The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-01-03

 modern minstrelsy. which has strayed very far from the old Christy idea which gave us the plantation nergo of time before the dude city negro had an exist ence. He gave the perfect imitation or the old negro parson, and it was true enough to life to get his hearers to "shoutin' I" if he had kept it up little longer. As it was, 1t kept all parts Of the house in a roar of laughter. The old man can shuttle a foot yet with the young fellows. ts
 "A strong feature of the vaudeville Is the musical number of the four Housley Brothers. They rendered the overture to William Tell faultlessly on the xylophone, and selections from Trovatore on the pendants, besides a well executed cornet and trombone quartette. Another feature is the contortion stunt of Marsh Craig, who was with the Williams and Walker Company last year. He apparently has neither bones nor even hard gristle for substitute, and he performs almost in- credible feats of tying himself in knot. The most difficult consists of sitting on his head while he suspends himself by his teeth to a raised support. This is something quite new.
 "In the first part there are good voices, and the interlocutory and end mon busi- ness is quite up to the average. with no more chestnuts than the habitue expects to hear."
 King David in a Play.
 Wright Lorfmer Is now in New York preparing for his production of "The Shepherd King" in which he is to star under the direction of Frank Williams. MT. Lorimer will not begin ihs season un- til the spring as it will take several months for the completion of the scenery and costumes.
 The scenic artists, Messrs. Castle and Harvey, have completed the models, and the work on the scenery will be complet- ed as soon as possible. The armor and many of the costumes will have to be made abroad, as the scenes of the play are laid thousand years before the be- ginning of the Christian era, and research will have to be made in the museums of the old world so that everything will be historically correct.
 The play, which Is founded on tho early life of David, Is built upon Biblical story but it is not religious play. It is in fact a romantic drama, said to be of a worthy and ennobling theme, but stirring and expressing in it's interest. MT. Lori mer conceived the idea of this drama some years ago. and after he had com pleted the scenario he collaborated with Arnold Reeves in the writing of the play. MT. Lorimer will be seen in the role of David, the Shepherd Boy who afterwards becomes the King.
 Among the many other prominent char acters in the play are: Saul, the Mad King; Michael and Merab, daughters of Saul; Prince Jonathan, the son of Saul; Samuel the Prophet; Goliath, the giant of Gath: The Witch of Endor, David's Father. Mother and Brothers. Adora. the bond maiden; Doeg, Captain of the Kings Host.
 It is said there will be 15o persons in the cast.
 Did Shakespeare Write This Play?
 Is it not curious. writes Rupert Hughes in The Theatre Magazine for January, that one of the most brilliant triumphs of Shakespeare's genius should be quite unknown to the great majority of his re- tainers? Is it not incredible that it should be omitted from about all the editions of his works? Allegedly "complete' sets of Shakespeare's plays admit such dubious and dolorous ineptitudes as "Pericles'' and "Titus Andronicus.' and bar out a drama, certainly no less authentically his than these two, and withal so splendid that it ranks among the very highest of his achievements in the minds of those of us who thing it his. We can forgive these editors for emitting such an arrant piece of cheap murder drama as "Arden of Feversham,' with which the masters hand may have puttered a little, but there is no indulgence broad enough to excuse the slight they put upon both Shakespeare and his readers by banning ''The Two Noble Finsmen:" This is no place to go into an historical argument on the merits of the case further than to say that, against HaZlitt, Hallam, Knight Ulrici, won Fresen, Furnwall and Rolfe, who were not convinced that Shakespeare had a hand in the work one can place the names of Lamb. Coleridge. Spalding, Dyce. Schlegel, Hickson. Fleay, Ward, Stack. Lowell, Littledale, Hudson and Skeat, as well as the title page of the 1884 edition (printed only eighteen years after Shakespeare's death), which says that it was written by the memorable Worthies of their time: MT. John Fletch- CT and MT. William Shakespeare. Gentle men," To these authorities we would add confidently the internal evidences of the text. When I first read the play, had been steeped for weeks in the work of Fletcher, one of the most sweet and lu- mlnous stylists of the worId-literature Shakespeare had been almost mothers milk as well as daily pabulum to me. IT, resistibly, then, I was inclined to put an "S'' over certain scenes or passages, and an "F"' against others. After and only after, this fascinating detective exercise hunted out what the authorities had guessed, and the consensus of my instic- | tive feeling with their learned decision, | with certain inevitable differences of de- | tail, is both delightSome and personally |