Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-26
N HEARTY APPROVAL
NO MENTAL OBSERVATIONS
!, ARE PERMITTED.
Theatrical Company Has Real
Christmas Hilarity All Its Own.
Clever Burlesquing.

! Christie Mcdonald. in a sable jacket and
hat that made her look daintier off the
stage than on. if possible. said it was a
good show. Mary Mannering, inclining
graciously, said it was perfectly splendid
Julie Opp who. as the single-minded press
agents say, is, Sin private life.'' Mrs. Will
liam Faversham. gave her approval with
mental reservations, being apparently not
overwhelmed with pleasure at seeing some
of her liege lords most effective bits of
acting burlesqued to make a theatrical
holiday.
The Squad Man was the play, given
for one consecutive performance at the
New National Theater last night by men,
bers of The Squaw Man" company. after
the regular pay o-much-a-head audience
wrapped the draperies of their couches
about them and lay down to pleasant
dreams. Most of the members of the COM
panies playing at the other theaters re-
ported present in response to invitations.
Costumes and acting, even more than
the twisted plot and comic dialogue, car
red the burlesque through and earned
the applause which the audience gave I'M
sparingly. Emmett Shackeford. who is
Jims chief cowpuncher in THE Squaw
Man" took Favershams role in the bur-
lesque, giving a broadly humorous angle
to some of the stars work. and almost
holding up the mirror to him in others,
accenting the imitation, to show that it
was one by a pause in a gesture, or
slight shrug.
Good All Through.
1t was excellent work in it's fine points,
and good all through. Diana was acted
by Frank A. Lyon. the bishop of the real
play. whose portly form, clad in what
looked extremely like a calico wrapper.
was grotesquely- improbable. Her hus-
band. supposed to be the pink of fashion,
appeared clad in a mess jacket. but with
out tie. and with an impossibly
shaver face. His crime was the embeZ-
element of 40 cents worth of stamps. To
shield him Jim goes to Montana. and
there gets tangled up, as in the real play.
Cash Hawkins, played by Bertram Mar
brugb, the lawyer of THE Squaw Man,
enters the Long Horn saloon at Maverick
Wyo., where Jims cowboys are having
debauch on ice cream. Cash orders ice
cream for himself. but just then enters
-Tabywana. the Indian chief, played re-
markably well by Bernhardt Niemeyer, a
Washington boy, who has a cowpuncher
part. in the serious play. AS Cash at
tempts to bunco the Indian. the latter's
daughter rushes in and starts a rough
house This Indian maiden is particularly
husky. Berton Churchill, the father in
the real play. takes the daughters part
in the burlesque. His entrances were
heralded by the air of Nobody" and he
walk and half hoochee-coochee, and one
half was very much like the other.
Ferryboat Arrives.
But all of sudden a bell is heard
The Jersey City ferryboat has arrived,
and in walks it's conductor. George Leon
ard, who, regardless of expense. orders a
stick of candy and begins to MUNICH It,
With him come the expansive Lady Di
rIt.z
thckens and the bartender kills Cash
Hawkins with blow on the head, though
the Indian maiden dances to the foot
lights and bellows ''Me-kill um," with
the diapason stop pulled away out.
Later the Indian chief holds powwow
with Jim, speaking real Cincinnati Ger
man. and ending in excellent English.
But from. England comes a lawyer to
disturb this nightmare of the west He
finds Jim with Naturich and a siX-foot
son with a voice like foghorn. Dis
covering that Naturich and Jim are I'M
married, he mildly declares that the situa-
ton is awkward, to which Jim assents;
but declares that he had tried in vain to
escape from the Indian maiden. Naturich
here interposeS and says that she is tired
of supporting 4 lazy Englishman and that
she Is at liberty ITO go any time, the sooner
the quicker. She then leaves the stage
bombardment like two Fourths of July
is heard. and Naturich is wheeled back
to the stage, dead, on a hand truck, all
ready for the ferry. Then a shout of joy
ig raised by all but Jim, who groans that
Ho&he will have to do all the work.
ne hurlesque CLOSES with Jim clasped
tigtN</to the fifty-inch chest of the two
hund&d-pound Diana, and they lived
: happily until they began to quarrel AS
one m4p said last night-it might all have
hsppeh9d in Indiana or Kansas.
So Between the Acts.
So that was the end of the burlesque:
but there ware speeches between the acts
that wSre part of the entertainment
After the first act Mr.. Cowles responded
no the cries Of Author and came before
the footlights, when rubber plant with
etred tag vas thrust upon him. Then
het thanked the audience in words they
<hed used themselves many time, and
added: But as for our distinguished
chief, Mr.. William Faversham. it is i'm
POSSIBLE to keep him out of the lime
slight"-and then there flashed from back
I 81 the right stage box spotlight directly
y tn the face of the star, who was, sitting
about twelve rows back, beside his wife.
Ina speech made after the second act
theirs W0s one more cruel thrust at Faver-
sham. Mr. Shackelford was the guilty
wretch. Initiating Favershams manner,
he began: My friends. if you will permit
me for moment TO step out of the pic
ture, L shall tell you a little story. Mr..
Joseph Chamberlain once said" and then
from all sides of the stage protruded
u,
What. Again. And tn; speaker fled.
Gems of Criticism.
These three gems of dramatic criticism
were gathered from authoritative sources
after the performance:
"Naturich's feet were frankly pedal in
their extremities. and her voice was too
vocal; but the whole thing was almost
imperumptu and may be forgiven. Why
do actors calciminae their faces?"
Il think, II i may express myself that
i feel deeply on the morality of the dram
nler, as l have often said, but l will let
the moral stain on this play pass without
"a jeremiad. since 1t will not be performed
again. 1t might please New York, /
know. but l also know that New York is
mo Judge"
"A. burlesque function is to burlesoue
tand the critic of burlesque has nothing
to do but to tell whether the burlesoue
.burlesques satisfactorily or not. and III il
does not. why not? This one was a bully
good show"
After the performance which was over
by quarter to 1. Mr.. Faversham gave a
dinner and Christmas tree for his com
pany on the stage
AT the New Lyceum last night tbsre
were also great doings. a Christmas din
.ner being served on the stage with a dis
play of the presents received by the com