Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-12-04

! @~AN"efNaf ~ VIM"
! . .,......,................... Grace Belasco
! Molly Brewster her daughter. ...,...
........,.................. Caroline Dixon
Laura Short, newspaper corre-
! spondent .................. Bunnee Woods
/ Mrs. Sophie Adams. ......... Silence Tower
Edith sylvester, Rudolph WIS niece
| . '''''... ..................s. marc Sappotl
| sue, waitress. ....,s,.,,.. Lillian Lyddyeru
Horce Randolph, "li5cho" House belt
Rudolph W sylvester. wealthy soap
manufacturer Herman Hirschberg
Dick Brown, manager Of the Echo"
Regsie brewster, the life Of the party
.,.......".......... Lawrence Ackerlnd
Don Ferris. in love.....".... Carl Mcbride
Cyrus Adams. q professional hermit
| Observation-Disclosures. Charles Holly
Mr.. Bruin. ..,...........,......Car Carl Mcbride
AS much entertainment for the money
as is offered by any show on the road
is provided by The Echo" which be-
gan weeks engagement at the Bran
deis with a belated matinee yesterday
afternoon The train schedule between
Kansas City and Omaha lived up TO its
| reputation, and the result was the show
was late getting into the village. good
natured crowd waited for II to commence,
and enjoyed IL all thrcugh-'all but one
man, who went back to his hotel and
wrote letter to the editor, insisting Il
was an outrage and an insult He es-
pecially complained that the musical d.
rector OF the company rehearsed the
house orchestra, carefully explaining
the score and the cues, before the per-
Torrance commenced Awful, isn't IL!
THE Echo" has a plot and something
of a story, but the plot has 80 little to
do with the affair that II may be
neglected by the public quite as much
as 1t is by the company. The pro-
ceedlngs are mostly song and dance, al
though some clever comedy is sprinkled
through. The one fact that is impressed
on the beholder is that the song and
dance element is splendidly cared for.
The singers can sing and the dancers
can dance and the rest OF 1t doesn't
count for a great DEAL as musical plays
go these days. And lastly, 1t is clean
throughout.
Blanche Deyo is shining in the stellar
capacity, being both a songbird and
danseuse, showing herself willing
worker in both departments. But II Is
Caroline Dixon who gets the big ap-
plause for singing; she has lyric So
prano voice OF sweetness, range and
power seldom eXcelled, the purity OF her
tones being remarkable. And Marie
Sabbott, young and pretty, floats through
ner dances ike u Ull VI NhAoNiSoONh
waited by soft breezes. Misses Lyd-
yard and Fletcher are also dancers of
unusual attainment, and Messrs. Nc
Bride and Cavanaugh claim good deal
of attraction for their conJr buttons In
this line of endeavor.
Franker Woods Is funny; Aa, 100, adds
grotesque dance to heap up high the
measure of goodness afforded. Herman
Hirschberg Is also funny and adds much
TO the pleasure OF the performance. And
the others, the chorus included, work eff
fectively together to the general success.
You'll hear some new airs whistled on
the streets today; they come from The
Echo" much of the music for the piece
having been written to encourage
whistllng The audiences OF Sunday will
be the pioneers but will be Joined by
many others before the week is over.
Arrangements were made yesterday
whereby the engagement of the COM
pany was extended to include the en-
tire week at the Brandeis, with matinees
on Wednesday and Saturday.
The COburn Players mt DOyds'
Shakespeare's comedy. Tanning of the
Shrew," ably was presented by the Co
burn players with Mr.. and Mrs. Charles
Douville Coburn in the leading roles, at
Boyd's last night. A mere handful OF play
goers witnessed a production that was
worthy of a crowded house. From time
10 time those who were there laughed and
applauded vigorously. The company re-
sponded to numerous curtain calls after
each scene and act.
Tanning Of the Shrew" is a stars play.
The greater part of the burden OF the
production rests upon the shoulders OF
hose who carry the roles Of Petruchio and
Katherine, the shrew. For those who
play the other parts there is compare
lively little to do except provide detail
and character background of a quality
high enough to<meet the demands of the
stars. These minor roles appeared to be
enacted by persons who had studied the
characters. and had rehearsed with con-
scientious care.
Mr.. Coburn's Interpretation Of the char
acter OF Petruchio. who does not WOO as
a babe, who tames his wife by outdoing
her in "shrewishness," is done with a
spontaneity, n freedom from staginess
that always is highly pleasing and too
seldom IL found.
Mrs. Coburn, as Katherine, makes the
change from the unconquered and sup
posedly unconquerable shrew to the hum.
bic and obedient wife Just as gradually
as the play demands It shall be done.
In the succeeding clashes with her hus-
band her spirit weakens, but not too
perceptibly, not enough to afford the
husband reason TO believe she has been
tanned" Only in the last scene, in which
she tells the other women just how n
wife should conduct herself toward her
better half and why is she thoroughly
subdued.
d. c. Percival plays Petruchio's ser
want, Grumio, with the drollery which
one must believe was contemplated by
the playwright. Miss Beatrice Harron
as Blanca. George Gaul as Bianca's
lover, Leopold Lane as Baptista and Frs
kline Sanford as VincentIo are effective
in their respective roles. The stage set
tings arc good.
The Coburn players remain at Boyd's