE Fatal Wedding'' bears the sign
manual of Theodore Kremer, one of the
! most prolific, as he is one Of the most sue
cessful Of contemporary melodramatists.
His heroes become hopelessly involved in
the simplest of coils and, lacking Alex
anders ingenuity, it never occurs to them
to cut the Gordian knot that holds them
fast. His heroines are most despitefully
maltreated, but bear it all with patient
resignation. His villains are so deep-dyed
In Villainy and his adVenturesses so I'M
re1enting in the prosecution Of their ends
that, perfOrce, there never before were
such men and women in the whole wide
world, and his children are SO preternat-
urally acute as to merit the attention OF
! psychologists.
Nevertheless in the matter Of situa-
| fi0nS ic q
| curbs his imagination and when IN want
of a situation, merely cooks over one thai
has done duty before, as witness the inter
rupted marriage ceremony III The Fata
Wedding''; the escape from a counter
feiters' den over rope bridge, and the
scene outside the courtroom. All these
devices have been tried before and pro
nounced good: so why should not MI
| Jxremer use them over again?
The leading role in '"The Fatal Wed
ding is played by a child not yet in he
| teens. It is a long role and an exactint
nounces that it will be played alternately
thru the week, by Baby Kiefe and littl
Cora Quinten. The Kiefe child, a tin
mite of humanity. was in the cast yester
day afternoon. She should, of course, b
in the nursery, but if young children ar
to display their precocious talents upo
the stage, Baby Kiefe has earned he
right to be among them. for she is
clever little girly has been well trane
and seems to enjoy her work. Her son
and dance specially in the third act ha
no proper place in the play, but make
a hit with the audience.
Outside of the infant prodigies the cas-
calls for no particular comment. TIL
various roles are played just about as the
( are usually played in popular priced melo
drama-which is not so badly as 70
) might suppose. Miss Gertrude Haynes an
her boy choir continue a feature of th
I performance. The choir, as a whole,
{ good, but the .sooist, Master Roy Charlie
I has an excessively disagreeable tremolo
} his voice which utterly ruins his worl
j. S. Lawrence.
I Foyer Chat.
Adelaide Thurston began a brief Ell
I gagement at the Metropolitan last nigl
{ in "Polly Primrose The production W!
{ be reviewed in this column tomorrow.
Daniel Sully in a new play entitled *'Tl
{ Chief Justice" is the announcement fl
the Metropolitan for the last half of til
week.
{ In the presentation the first part
next week at the Metropolitan Of Geore
w. Cables romance, ''The Cavalier "
are promised, for the first time in IL
history Of war plays, true story
{ Southern chivalry, where the COnfederat
:. dominates turnout, and where "honor
g given to whom honor is due" - Chariot
y TitteI plays the leading feminine role.
e
= The engagement of Henry Irving at tt
Is Metropolitan the latter half of next wee
u will be devoted to a production Of ''Tl
,e Merchant of Venice on Thursday eve
ia ing and at the Saturday matinee; "Wate
v. loo'' and 1.-THE Bells' on Friday nigh
'r and Louis Eleventh. Saturday evenin
le,
= Joseph Hart and Carrie De Mar, wi
Or fifty people, will present the musical cor
lie edy, Foxy Grandpa" at the Bijou he
le week. The piece has filled an engageme
IS Of $50 nights at the Fourteenth Sire
ee theater New York, where Alan Dale pr
l. claimed it ''the most amusing thing
S. town. This will be its first presentati
20 here, altho it is now in its third seaso
1e and from the start it has been a phenor
1e email success.
e. The Merry Maidens company opened
D weeks cement at the Dewey theat
yesterday. Among the vaudeville numbe
are the Duffin Redcay Troupe, the HAT
ne and Rice G. Camp.
CO A large audience greeted the Fer
s Stock company in their big scenic produ
IN ton Of the clever drama, 'Taken frC
l. Life" at the Lyceum last evening.
IN review will be given in this column t
~ morrow. The first matinee will be Civ
ne tomorrow afternoon. Starting next Su
to day evening, Dick Ferris and his compa
ne will appear in Nat G. Goodwins great su
OF cess, when We Were Twenty one
3?g -------------
IN EINANcIER AND MIRTHMAkER