Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1905-08-28
ROUSING RECEPTION GIVEN.
First Performance of "Lovers And
Lunatics" AT Colonial
Theatre.
A LARGE AUDIENCE is WELL
PLEASED.
Catchy Music, Handsome Costumes,
Hilarious Situations, Crit
ical Audience.

ical Audience.
A rousing reception was given the
opening performance of Lovers and
Lunatics" at the Colonial Theatre Sat-
urday night at the close Of the per-
formance the three Mittenthal brothers
who were present TO witness the
first presentation of their musical
farce comedy Lovers and Lunatics. +"
wore the smile that wouldn't come off
And well they might. for no first
nights performance was ever greater
success, and the fondest hopes of the
most sanguine were realized. Barring
the long wait between the two acts
there was not the slightest hitch in the
entire performance and everything
worked smoothly, and with an absence
of friction characteristic of most new
shows. The rough edges had been
worn off by constant and faithful
practice. and every man and woman in
the cast had done his and her best TO
make the play the success it merits
The result was the ensemble gave
finished production and had it not been
generally known, many in the large
audience would have thought the musi-
cal face comedy written by Walter
Coleman Parker had toured the conti-
nent to the coast instead, OF just start
ed out.
1t must have heen a great satisfac-
tion to Mr.. Charles Sinclair who staged
the play TO see the result of his efforts
in the first nights performance. Mr..
Sinclair worked hard and faithfully
and what it means TO stage play and
coach the players the laity does not
fbor 4 tnn lof
means to run a daily newspaper for
nearly twenty. two years in a town like
Annapolis. The laity takes off its hat
to Mr. Sinclair. and gives him hear
ty handshake, for his work really tells
and the sixty members of the cast
meant it to, and they share with him
the deserved congratulation of an ap-
preciatiye public.
And what cf the cast? To quote
Mrs Darlington they all s'done noble. -
The program treated most of them
with enough courtesy to place their
names thereon, but the cast deserves
even more than this. Mr.. Johnny Ford
and Miss Mayme GehTue, the leading
man and woman, respectively, are
professionals in every sense. 1t is true
Miss Gehrue has not pleasing voice,
but what she lacks in vocal ability
she more than makes mp in vivacity.
Her every expression. has its meaning
and her "face is her fortune. She
acts, and never forgets to act. all the
time she is OH the stage, and the scene
where she pretends lunaey is most
unique and artistic. She has genius
and ability, and as a clog dancer she is
wonder as we'll as an artist. Mr..
Ford sings we'll and dances we'll and
he shares the honors gracefully with
Miss Gehrue.
Mr.. Shannon is q good Dutch char
aeter and his song the 'fSly Old
Fox is very cleverly executed. Mr..
Watson is well cast as a navy lieuten-
ant, and what would musical: l:comedy
be without naval officer. Mr. Wat.
SON S duet with Miss Little is one of
the most pleasing features of the play.
Miss Little has a rich. sweet voice,
but she did not do herself justice at
the first public performance. She sang
with much better effect at the rehear-
sails Cast as the Jew, Mr.. Joe Morris
is par excellence. Indeed it is not
saying too much to declare Mr. Morris
has no superior in his speciality. He
never forgets his character for an in
stant and his Hebrew impersonation is
one of the strong features of the play.
His speciality of the Jew at the Irish
christening is very ludierous and call
ed forth rounds of applause. Indeed
Mr. Morris found himself taking"
character on the program and was
obliged to respond 20 several encores.
He sings in good voice and has per-
feet Hebrew accent, indeed he is sup
posed to be ''the real thing" and of
that nationality. Some of his songs,
however, are little too broad for an
napolis, bat these were given as en-
cores.
As female character, Mr.. J. Mau-
rice Holden. cast as Cornelia Dinkel-
spiel, is q marked success. She" is a
typical old maid of the corkscrew curl
variety, and except for ''her" overdis-
play of neither limbs and their bloomer
covering, "she" is all right in the
cast. The colored servant, Miss
Henrietta Tedro, is fine character.
She is seldom off the stage, yet never
overdoes her part. Evidently Miss
Tedro has made a study of the way
down south in Dixie darkey, for she
initiated her specimen faultlessly. The
four escaped unatics-Admiral Togo,
Napoleon. Caesar the Great and the
OLdL VI AeAooAd3 uC4p " AAdhO y thO
ludicrous side of very funny musical
farcecomedy. As Napoleon and Caesar,
Mr. Fred Hamilton and Mr.. j. Daven-
port Hamilton. respectively, are es-
pecially clever.
The Carolina girls are bewitehing.
The chorus is we'll balanced and they
dance gracefully. The two end girls,
| Miss Flo Mardell and Miss Olive
CIaremont, work hard and faithfully
and give promise of being heard OF in
more prominent parts later on. They
are young and attractive. vivacious and
graceful and girls of these accomplish
ments and with ambition, will not, and
cannot be satisfied only in the chorus
parts Throughout the play the cos
tunes are handsome and elegant, and
Annapolis had the benefit of their
newness and freshness. The play is
costumed at a cost of SIS, 600. With its
clever dances, hilarious situations and
mangificent staging, not to say its
pretty girls and handsome costumes,
the musical comedy Lovers and Luna.
tics caLnot fail to please the taste of a
most exacting public.