Life — January 26, 1899 — page 12: what you’re looking at

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

On Dress Parade. Tae tho shameloss, can’t be trusted To select her daily dress; Her attire must bo adjusted To our views of comeliness, So with cunningness wo fashion Robe for her to suit our style, Cut with fraud und sewed with passion, Trimmed with fugo and guile, subter- Thus we ask her to our houses, Confident her presence there In our guests no fear urouses, From our friends will cause no stare. Thus we meot hor when we visit, Thus in drawing-room and street Think we know her, but we miss it— Her disguise is quit Ww coniplete, 1 Levette Wilson, CYNIC is a grown-up chiid who has cut his doll open. A Farce and a Masterpiece. T the Madison Square the new farce, “Because She Loved Him So,” de- parts from the usual type, in that {t contains few surprises. The sitnations are all foreshad- owed, but are «o delightfully Jed up to, and the acting ts 80 good, that after the dreary first act the fun ts both dainty and continuous, It ts @ clean little play, and devotes part of its energies to an unusual depiction on our stage— that of a conpte who, after thirty sears of happy matrimony, are still devoted lovers. This man and wife furnish the contrast to another and younger couple, who are starting thelr married life with a quarrel, and the fun hinges on the awkward efforts of the older pair to teach the younger one the Joys of peace by a simulated quarrel. The acting ts good throughout. Mr. Dodson's John Weatherby, the older hustand, 1s a detictous bit of genre acting, without the tedious detail of Mr. Fellx Morris, and almost In the line of Mr. Jobn Hare. Its wife, played by Kate Meek, ts also a good bit, and the other characters are well cast. Clever as it ts, the plece provides rather a skimpy evening-full, considering that full prices are charged. It might well be condensed nto two acts instead of spread out over three, and could be well supplemented with one of the mauy curtain-natsers tha are seeking a market. . . . RUE suffering, much hard work, and a little luck, are the causes which Zaza, in the last act of the play of that name, assigns for Zaza's reaching the acme of success as a vaude- ville artist. One of these causes at least {s evident in the unquestioned success which Mra, Lestte Carter achleves a3 Zaza tn Mr, Belasco’s clever adaptation of Simon and Berton's play. She must have done a tre- mendous amount of work tn preparing herself for the part. Her effects are not accidental, and what seems in many cases most spontaneous ts doubtless the result of careful study and pro- longed effort. Add to this her temperamental qualifications for the part, and the result ls a per- formance that delights the head and heart of the critic, and opens up to Mrs. Carter the career which may gain for her the title of great. We have been so long satistied with mediocrity that we are quick to cry “genlus!" when we en- counter anything so far above the commonplace as Mrs Carter's splendid achievement. That the genius {8 there Lire firmly belleves, and ts not surprised that some authorities on dramatte art have been startled by its sudden discovery nto conferring on Mra. Carter the crown of Rachel and Bernhardt. But tt 14 to be hoped that thts verdict 1s not final, and that Mra, Carter will not rest content to establish her claims to greatness on this one accomplishment. If she possesses | comichooks.