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


large box has been built for the burTo. and
the properly man il constantly "oi fyiEs
aooue how IL car b conveyed quickly from
the baggage cars TO the thsaters in the
smaller One-night stands. Nino must BE-
taken along. however. even If a special car
has TO be chartered for him. The property
man of the production also has to take
care of a couple of 'scrappy" game cocks.
No wonder that Weber and Fields are
leaving New York two months earlier than
ever before to start on their annual tour
of the country. The new musical piece at
the Casino, with Eddie Foy in the leading
COMEDY role, is to b. called "Piff, POfi
Poof. Weber and Fields must have turned
green with envy when they first heard OF
this fascinating title. How could they hope
to succeed with their "WhoopdyDoo' with
Pin, Pon, Poor running in oppositionE
r +
No other play seen in New York this sea-
son has caused so many differences of opin-
ion as has j. NJ. Barrie's Little Mary,
which is running at the Empire
Theater in the metropolis. Some of the
dramatic critics hail it as a masterpiece;
Norman Hapgood, for instance, declaring
that 1t is far and away the best offering o:
the season. Others are just as firm in their
opinions that the piece is intensely stupid,
ana one reviewer goes so lar as TO call IL
"a hopeless bore at 81 a bore" The critic
OF the New York Evening Post sizes up the
new comedy in this fashion: Whether after
Little Mary" everybody would have been
equally anxious to see THE Admiral erich
tom is a question 1t is fortunate for Mr..
Barrie that the order of production was
not reversed. 1t Is very doubtful If in that
case Little Mary would have been so
promptly recognized and lauded as mas
terpiece, even by Barrie enthusiasts. Be
yond a question 1t is enriched by many
precious manifestations of its authors pc
culiar abilities, but, just as certainly, 1t is
marred by much that is either preposterous
or puerlle.
The continued success of Booth Tarking-
tons Monsieur Beaucaire' in London has
compelled Lewis Waller to delay his forth
coming big production of the John DON
aldson version of "Ruy Bias and the lat
ter piece will hardly be seen at the Imper-
ial until after Easter. The part OF the
queen is to be played by that excellent
actress, Mrs. Patrick Campbell. Beau
calre has been even more successful In
England than in this country.
= :
1t is announced that Lydia Thompson, IA
nous many years ago as a burlesquer with
the British Blondes" will soon make her
temperance on the London stage. Miss
Thompsons daughter, Zeffie Tilbury, is a
member Of Viola Aliens company, now pre-
senting Twelfth Night" playing the role
Il
much success in Beerbohn Trees London
company.
ITO be an actor and not have the fact
apparent to every one in the great wilder
ness of one-night stands, where all play
ers are referred to as show folks is a
thing that is desirable but not always
possible" said Guy Standing. the leading
man of the Empire Stock Company, the
other day. II was very much amused on
the train one day while We were in In
diana at he curiosity expressed by man
sitting just behind me to the Identity OF
w. II. Crompton, a dear old actor who has
been in the Empire company for years. Mr..
| Crompton always dresses in black and
wears white string tie. With his somber
garments, his smoothly shaven face. his
snow-white hair and his genial expression
he is probably in nine cases out of ten TAX
en- for a nonconformist clergyman. My
neighbor, on this occasion, however, had
his doubts. L would like to know who
that man is he said TO his companion.
! Il not sure which, but I'll bet on his
being either a parSon or a gambler Now,
upon first thought, this seems a strange
combination of possibilities, doesn't it? But
L have noticed that all classes of men who
have to face audiences and to assume emo
tons that they do not always feel, or TO
disguise emotions that they do feel, acquire
in time certain something of facial express
/ sion that sets them apart from the men who
are not in public life. For that reason,
| the clergyman, the statesman, the actor,
| and even the professional gambler often re-
| Semble each other. -
Ever since he has been in this country
| Charles Warner, the noted English actor
who will be seen in this city ere long in his
| celebrated play, Drink has been receiv-
| ing attention that would turn the head
| of a less sturdy and sensible person. An
4 idea of the power of his play may be
| CLEANED from the fact that Mr.. Warner has
appeared in IL over 5000 occasions, and
yet there is nothing on the stage in Eng
| land to-day that arouses more interest or
| draws larger audiences.
Dion Boucicault, says writer on theat-
| rical topics in the Washington Post, was
an ardent student of Shakespeare, but the
humbug cry regarding the Encouragement
| of the text to suit modern usages goaded
him to desperation. Some years ago he
| said: 1.-The so-called student of Shak-
| speare is ordinarily a narrow-minded fellow
| who seeks to torture the palpable meaning
| of trivial passages in the text into what
| are termed new readings for the purpose
| Of rendering himself conspicuous at the
| expense Of the poet to whom he imputes
| Obscurity, the very worst fault a drama
arouse the sleeping spirit of the grand
| old man, recall him like the ghost in Ham
| let, to revisit the glimpses Of the moon
| and then submit to him their new read
| ings, / can imagine his reply. 1t would
! be something to this effect:
| What earth does IL matter? Either
! Interpretation will serve, l cannot remem-