The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-03-28
THE ART OF ]. JOHN JEFPRIEC.
"DAVY CROCKETT" PROVIDES 4
CHARMING SETTING FOR 1T.

NNAFHf FNTNOIM HAh 0nly NuE Aulnnl0u
BruIser, Overlooking the Beauty Of
His Technique, which was shown
Especially We'll In the Love Passages.
For weeks jersey City has looked forward
with a pleasurable thrill 10 the appearance
Of that eminent artist, j. John Jeffries,
In his series Of Lenten dramatic recitals.
The pleasure has not been without a tinge
Of jealous triumph totally unbehttlng the
penitential season; for Jersey City, that
modest home Of the arts, is the first COM
munity on the Atlantic coast to extend
TO MIR. Jeifies in 'Davy Crockett" the
welcome which must have been as new
wine to the thorough artist he is. Jealous
Manhattan, purse-proud, Haunting Manhat-
tan. will have Mr.. Jeffries for three weeks,
but il was given to jersey to welcome him
East again.
To what end will not managers 20 In
their sordid and squalid zeal for adver-
Using Evidences Of this tendency have
famed on every fence in jersey City the
past week; have Haunted themselves on
every fence. For the managers and press
representatives have been attempting TO
create a false and fatuous interest In this
eminent artist by advertising him as cham
pion pugilist OF the world.
What docs il matter to their art that
Forbes Robertson loves canaries, that
Edwin Booth was fond Of wafies2 What
docs It matter how Mr.. Jeffries amuses
himself in his leisure hours2 Yet in the
large and fashionable audience which assem-
Tied at the Bijou Theatre last night there
were evidently many persons who were
drawn by no other motive than a curiosity
. - L. =
These made their presence felt by ejacu-
lating in Mr.. Jeifries's tender yet stalwart
love passages
~Uppercut her, Jim Or by crying
out at that supreme moment when Mr..
Jefiries defed the villain:
Soak him, kid Soak him.
1t may be said in defence Of jersey City
that not all Of this was due to the blindness
Of her citizens toward great art. Some Of
It may undoubtedly be laid TO the incom-
Ietence Of the Bjou bouncer.
"Davy Crockett which this robust and
sterling young artist has chosen az the
medium OF introduction TO the stage OF
New York. Is a drama which has not been
seen Of late on the American boards. Mr..
Jefiries brings 10 it a freshness and style
all his own.
Ilknl ItI6 u WutIt Nlb kOhN VIM hhb
been doing falsetto pulls Of his wig shows
the genuine whiskers and strikes low @
on the bass clef TO show that he can do IT,
You see the villain Is after the bunch
Of calico. She's certainly nifty. The viii
lain has staked out his nephew to be her
steady company, but the minute she trims
her luscious lamps on Dairy Crockett any
dub can see that he's her candy kid.
The orchestra rips OF few yards Of the
Flower Song while Jim sinks his voice
-, MI haW NuiGa
that she's his'n and he's her'n only it can
never be.
But in the next act Dary rescues her from
the wolves by putting his biceps against
the door while the property man wiggles
three stuffed wolf heads through the chinks
In the cabin and the gallery helps out on
the bowls.
But the villain drops in with the deeds
that he's forged on her uncle and Ddry
Il foied. But the girl has put him wise to
young Lochinvar, so in the next act DdUp
drops in just when they're going to marry
the girl Jim rolls up his sleeve and holds
out HE right and the girl hops up on it like
a canary on perch, and IL all over but
the foiling Of the villain and the marriage
IN the last act.
The girl was pretty nearly down and
out In the second act, and took the count
Of nine, but by clinching with Ddrvshe man
aged 10 stay the act out, Jim's loyemak,
ing was great. He never bored in 30 hard
that there wasn't room for a breakaway,
and any one could see that he was all ready
20 break the clinch the minute the girl
loosed an uppercut.
When Jim crinkled up hs forehead and
looked on her with love smile that reached
the remotest boundary Of his face, he
looked Just the way he looked at Rubin
IN the third round. But the girl didn't seem
10 mind. She knew he was only funning
and she cuddled right up to his solar plexus
and said:
L am your Nell. the same saucy Nell
that sported among the daises when we
were little boy and girl together" That
statement made Jim look real sincere,
IL must be confessed that the epilogue
was the most successful part OF the piece.
The epilogue was a more or less rapid three
round 60. Mr. Yank kenny. an eminent
puPihstic artist from California. was adj
veTtsed az Mr.. Jeffries's support in this
Ecene. But the cordial welcome Of New
Jersey society proved too much for the
artistic temperament OF MIR. Kenny.
MIR. Hennssy Of Princeton University
was announced by that eminent impressaTio
Mr. Billy Delsny as Mr.. Kennedy's under
study. Mr.. Hennesy's acting was finished
IN le8dinR ard counterinR but sadly deficient
IN guarding and sidestepping. He was
entirely overshadowed by the great artist
who played opposite him. At one period
of the performance the shadows grew 30
thick that Mr.. Hennesy went down for the
count Of nine. II was plain, however,
from the cordial IL somewhat unsteady
handshake he gave Mr. Jefries ss the cur
tain fell that Mr.. Hennesy harbored no
artistic jealousy.