New-York tribune., 1910-08-12
THE BRASS BOTTLE"
Lyceum Theatre Offering Takes
One Back to Arabian Nights.

It would be almost like mirroring an
Arabian Nights entertainment to tell the
story of the Anstey play at the Lyceum
Theatre last night. +. Anstey, the author
of 1.-The Brass Bottle is on the staff of
London Punch" Members of that staff
are supposed TO think humor talk it. write
it and dream a whole lot of it. Mr.. Anstey
unbottled enough in the dramatization OF
his play to keep a crowded house in a stir
of laughter. at times a ripple but generally
mingled with vigorous applause.
The action does not really begin until
wen into the first act with the removal of
the stopper from an Oriental bottle pur-
chased at an auction by young architect
Horace Ventirnore For, the bottle is
opened a Din pops out, not so that the
audience can see him pop, but there is a
manipulation of stage properties and when
the disturbance subsidies a replica of one
of the Djins in the Arabian Nights En-
tertanments sWays beyond the footligfts
and raucously talks, well he might.
having been confined in very limited
space for a few thousand years.
This Dim is the lever that moves the
whole play. His gratefulness to Ventimore
causes the latter untold embarrassment,
and nearly results in the loss of his sweet
heart, Sylvia Futvoye, daughter of an
Orientalist, Professor Anthony Futvoye
There is really no villain in the farce
comedy although Spencer Pringle, another
architect, but rising one, comes about as
near it as should be in presentation of
situations of about as impossible char
acter as could well be imagined. The Dim,
whose name>is Fakrash El-Aamash, show
ers the Oriental blessings upon Fentimore
Fakrash ruins a dinner party by substitut-
ing for the English paraphernala a setting
50 Oriental that knives and forks do not
figure. He turns the father Of Sylvia into
a mule and d one-eyed one at that.
But the Din does the young architect one
good turn. He watts into his apartments a
wealthy man, Samuel Wackerbath, who or
ders dwelling house to cost 100000. Com
plications follow because of the inappreci-
of Nentimore, which offends the
DIN, who wreaks vengeance upon Wacker-
bath. but relenas: offends the F'utvoye fam
lily so that Nentimore seems 10 have lost
Sylvia forever, and then brings forgetful
ness upon all persons excepting the near
villain, Pringle, who determined to carry
his suit for Sylvia by iniuring Nentfmore,
recallsathe weird happenings, and all ex-
Ctpt eILinlDEe DSlleEe Uilu UtlneDIbU
Amid all the farcical impossibilities there
shine wit and aptnesS of remark. and
enough horse play, and mule play, too, to
keep the interest keyed up to the pitch of
almost boisterouS approval The parts
were uniformly we'll taken. Richard Ben
nett, as Nentimore; Fuller Melish, as Pro-
fessor F'utvoye; Edwin Stevens, as the
Dim, and Ivo Dawson. as Pringle. kept their
characters well in mind Louis Masseu,
Wackerbath, was thorough and acrobatic.
Miss Irene Fenwick, as Sylvia: Mrs.
Thomas Whiffen, as Mrs. F'utvoye, and
Carrie Perkins, as Mrs. Rapkin. we're all
excellently vivacious. The minor parts
were also we'll carried out. and the stage
were managed with the prompt
ness and freedom from delays characteristic
Of much practice.
The Brass Bottle was produced in
London about year ago, ana had long
run. If the reception of last night is Il
the farce comedy will give much
before it leaves the Lyceum