The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-12-26
ADJUSTMENTS
Academy OF Music-Durk.
b'jou-"Thc Test" matinee md mig hit.
EmpIrc-ynudcy ilic.

| academy OF Sfuric-Durk.
Bijou-''rhc Test" matinee md mig hit.
EmpIre--vnudey willie.
| LnuEhnbIc Fnrce.
| judging from the almost continuous
| laughter that ripplcd or roarcd through
;hc Academy of Music yesterday, tho
choice of over Night" for Christmas
Day was an Inspiration of managerial
genius.
Without a single thought or sugges-
| ton OF seriousness to mar a happy
| holiday, this frothy farce proved an
Ideal relaxation for those whose brains
were weary from the days and nights
OF worry and toll necessary to a
! proper and fitting celebration of Christ
mas throughout the performance
! there was not Sllmmcr of excuse for
the slightest mental exercise either in
| solving the situations or in foresceing
/ the happy conclusion "a the story.
| Consequently, both in the afternoon and
In the evening, the house almost rocked
| with mirth.
Two bridal couples start on their
honeymoons on one of the Hudson day
boats. Just before the boat casts off,
the strong. forcefu! husband of tho
dear, helpless little girl. and the manly.
suffragette vito of the soft, "willie-
boy" husband rush back to the pior
in search of forgotten articles and. OF
eourse' the Two strong ones are left
| behind on shore.
| By the inevitable trend of stage cir
| cumstances. the mismatched young
couple on the boat are compelled to
! pretend that they are properly mated,
! even when they reach an inn at the
| boats next stop. where they are forced
to remain until the next morning
| hence the title of the play. The rest
| of the story Is obvious.
| Although the situation IN tho hands
OF properly equipped French farce
| builder would have been so manipulate
| cd as 10 suggest anything and every
! thing, Philip II. Bartholomac has de-
! veloped II into clean farce, contain
| ing nothing either suggestive or in
delicate. and much that Is amusing, IL
/. absurd and Improbable. Indeed. the
only line in the piece that Is bit
blue" is not in the least essential to
the story.
! The company as whole was compc-
| tent. but several deserve special men
| ton. Sam B. Hardy was excellent as
| Percy Darling, who. his name to the
contrary Notwithstanding. was the big.
! strong, mastery husband: Z. L. Duane
| made the most of the very small part
of Professor Digs; Elsie Scott made
her bit as Mrs. S. Rutherford Clevc-
land stand out; Tom Emory made the
house laugh as Richard Kettle, the
silly husband, and Gwendolyn Piers
CAST seen here in The Spcndthrift")
made Elsie Darling altogether ador-
! able. w. D. O.
Opening OF The Empire.
TO an amusement seeking public
that stood in long, impatient lines
stretching far down Broad Street,
Richniond's new playhouse. The Empire
doors yesterday for the first time. and
| three times every one OF It's 100 seats
was occupied, so that it may truly he
said that, for the lessees and the
| owner, the opening was auspicious.
And the public. too. has something
to be thankful for. Leaving aside the
arransement of the stage, concerning
which there is much TO criticize. but
| With which the public has nothing to
| do, and postponing any notice OF the
snow proper. which Will be spoken of
later, II Is pleasure simply TO he in
such veritablc little gem OF u thea
| tire,
From the footlights, through the
nSlseieSsly swinging doors leading into
into the street, and from the concrete
| floor to the ceiling, il is as nearly per-
feet as one could desire. TO begin
with, the color schem> is of green,
| ing, but soft and even restful. This
rcstfulness is greatly increased. if not
created, by une unusually we'll ar
| ranged lighting of the house. which
1
red exit lights. by great prismatic, vet
du!led, inverted SEMI globes filled with
| bulbs and either attached to the cell
Ing or swinging down from It by
chains. so that the softcned light is
| dimuseL throughout the whole house.
Then the rake" or rise of the seats
| balcony and gallery, is so great that
every one can sec the stage no mat
| tcr now many rats. puns or pompa-
dours may he in front OF Him All the
4 "a - n nj
on the back of each Is a green cord
| through which man may slim his coat
or TO which woman may pin her
| hat-evcn then leaving room for her
knees. for there is considerable space
between the rows-and, browning mar
vel. under each chair, attached 10 the
noor. is bell-likc arrangement OF
metal through which may be forced
not air in the winter and cool breezes
| IN the summer. by means of n huge
electric fan which sucks in the air
anrongh duet leading TO the outside
and drives IT into the house through
heated Or cooled coils. or tho four
boxes, the two on the lower moor have
, Inc ioe,w ", ceiling that adds to
house, while they arc all so arranged
| that no one seated in them inter
I Icres with the vision of those in the
| orchestra. balcony OF gallery All tho
! exit ,.pors are secured on the inside
| by heavy brass bars. so arranged thai.
4 while the doors cannot be readily
opened from the outside. if at ali,
i only very light pressure downward
! Will suffice to throw them wide open
| most ingenious contrivance for tho
| safety of the public Finally--and here
| goes a hit of free advertising written
! solely on account of tho genuinely ar
| tistic merit of the thing advertised
| the trcscoes. mcdallions and frezcs
| with which the house is ornamcntcl
| arc really beautiful and arc tic work
| OF Mr. l-cgnaiOlt, the sculptor of the
| Fcrrandini- LeEnnioli Company.
! Last nights performance was of a
| higher class Of vaudeville than We
have seen i'm years. az was to be ex-
! pcctcd. The one motion picture film
shown was exceedingly intcrcstinE
| showing combination Of warfare and
acriai navigation we'll arranged and
/, pictured, and there were five vaudeville
4 Il1,ll. Il =.