The Washington herald., 1909-05-30

7
banquet hall. in which a hundred men in
( fuH evening dress are seated around
richly decorated tables in the gayly-fes-
/ tooned banquet hall Of a modern New
York hotel, was the opening scene Of
The Midnight Sons" at the Broadway
Theater. on Saturday evening last, which
made the large and fashionable audience
gape and stare with a feeling that it was
/ IN the presence Of a theatrical novelty.
/ And this impression was consistently
strengthened later in the evening. when
[ the curtain revealed the realistic Interior
/ Of the Murray Theater-
( Il is no uncommon thing TO see the
Interior Of the theater represented on the
stage, but this was en- Illusion that threw
ersrything Of a similar character into
complete eclipse. No such banqueting
scene has probably ever been seen IN
miniature, nor such a playhouse interior.
I The stage was open 20 the fly lOft- From
/ the high ceiling hung a lighted chandelier.
A balco1y extended in q seni-circle at
7 the precise altitude Of the real thing
Aisles extended down through the par
! terre Of seats: the seats we're occupied
/ by a hundred spectators; lady usheTs
showed the people 70 their reservations
I On each side were boxes. 4 miniature
stage formed the front. beyond which
you saw the heads OF the musicians, and
on the stage a variety OF diveTting acts
! were presented by the characters in the
play.
For the finale OF the first act you be-
Y held the rear Of an observation car
( crowded with passengers and attached 20
z train moving at tremendous speed
/ through valleys and villages, with the
! nile posts darting past you and dissolv-
I ing into space, and you followed the
rvents with a feeling that you were
( aboard and enjoying the scenery on either
side with the same elation as The a.'tual
/ passengers waving their handkerchiefs
Z gleefully at you, till the curtain shut
out the Illusion OF course. this illusion
vas all produced by ciuemetograph ef-
! fects. and only the rear Of The coach and
4 the passengers were real. And for ?
4 wlnd-up OF this spectacular novelty
I Glen MacDonough, we were introse
I TO the Illuminated garden Of tia Pc
/ uponham Hotel. Millionaire Beach. Fla, an
| example OF scenic ingenuity produced by
+ the trained mechanicisns OF the art And
al this IS but the background Of q per-
] formznce notable for its variety Of vaUde-
Vile novelties and a talented cast
/ Among the distinguished people whose
names loom up on the posters are
/ Blanche Ring and Lotta Faust, Fritz
/! Williams. Taylor Holmes, Harry Fischer.
! MaybeTe Meeke-. Joseph n RaJiin
/ George Monroe. George Schiller, Melville
Ellis. and Vernon Castle. all Broadway
( favorites and making up an aggregate
( whose salaries must amount 10 something
extrsvsgant
Anything IN which Blanche Ring Gp-
/ pears IS apt 10 be A Blanche Ring show
7 But that is true only in a modified way.
/ There is little plot. and the chauteuse
Z breaks IN at intervals with little regard
20 order But her personality is so pleas
7 ing 10 New Workers and she IS such
4 consummste artist that she dominates
I by her own force Her Ely Riley and
/ Rings on Ny Finger" VIII send those
/ two songs through the ways and byways
/ OF the country.
But Lotta Faust, too, scored triumph
I as a second Carmencits n q Spanish
ibolero. which she danced with wonder
fu1 display Of dash and rOguish witchery-
{ George Monroe monopolized the interest
whenever he was or the stage. in the
4 character OF an Irish cook LADY. In the
f-st scene there is 3 brilliant fTefiy
dance and all through the performance
one specially after another passes II
rapId review Perhaps Il may be vel q
state that the title refers 70 the foul
sons Of Senator NoyeS. who are night
owls and men about town he leaves
bsnk. account 20 their credit. with tht
r-oviso that the one who doubles his IN
/ vesrneur by the time OF his return from
Africa shall inherit his fortune. L Is
/ in tracing their efforts u DO this that
the plot carries Us through the ksleido-
: scouic combination OF events set forth
+ The show seems sure Of an all-summei
run. The producer IS Lew Fields
Henrietta Crosman closed In Sham
at Wauack's on Saturday night. and OF
Monday the stage OF the historic old
tbester was given over to the first metro
uolitan performance Of the Game Of
/ Love" BY Frederic MarianL The day
after people were asking themselves
what Is the excuse for IT, The piect
made about as complete a faScO as any
thing that has come along IN number
i Of months one OF the critics described
I Gertrude Berkeley's breezy acting as a
comedy study which was "a welcome
oasis in a desert Of banality. platitudes
end threadbare epigram-" Even an other
wise good cast. including 2 J. Ratcliffe
was unable TO redeem II from ignominiou;
failure. Il deals with the career Of ar
lunconscienable Iadv-killer. who has beer
fitted. while his former sweetheart enter.
a loveless marriage. and later, when h
revenges himself upon all wOmankin6
Cd 0~rrr-r r1rrs
pathway in life. The whole conception
IS distinctly foreign IN spirit and ehaFac-
ter. which Is accounted for by the fac
that Mariani is q native Of Italy. HI
IS credited with writing several dramatic
successes in his own country. interpreted
BY NovelE and RosSi- He came TO Amer
lea about eight years ago, and set out e
pursue a literary career n English Il
IS said that he had material published
in the leading magazines. II so he has
not learned the way OF amusing an Amer
lean audience The withdrawal OF The
play is highly probable
During the comins week several changes
are scheduled Grace George closes her
engagement in a Woman's Way at the
Hackett tonight, and on Monday the
theater wiz be occupied with a PLAY
which is said 70 be a good counterpart
10 The Easiest Way" salvation Nell. -
&c. Il is entitled The Narrow Path, -
which has had TROUT al Atlantic City
and in Philadelphia for one week. IN the
cast Is Ida Conquest, who viii play the
heroine. II deals with the life history
Of four manicure girls
The aerial roof garden over fhe New
Amsterdam Thsater viii be opened for
the summer with Marie DreSsler in a
new musical comedy. The Boy and the
I Girl" At the Academy Of Music. Robert
Manteu brings his long engagement IN
New York 70 a close tonight. and on
Monday night Sotbern and Marlowe viii
make their re-sntres in New York as
Joint stars In Romeo and juliet" Their
] le1Sa0enoert is for three weeks G1lrins