Life — January 15, 1891 — page 13: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

to natural types different from those that con- stant repetition has made tiresome. The play, “Judah,” is a much stronger piece of dramatic work than “ The Middleman,” al- though the leading part is neither so picturesque nor so original as that of Cyrus Blenkarn. The réle of Vashti Dethic fits Miss Marie Bur- roughs better than any that has been assigned to her for some time, and in it she displays very considerable ability. ° ° ° se ANELON,” at the Broadway, is an old-fashioned, wordy play redeemed from actual prosiness by its handsome stage- setting, picturesque costumes and a large, well- trained corps of supernumeraries. As a piece of dramatic bric-a-brac the piece possesses a certain interest, but at no place does it appeal very strongly to human sympathy or reproduce “AY, MARRY.” Ella (contemplating matrimony): Don't you THINK, UNCLE GEORGE, A YOUNG COUPLE COULD GET ON NICELY ON $900 A YEAR? Uncle George: WHY, CERTAINLY. THEY COULDN'T POSSIBLY LIVE TOGETHER ON THAT. anything that seems like real life. The company, with one or two excep- tions, is made up of mediocre actors of the barn-storming school, and the work they do is excellent—judged by the barn-storming standard. Mr. Lawrence Barrett's rendering of the title ré/e is not exactly a great performance. It is dignified and conscientious, but lacking in fire and spontaneity. Of Miss Gale's performance the less said the better, although it is possible that she possesses talents which her part in “Ganelon” gives her no opportunity to show, . . * HE successful re-appearance of Mr, Richard Mansfield, this time at the Garden Theatre, is an additional proof that the general public is interested in his work. Notwithstanding his idiosyncracies, Mr. Mansfield gives more promise of future greatness than any native actor, and bids fair to become the leading exponent of stage possibilities. Although Mr. Mansfield has made experiments in widely different fields, we do not think he has yet found the exact measure of his ability, and in common with many others interested in his progress, we are anticipating his future development with curiosity and hopefulness. Metcalfe.